GARDENS


Lorna explains: ‘We designed a basic struc-


ture around a rhomboid grass path in the middle.’ The largest part of the garden, the inte- rior of the rhombus, is devoted to New Zealand plants. It features a chain of pools that run straight down the slope towards the metal gate at the lower end. Ursula, who later passed her skills on to Lorna, did much of the stonework herself. In addition to New Zealand, the garden features three other distinct vegetative patterns – those of Australia, South Africa, and South America – as well as the mixed garden, where Ursula planted all the things she likes that didn’t fit into a specific category. Low stone-retained terraces were created at


the top of the hill to cope with the 5½-metre change of level, and sharp, wooden-edged paths define the rhombus. The resulting beds are further sub-divided by curved, gravel-


‘The sheltered space at the foot of the walls is used for trials; here plants are tested for hardiness and resistance to salt, wind and drought’


covered paths that snake between the beds, allowing ease of access. The sheltered space at the foot of the walls is used for trials; here plants are tested for hardiness and resistance to salt, wind and drought before they are planted in relevant areas. Stressing that the Southern Hemisphere


garden is not just a collection of plants, Ursula explains: ‘The garden is laid out in vegetation patterns showing which plants grow together on different continents. I am a botanist inter- ested in evolution and systematics.’ The New Zealand plants


are mostly evergreen, with


bronze, purple and orange undertones. The garden’s New Zealand area covers mainland New Zealand and the Chathams, a group of islands in the Pacific which are still connected to New Zealand by the Chatham Rise, 100 metres below the sea. Many Chatham Island plants are endemic; they don’t grow anywhere else in nature. They


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Clockwise from top left: The Australian section is marked by eucalyptus; The orange tones of kniphofia and spiraea add a fiery note in the lower, mixed bed; For the benefit of wildlife, a pond was created in Lorna’s rock garden just outside the garden wall where a wooden gate leads to the surrounding woodland; In summer the pond is filled with lilies; Bright red South American lobelia adds a splash of colour; The garden acts as a haven for wildlife; here a butterfly alights on an Inula hookeri.


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