Trends New Zealand NZ New Home Trends Vol. 30/10 | Page 153
solution was to step the patio
to meet the lower ground level,
and to introduce timber boardwalks and cantilevered steps
down the hill.
“One pathway leads down
to a timber bridge across a
pool – one of two pools and
two waterfalls in the garden,”
says Read. “These feature
moss-covered natural rock formations set amid lush tropical
planting. Essentially we set out
to create a tropical rainforest
garden, removing 60% of the
existing acmena trees. The rest
were retained to shelter the
landscape and to screen it from
neighbouring properties.”
Key plants include a wide
variety of palms, cycads and
colourful and scented tropical shrubs, such as gardenia,
frangipani, hibiscus, heliconia,
ginger, philodendrons, orchids,
bromeliads, and calathea.
New Zealand native plants
include karaka, nikau, tree
ferns, pohutukawa, kohekohe
and taraire.
The garden paths extend
right down to a circular lawn
and a series of children’s play
equipment. This area also links
back to the swimming pool.
The existing spa pool was
moved to better integrate with
the new landscape – bathers
now overlook a waterfall.
Facing page and above: Mossy
rocks edge the two new pools
and waterfalls that drop down
the hillside. One of the timber
boardwalks forms a bridge across a
pool on the upper level.
Above left: Bathers in the spa pool
can be completely surrounded by
nature. In addition to gold awards
already won by the original garden,
the new landscape has won two gold
and a silver award in the Landscapes
of Distinction Awards 2014.
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