A Mosgiel garden has plenty of colour in late autumn, and not just during the day, Louise Frampton discovers.
Having a colourful garden in late autumn and early winter can be a challenge, but not at Jo and Ian Hadland’s Mosgiel property, where autumnal colours are put in the spotlight — literally.
An avid gardener, Jo spends many hours in the garden, she knows her plants well and the botanical names easily roll off her tongue as she passionately describes how each plant fits into her planting scheme.
Therefore when Jo and Ian were looking to develop their garden in 2023, they had a fair idea of the design they wanted, but also decided guidance from a professional landscaper would be invaluable. They enlisted the help of Leisa Browne at Leaf Landscape Design to finalise their plan and draft the design.
‘‘I had so many ideas in my head, so Leisa helped me narrow them down,’’ Jo says.
She says the resulting plan also helped Ian visualise the work required, as he was instrumental in creating the hard structures for the revamped garden such as shaping the concrete and gravel paths, and building a deck with a curved front to match the natural lines of the garden.
Ian, an environmental consultant, also has an artistic flair and has created artwork for the garden such as the stately ‘‘totem’’ poles and large turned-wood ‘‘reeds’’ which sway in the wind in the woodland garden.
Jo says their design brief was for a garden which had natural curves, not hard lines, and attracted bees and birds.
A key component of the new design was separating off the service areas from the garden. An aluminium perimeter fence was pushed out further to along the side of the driveway and a hedge of Corokia ‘‘frosted chocolate’’ was planted around it, softening the edges.
To give the garden more depth, Leisa advised to plant lush greenery along the fence and to formalise the existing dirt path behind the lawn, creating better access and ‘‘pockets of interest’’.
‘‘The idea is there is more to explore,’’ Jo says.
Milners gravel was added to the path, and even though it is only a short distance, it reminds her of tramping in the bush, ‘‘when you go up hills a bit higher ... and hear the crunching of stones underfoot’’.
Along the path, sheltered by a large magnolia, lancewood (Pseudopanax crassifolius) has self-seeded and large kidney-shaped leaves of the tractor-seat plant Legularia reniformis thrive in the undergrowth.
The yellow leaves of flax Phormium ‘‘Blondie’’ contrast beautifully with the brilliant red autumn leaves of Acer palmatum ‘‘Bloodgood’’.
The walkway then leads past the brilliant red of A. palmatum ‘‘Osakasuki’’, before entering the white and lime woodland-themed area. Planted beneath a large kōwhai are nerines, Solomon’s seal, cyclamens and hellebores. The heart-shaped luminous leaves of ground cover Brunnera ‘‘Looking Glass’’ help reflect the filtered autumn light.
One of the Hadlands’ design requirements was to create a sense of calm in the garden and their design has certainly achieved that.
Round river stones and low-growing Japanese maples, create a peaceful ambience.
‘‘It’s a Zen-like place,’’ Jo says.
The property comes into its own after dusk, when the night lighting works its magic.
The home’s living areas face out into the garden, so the lights enable the garden to be admired late into the evening.
The lights also extend the season of the garden a bit longer too, Jo says.
‘‘It’s great, I don’t need a headlamp when I’m out there at night!’’
‘‘The lights are a visual cue that it is time to start winding down, as I’d keep going all night otherwise.’’
Jo also loves growing plants from seeds. Her bee and butterfly garden is a testament to her success.
With a burgundy theme, she has Dianthus cruentus, Angelica gigas and great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) among zinnias and sedums, to name a few.
‘‘Monarch butterflies loved the ‘Thumbelina’ zinnias this year,’’ Jo says.
She also enjoys potting up plants to sell, and is now trying her hand at niwaki (cloud pruning), a Japanese technique of shaping trees to look like clouds.
‘‘Ian says I really should really join a garden club — but I’m too busy in the garden,’’ she says, laughing.
