A selection of NZ gardens to visit
The latest garden to list on the site is Cottonwood, a 2 hectare garden set in rural Mid Canterbury, lovingly developed since 2005 by its current owners. Designed to be explored, the garden unfolds through a series of formal and informal spaces connected by winding paths that invite discovery. Visitors are guided through diverse plantings of both native and exotic species, with thoughtfully chosen combinations that provide year-round interest in colour, texture, and form. A Rhododendron walk, an organic kitchen garden, espaliered fruit trees, a gently meandering stream, and a pond are among the garden’s highlights.
View garden...
Many thanks for hosting our Garden Club last Wednesday. We enjoyed viewing your extensive garden, especially the guided tour and the knowledge you shared with us. I guess we also need to thank your husband. Many thanks.
It’s not until you tour a garden such as this that you realise how much more you can do with your own garden. Full of sculptures, art work, mirrors and flowers. There was so much to see that it was impossible to take it all in on the first round. Mary and Mark have made use of every inch of their garden. It’s a small garden and you really need at least an hour to take it all in. You will leave inspired with so many ideas. Mary answered all our questions and was very friendly and informative. Thoroughly recommend touring this garden
We were lucky enough to stay 3 nights in the B&B cottage on site at Aramatai Gardens (highly recommended!). Jill is a wonderful host and her garden is beautiful. The ponds, lovely trees, seating areas, and naturalistic pathways make this a very restful garden. We also enjoyed seeing the white geese waddling about, cute piglets in the adjacent paddock, and friendly farm dogs who greeted us warmly from over the fence. Jill’s garden is well worth visiting and I’d love to see it again in November/December, when the peonies and roses will be doing their thing.
We visited after Mark spoke to our garden club the previous Monday.
Everyone was absolutely blown away by the thought and expertise that went into this exceptional garden....full of plants + wonderful areas which made us all want to explore more. Almost too much to take in with the one tour....I had to go round 3 times just to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Skillfully laid out- making the most of all areas with the use of mirrors a standout. Really clever the way the big water tanks were camouflaged...hardly noticed them.
What a garden - we all loved it.....and slunk away to check out our own gardens to see how we could measure up!
Completely in love! Utterly perfect for a night to recover. Graeme and Tracy Whanganui
Warm and welcoming hosts. Beautiful gardens . Gorgeous and comfortable room. Lyn, Australia
Beautiful place, great location, amazing food and company. Alonso , Peru
Gorgeous setting only 10-minute drive from Invercargill. Super comfy bed. Lovely breakfast. The owners are a joy to converse with. Joy , United States
Beautiful,intriguing and wonderfully cared for garden in Howick...full of lovely roses and plants. Val is a wonderful hostess and always thinking of her guests. The garden is easy to navigate with no steps/uneven lawn...crammed with points of interest and charm.
They are so good for the kids and adults it was like a world of wonder land with its hard worked products and tasty goods on the table. It might be made by hand, but you can tell it was worked on for months.
It is a must-see!
An AMAZING garden that astonished us all from the time we drove into the palm lined driveway until we left - still shaking our heads about the hard work and vision that we had seen. MASSES of stunning bromelliads ...not usually a fan but I'm a convert now! Wonderful to see superb trees- both native and exotic - and clever plantings.Ann + Graham have created a beautiful ,interesting garden with both skill and foresight....there was always something lovely to see....such a treat.
Anne and Ron a quick thank you for providing Somerfield Garden members with such a wonderful visit to your amazing garden (the tulip tree was a very special topic of interest and discussion) and also for the lovely home prepared lunch. You are getting a well deserved reputation for the quality of your delightful food and I have to confess that personally I ate far too much as I could not resist a second visit to the table.
As always, I had a MOST MARVELLOUS time at Garden Marlborough. I learned lots, enjoyed the company of many fine folk and saw many beautiful gardens.
Gardens to visit is a collection of New Zealand's most beautiful gardens that open to the public.
