Taranaki Garden Festivals Plus!
Another skip up the garden paths 29 Oct - 2 November 2021!
Spectacular Garden Festivals 2021
Formerly the Rhododendron Festival The PowerCo & Fringe Garden Festivals continue to delight people from all over the world. There are so many glorious gardens from which to choose - an intriguing mixture of unique and stunning gardens, each with their own story to tell - but we have done our best to choose a wide variety. This is our fourth visit so we have been able to identify those which will appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes.
The region's public gardens are gems, but it’s the private gardens open exclusively for the 10 days of the festivals that are a must see.
So much to see
We will also visit places of interest such as the acclaimed Len Lye Gallery & the wonderful Tawhiti Gallery (Hawera)
WHICH GARDENS WILL WE VISIT?
The gardens we intend to visit are the following:
Pukeiti- Over seven decades Pukeiti has built up one of the world’s biggest and most diverse collections of rhododendrons and other exotics, their rich colours bursting into life against a backdrop of lush native rainforest. The 360ha property has free guided walks during the festival at 2pm daily as well as mobility vehicle rides for less-able visitors on the hour from 9am – 1pm.(We found this very useful last time & will be booking it again.)
Hurworth Country Garden - This graceful country garden packed with flourishing beds, borders and mass plantings has been developed around a 1910 villa on a 1ha property.
Special features include expansive lawns, established native and exotic trees, brick and stone walls, a grass tennis court, fountain, formal and woodland plantings, and treasured garden furniture.
Tropical Treasures -
This is is a private subtropical garden set within a subtropical outdoor and tropical indoor plant nursery. The subtropicals are taking over this labour of love, which is only three years old. Visitors will be amazed at what can be grown and how well they flourish in this garden at the foot of the mountain. With many display gardens open to the public visiting the nursery, they will also be opening their private garden during the festival only.
Mosen's Garden - A mature one and a half acre town garden with steps leading down to a stream and an extensively planted bog garden. Primulas, irises, hosta, Solomon’s seal etc. On to shade gardens featuring ligularias, corydalis and convallaria surrounding a pond.
Greenhills -
This floral artist’s creation cleverly incorporates a mixed perennial garden, shrubbery and a rockery with a bounty of treasures. About 30 climbing clematises drip from garden structures, mass-planted rhodohypoxis flowers flow like rivers, and bell-shaped fritillarias, in many hues, are scattered around the small shapely garden of great intrigue. Shirley, well known in Stratford as an avid, talented gardener, has published a book in time for this year's festival.
The book is about Shirley's life in gardening - from her first experiences as a child in the family garden, through to the gardens she has entered in the annual garden festival and the people she has met through a shared love of gardening.
The book combines tales of her childhood with recipes, gardening tips and plenty of Stratford history.
Regan House - Regan House (featured garden in NZ House and Garden Feb 2020) is an English-styled garden set in an acre surrounding the 1910 villa. Lawned areas are surrounded by gardens containing a large variety of established plantings as well as newer and developing areas.
Cairnhill Garden -This vibrant, colourful garden is framed by a canopy of deciduous trees. Rhododendrons and viburnums flower in profusion. Collections of hosta and heuchera interplay in the filtered light areas giving a sense of peace and timelessness. Roses and trellised clematis add excitement.
A range of different edging plants give definition to borders, many of which are filled with amazing iris varieties, peonies and special plantings.
Stanleigh Garden - This country garden, with stunning views to the coast and mountain, uses its elevated position to grow splendid hybrid rhododendrons that flower through spring. Hosta are used extensively as underplanting, while maples, hydrangeas, hedges create the perfect park-like setting.
Boxwood - As you journey through the many garden rooms you will be in a plant lovers’ and garden design haven; you will also enjoy the connection between the house and garden. Boxwood was the feature garden in the NZ Gardener magazine’s 75th anniversary issue and appeared in NZ House & Garden magazine.
Sanderson Garden - This is a rural garden rated four stars by the NZ Gardens Trust. The lush sanctuary of nikau palms, colourful perennials, camellias, and native grasses give way to spectacular views of Mt Taranaki.
Expansive lawns and established garden beds are set amongst sheltering maples, a weeping elm, and a towering walnut tree. Cherry trees, portuguese laurels and roses flourish. Many sculptures and ornaments feature throughout.Openlands - Sweeping lawns, mature trees, perennial borders with camellias, rhododendrons and roses, a shade house, native dell, and natural stream all create a garden of surprises and tranquillity.
This garden featured in NZ Gardener April 2019.
Gravetye - Gravetye is a formal garden that celebrates the simplicity of mass green planting. Wander along the perennial border, pass the sunken vegetable garden, the reflection pool, the pleached limes & the laburnum arch, which all radiate out from the house.
The immaculate lawns are bordered by carefully designed hedging. You will also see sculptures, plantings of iris, roses and lavender.
King Edward Park - King Edward Park is rated by the New Zealand Gardens Trust as a nationally significant garden. The ancestry of the park est. 1902 is seen in its charmingly formal design. The lofty close clipped hedges give shelter to abundant azalea and rhododendron collections.
This garden has rose beds of both heritage and modern varieties, historic aged trees and a century old model boating pond. The bronze statue of Wendy, is the companion piece to the Peter Pan in London’s Kensington gardens.
Jabulani - This is a 5-year -old one-acre garden in progress. You can meander through pathways leading to interesting areas. There's a sunken entertainment area & mounded gardens of flowering shrubs, roses, irises etc., a fernery & a vege garden.
Tea & coffee is available by donation to Breast Cancer.
We will be staying, for the first two days, a hop and a step from Pukekura Park. It's a Garden of Significance & has a five-star rating from the NZ Gardens Trust & has also had the International Green Flag Award for six years running. Created in 1876, he 52ha park has an amazing range of native & exotic plants.
(www. gardenfest.co.nz
www. taranakigardens.co.nz)
Still a Few Seats Available!
(Includes door-to-door transport from Tauranga (spaced seating on the bus), accommodation (2 nights Pukekura Park Motor Lodge, 2 nights The Park Motel, Hawera), garden & museum entry, 4 breakfasts & 4 dinners.
.
CONTACT LYN TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT:
PH: (07) 544 1383 or 027 522 4607 tgatastingtours@xtra.co.nz