La Marque

La Marque was established by Lyall and Lenore Bailey in 2008, on a 2-acre parcel of bare land that was originally part of a stock sale yards complex close to the centre of the Winton township.

La Marque is a 40-minute drive from Paterson Park and Gardens and 20 minutes from Tudor Park

Lenore became interested in gardening around 30 years ago and established a significant garden on their farm in Otapiri which was open to the public. This retirement opportunity gave both her and Lyall a chance to create a new landscape from a blank canvas. They were fortunate to relocate many established rhododendrons to the new property. The first part of the development was to create a shelterbelt of mainly native trees around the boundary. These include varieties of beech, Kōwhai and Pittosporums.

Following this, a landscape designer and friend drew up a detailed plan. 2009 was mainly taken up with Lyall and Lenore’s house construction; however, the focus returned to creating the garden, with a strong preference for oaks and maples, some flowering cherries in the lawn areas, and numerous varieties of rhododendrons, camellias, and various other flowering shrubs.
A feature of the garden is the driveway bordered by a variety of flowering Malus crab
apples (ioensis Plena) underplanted with Bluebells. This leads you to a large dry stone wall which gives the property enhanced character. Lenore and Lyall look forward to your visit.

In 2008, former Southland farmer Lyall Bailey and his wife, Lenore, left their farm and beloved garden at Otapiri after 22 years, and moved south to the province’s third largest settlement, Winton.

Here they had managed to buy a rare 8000-square metre block of bare land near the heart of the town. Originally part of a livestock saleyards complex, the land was used in the 1970s as a campsite, with huts housing workers constructing the transmission line bringing power from the hydroelectric scheme on the west arm of Lake Manapouri to Bluff for the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.

The now-empty paddock did not daunt the pair – it excited them. As Lenore explains: “Gardening is a bug. We showed our Otapiri gardens and lots of people used to come. There is not so much interest anymore from young people.”

2 acres. Allow 1-2 hours for your visit.

Lyall has several vintage and classic cars, housed in a purpose-built garage. In fact, his love of them helped the couple select the garden’s name, La Marque, which is both a description of one of his classic cars and the name of a much-loved rose.

Arguably, his most illustrious vehicle is a 1908 De Dion. Owned by a prominent Southland doctor, Ninian Trotter of Riverton, it was the first car registered in the district, and the popular doctor using it to visit patients was a common sight in the first half of the last century. Still in good running order, the car is frequently brought out for family excursions around the large lawn.