A 150 year old New Zealand Garden of National Significance, 5 minutes from Blenheim open for visits
Operating as usual
We’ve been enjoying the tranquility of our young meadow with hundreds of visitors recently. There’s something about sitting right within a garden space that is soothing. Particularly when a huge tree kindly lends shade during these past few days of sunshine.
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Read all about it: The summer guide for garden lovers
Discover the best of New Zealand's gardens with a helpful new book.
Early morning in the hot garden. I love how the Euphorbia rigida softens the Agave parryi. And all that fan action in the background is rather thrilling too.
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Awhhh! Thanks Rach!
Decked out for today’s action It’s a stunner too.
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Today is the dawn of festival week. Many hours of prep have come to an end including a brave tussling with the pride and joy of our newly acquired cacti collection. Repotting enormous Barrel Cactus is not for the faint hearted. His mantra of ‘It’s not ok to touch the plant’ and assisted by some handy thick furniture removal rugs resulted in only one very large prickle needing tweezerly removal. Phew. Glad that task won’t be necessary again for a few years. The assessors are here early today for our 3 yearly check up which always provides the creators with an opportunity to audit the gardens journey since the last assessment. The evolution of the garden as the years quickly pass is fascinating and frequently ignored as we do what we need to which is carry on regardless. Hedges planted in the last 2 decades are finally demonstrating their purpose, subtly guiding the eyes to where we want them to focus. The loss of the ancient Copper Beech and it’s nearby neighbour the massive Kowhai bedecked with epiphytes has created a large sunny garden where once was woodland. It’s new plantings are raw and not yet satisfying the vision. But we wait patiently for its moments to shine again because we gardeners know there is always next season to look forward to.
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Ross’s 50 year old first orchid, won in a raffle when he was ten is sheltering the most perfect, wee, self arranged fernery. This has taken about 5 years with the only human intervention being the water and food given to the lowianum. I’m enjoying the optimism of the Dicksonia fibrosa which has recently appeared in the middle.
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Our favourite youthful instagrammer is also our favourite garden journalist. If you’re not following Julia Atkinson-Dunn you must! Thanks Julia. I love being called a geek.
Mōrena Magnolias!
Sunshine for our evening wander. It’s been a very long time. Bliss. everyday
We’ve ventured north to ‘s birthday celebration. This is the extraordinary wee terrace outside my bedroom. I’m in orange and yellow heaven. Who cares if the skies are still grey? Next years Conference 2023 in Wellington will pay a visit here. You’re in for a rare treat!
Cymbidium fabulousness! This red spike has 29 flowers. I’m not sure if that’s a personal best but it’s been a mission preventing it from trailing on the ground and positioning it to avoid dog damage. The Lowianum has welcomed our complicated watering strategy last summer - it’s our last ditch effort to keep this 50 plus year old heirloom from being cut up and repotted. I’ve got a few tricks left for this summer. It will be in full bloom for months and spectacular in November.
Dawn
Sunrise makes the yellowing vines orange.
Our meadow experiments continue. Nature is arranging it’s plants perfectly without any human interventions it seems. And has changed and softened the views with pleasing new vistas. This summer has seen an explosion in spider life I’m assuming it’s the new found abundance of insect delicacies. Lucky I’m not an arachnophobe huh? But the best part about summer 2021/22 is our dream of a Totara forest is finally showing a glimpse of its future. Only 15 years wait.
Puya alpestris with an impossible peacock flower.
Symphony of greys and green on the paths to the bush providing a calming contrast to the late spring colour running riot elsewhere in the garden.
A wee homage to my mentor, friend and gardener extraordinaire; Carolyn Ferraby, who’s is a constant inspiration. I never leave a visit without at least one huge ‘I must have that’ loop in my brain. Here’s two baby loops that need another twenty years to reach the Barewood dream - Cornus kousa Satomi and Sambucus nigra Black Beauty; the latter a treasured cutting from Carolyn.
Our favourite photographer and writer will have this book in the shops next week. Stunning photos from .nicholas and lovely stories from Sue Allison. .
……………………………………Don’t forget our OPEN FOR ALZHEIMERS this weekend
ALZHEIMER’S OPEN WEEKEND
November 6th and 7th 2021
We are open for our favourite charity for 2 sessions each day at 10am and 2pm with every penny going to this amazing organisation.
$25 per person including morning/afternoon tea, tours conducted by the garden designer and owner.
Bookings/tickets are essential. Contact: Marlborough Alzheimer’s
Tel: 03 577 6172
Email: [email protected]
www.weltonhouse.co.nz
Screaming Venus returns to the hot garden. Phew. Sometimes it feels like a very long time between drinks.
Playing with Magnolia nigra and my new phone after my old one finally spat the dummy. This magnolia was rescued after it bravely revealed one tiny strangled flower through its blanket of camellias. 10 years on it is a picture of perfect health.
A gloomy day cheered by swathes of acid yellow, orange, hot pink and apricot. The orange Bulbinella from Terry Hatch has to be the star but Magnolia Iolanthe and this unknown rhodo will soon be at centre stage. Does anyone know what that rhodo is called? For awhile I thought it was Unique but the leaves are wrong.
An early morning walk down the garden path to the chook house shows how good it is when a plague of bunnies have succumbed to nature’s own population control. I could hardly glance at this garden last summer. might know the names of these very lovely dahlias.
Lilian superbum after 7 or so years is clearly very happy. Love the way she celebrates the New Year here. Happy New Year Insta friends! 2020 has such a nice ring to it I’m imagining all things wonderful for us all. ••••
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@ Welton House
Sarcochilus fitzgeraldii blooming with exceptional pretty vigour. It seems she should be more tender but bar one unfortunate winter the ancient Poormans orange tree has given her sufficient shelter. @ Welton House
It is that brief moment when Iris reticulata has her 15 minutes in the limelight. And look at her - she is spectacular! And today launched their ticket sales. Get in before the best things sell out! @ Marlborough New Zealand
Nerine sarniensis has found her perfect partner - Ammi majus. It’s taken quite a few years.
Kelly and Colin had the most moving wedding ceremony on New Years Eve. There wasn’t a dry eye on the garden.
Eliza's Garden Cottage all ready for the bridal party. Good luck Becky and Matt.
Tulip Verona. Just perfect for a wedding and as luck would have it we have the gorgeous Becky and Matt doing just that on Saturday. There's 30 more Veronas in the picking garden at Eliza's Garden Cottage. Can't wait to collect them all on Saturday morning.
Dusk in the plum orchard.
Welton Gardens accomodation - Elizas's Garden Cottage - has had a big makeover. She's looking like she needs a bride and groom and just as well she has one next month!
Old Italian fireplace makes a perfect alter.
Ancient rose enjoying a beautiful morning.
Sculptured hedges.
Timeline photos
Timeline photos
10 Staces Road
Grovetown
7202
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 5pm |
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