Courting the ideal garden

Gillian Vine gets a preview of a garden that will be open on November 1.

Sue Nash and Michael (Mike) Bird say they do not play tennis, but are keen gardeners.

As a result, when they bought Linwood, a Roslyn property with views of Otago Harbour, they decided the large tennis court would go.

The original 19th century house was a two-storeyed dwelling of 14 rooms, built for wealthy Dunedin merchant John Ross Glendining. Surrounded by about 1ha of gardens, it included a tennis court.

Since then, there have been numerous changes — the first in 1932 when the wooden house burned down.

The present Arts and Crafts-style house, designed by Mandeno and Fraser, was built after the fire.

The property has also been subdivided, three other houses now sitting on parts of the original Linwood grounds.

When Sue and Mike bought the house six years ago, they spent a year renovating it and revamping the garden.

"We worked with several landscapers but it was mainly Mike and my design," Sue says.

"I think it’s lovely. It sits well to the sun and there are three different seating areas."

Buxus hedging by the gazebo was retained and the rock walls along the drive possibly date back to the 19th century. Morgan Hampton, of Bluestone Gardeners, repaired the walls and built others in keeping with the originals.

"He’s wonderful. He’s a great find," Sue says.

All the trees were there, too — including a huge magnolia, flowering cherries and a Judas tree — but enormous rhododendrons were topped to reinstate views of the harbour.

In front of the house, the tennis court was removed and part of it became lawn, using Readylawn.

"It’s great," Sue says, but adds that it still needs care.

"That’s Mike’s forte. He loves the lawns and the vegetable garden."

Below the vegetable beds, the couple have added new stone walls and created terrace beds.

Mike has taken advantage of the north-facing aspect to put double-grafted apples against a wall.

Three years ago, Sue planted a Moorpark apricot tree against a brick wall in what she termed "a vacant area".

It cropped last year and has fruit this season, so obviously likes the situation.

Initial planting around the lawn was cottage-garden style but the couple decided that did not fit, so they put pleached olives, white Iceberg roses and white-flowered Rhaphiolepis "Oriental Pearl" in a bed against a boundary fence of Michelia, which has sweet-scented creamy blooms in spring and shiny green foliage year-round. Prostrate rosemary is used as a groundcover.

"We want it really simple," Sue says.

"The rosemary will fill up [the bed] as it’s done under the flowering cherry."

The colours tie in with the white and lavender wisteria at the front door and Salvia argentea in urns on the edge of the lawn.

Behind the house, in a shady bed, hellebores thrive behind a little Buxus hedge.

The hellebores had been grown with hydrangeas, but grew too big so were taken out, another sign of Sue and Mike’s willingness to adapt beds or move shrubs if they do not work in their first homes.

Sue has made extensive use throughout the garden of her favourite rhododendron, Princess Alice, popular for its beautifully perfumed flowers.

The most recent project has been re-doing the bank above the drive, adding hostas and other easy-care plants to fill in under the rhododendrons that predominate.

Like all good gardens, Linwood has been adapted over the years, the house and grounds exactly what its present owners envisaged.

"It’s lovely," Sue says.