A Fernside lifestyle property, bought to give the new owners’ children space to play, has evolved into a successful garden business.
The couple also sell vegetable seedlings and next year Jo hopes she will have fresh flowers from her garden for customers.
The husband and wife bought the property three years ago when Jo was a physical education teacher and knew nothing about gardening.
Jason, who also works for Air New Zealand, says Jo is the ‘‘brains behind the business’’, while Jo says, Jason does all the hard work at the property.
When they moved into their new home the garden had clearly been developed by someone who knew what they were doing. It was just in need of some loving care, Jo says.
She had acquired a love of parks and gardens some years earlier when the couple lived in London.
Then, when they returned home to New Zealand to live in Nelson, Jo began to appreciate nature even more through the eyes of their children.
It was also in Nelson where she learnt about the garden›to›plate programme in schools, and how children benefit from learning to grow their own fresh fruit and vegetables and preparing them to eat.
When Jo and Jason moved to Fernside they wanted to restore their garden to its former glory and began by clearing the weeds.
Fifty trailer loads of rubbish later the bones of a beautiful garden appeared. ‘‘It reminded me of Regent's Park in London,’’ Jo says. ‘‘We found so many hidden treasures.’’ A magnolia tree, now underplanted with a carpet of rose campion, a rhododendron garden, a rose garden, a daffodil walkway, an orchard and now there is also a cricket oval, surrounded by large pittosporums and other native trees. ‘‘We love playing cricket,’’ Jo says. But with the initial jungle of weeds gone there were many gaps to fill. Jo began that task with a single packet of alyssum seeds which progressed to 10 flower varieties. She also read many gardening books, talked to lots of people, learnt as she went along, and soon became interested in developing the garden into a plant nursery. Now she is propagating and growing more than 100 varieties of perennials and annuals and loving her new career as a gardener. ‘‘It is very pleasant. ‘‘We are very lucky with the support we have had from locals,’’ she says.
By SHELLEY TOPP
