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Hortensia House
| Address | 134 O'Dwyers Road, Blenheim. |
| Region | Marlborough Region |
| Privately owned or public | Private |
| Email | |
| Phone | 03 570 5167 |
| Fax | 03 5705168 |
| Contact Person | Huguette Michel |
| Website | www.hortensiahouse.com |
| Hours | Thursday, Friday and Saturday 2.00 to 5.30 pm or by appointment |
| Garden Size | 1 ha, 2.5 acres |
| Price | $10 per person ( entry fees go for the Cancer Society) |
| Brochure Available? | Yes |
| Parking | Off street parking for buses coaches and cars. |
| Toilets | Yes |
| Food Available | Vineyard Restaurant La Veranda at Domaine Georges Michel winery |
| Cafe/Restaurant available? | No |
| Seating | Yes |
| Picnics | No |
| Wheelchair Access | Yes |
| Dogs Allowed | No dogs please. |
| Children Allowed | Yes under adult supervision |
| Accommodation | No |
| Weddings | Photos and ceremony only . No cattering |
| Plant/Other Sales | A variety of pots and trays, watercolours and postcards, |
| Guided Tours | Yes but by appointment only |
| Function center? | No |
| Winery? | Yes |
| Other Facilities | Adding another aspect to the enjoyment of their garden is the small craft shed in which one will find a variety of watercolours, dry pastels, pots and trays, all hand-painted by Huguette.
All entry fees will go to the Research Cancer and Cancer Society.
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Map
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The GardenHortensia house is a romantic flower garden. Huguette did not work to plan or set out to create a particular style, it simply evolved with time, like a cottage garden. Masses of color co-ordinated flowers in hazy pastels, to blue and yellow plantings to match the trim on the Victorian style house. Blue is carried through the garden as a key colour in the bridge and outdoor furniture.
Huguette also extended plantings of her cherished blue hydrangeas to line the entire driveway and create a stunning sight in summer.
Spring Creek, the stream which bisects the garden in a gem of pristine and peaceful water.
A "Monet" inspired bridge crosses the stream in front of the house.
"Hortensia" is french for Hydrangeas, and one of Huguette's favourite flower. A collection of about 150 different's varieties can be seen in the shady areas.
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The GardenerAs a little girl, Huguette had a passion for photographing plants and flowers, meticulously naming each on the back of the photo. She still enjoys this hobby and comments that through photography, her vision of the world has changed.
Huguette displays a certain charm, elegance and energy, together with a strong French accent, befitting such a garden. In fact, she and her husband Georges were born and raised on tiny French tropical Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
With a keen eye for detail and good grasp of colour complements, Huguette sticks to her preference for “masses of flowers in not too much bright colours, more like an Impressionist painting.”
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