On our last day of the New Zealand garden tour we saw the Chanticler Garden and A Wild Dream Garden. We drove along Lake Wakatipu and then I rode the Gondola to the top to get sweeping views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.
CHANTICLER GARDEN
This garden is about 12 acres on a 40 acre sheep farm. The owner said that this was his retirement project.
The owner raises sheep, llamas/alpacas and deer:
The entry drive is Liquidambar and Hawthorn (Crataegus) trees:
Along the driveway is planted a mass of purple Tulips:
Also along the entry, these English Lavenders will give a lot of color in a month or two:
The owner planted over 1000 Rhododendrons in Chantecler and they all are blooming now:
The plants are planted close so there are few weeds:
Hosta and Pachysandra
Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
Columbine (Aquilegia)
Giant Sierra Redwood is planted by the grandchildren’s fort by the former owners:
Through the gate to a lot of lawns:
The owner planted 30,000 Daffodils here:
Peonies:
Water features:
Planting around the house:
Swimming pool area:
Feeding the llamas/alpacas:
A WILD DREAM GARDEN
Eucalyptus staircase:
Animals:
Plants:
The garden is mostly a jumble of plants with no organization. In these photos you may see roses, Columbine, Hosta, lilies, flax. It is hard to tell what is a weed from what is not.
45th Parallel:
The house:
A skilled craftsman owns this house and now rents it out as a B&B.
LAKE WAKATIPU
This is a narrow zig zag lake that is over 50 miles long. Queenstown is located on it with a lot of water sports available. But when you travel away from Queenstown as in these photos, there is not a boat in sight. It is very serene.
QUEENSTOWN
Gondola ride:
This is the end of the New Zealand garden tour with HPSO. I hope you have enjoyed the 4 weeks of traveling seeing gardens and beautiful scenery in New Zealand. If you are interested in seeing gardens all around the world check out HPSO at:
hardyplantsociety.org
I will be posting blogs about once a month featuring Dawn Gardens in Grass Valley, CA. See my website for further information about Dawn Gardens at: dawn-gardens.com
Barry Friesen
Dawn Gardens
14446 Perimeter Rd.
Grass Valley, CA 95949
barry@dawn-gardens.com
The NZ landscape and the spacious, stunning gardens you have presented very beautifully in detail seem so tranquil and peaceful; such a heavenly place apart from the rest of the world.