As we drove off the ferry we were immediately presented with the choice of the direct route to the next garden or the coastal Queen Charlotte Road. We chose correctly. The views afforded us out over the water and up the steep slopes that formed the channels of the north end of the south island were breathtaking. What most impressed me was the diversity of color and texture of the woodland canopy. The punctuation of towering tree ferns through the canopy reminded us that we weren’t in Kansas anymore.
Leaving the coast and heading inland towards our destination in the village of Renwick, we drove through the Marlborough district of the south island. That may sound familiar to some of you that favor New Zealand wines, primarily Sauvignon and Rieslings.
Hot, dry and flat circled in occasionally snow dotted mountains, best sums up the region. After a bit of a mix up with directions we called in on Kay and Gary Green, and their private garden called Broomfield. The home was constructed in 1990, using and rammed earth method of construction, and the garden followed soon after. The clay soils of the region allow the use of rammed earth for construction, but work against anyone trying to build a garden.
The garden is a generally a formal style, with loose paths that at first don’t reveal themselves. These path then leads you into side “garden rooms”, used mainly for utility such as compost, storage and finally a very nice potager, or kitchen garden.
Upon returning to the house for fresh lemonade, and coconut cake we sat under a simple yet elegant timber loggia just off the house, constructed by Gary, salvaged from a local railroad trestle. The citrus tree that provided the lemons was nestled up against the house in the proximity of our table, the fragrance of the blossoms ever-present.
Images too follow very soon.
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