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...
I just wanted to thank you for allowing my twin sister and me to visit your amazing property last week. What an absolute inspiration and delight you are Judy. You’ve kept that dream alive after your dear husband passed and I think it’s keeping you going!! We so enjoyed the experience, swapping our funny gardening stories and seeing your beautiful garden. The photos don’t do it justice but I created a post on my own page, The Uralla Garden. Hope you don’t mind. I used some of the photos from your website but captioned them as such.
Hope you are well and once again thank you Judy
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
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.
Fate would have it that Google maps recommended this road to Lake Taupō. I am an amateur vase collector but this blew my mind. Have seen glass blowing in Venice but this topped that. Walked away with 3 pieces but could have left with more. Intimate but yet expert artisans. Loved every minute. Thank you
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!
I attended several of Val's garden tours over the summer months.
Through a shared love of gardens and beauty pageants Val and I have worked together for years. I serve tea and coffèe at many of her garden tours and love how people embrace and linger in this beautiful space. For anyone wanting to embrace a city space, I cannot recommend this paradise of roses highly enough.
Thank you for a wonderful visit yesterday to a wonderful garden Anne. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and I know they will never forget it. Very many thanks,
Such a magical and truly unique garden. Exploring the many pathways and features along the way is a delight - Jenny’s imagination and passion for her creation is infectious!
I visited Woodside for a friend's wedding and was blown away by the beautiful gardens. I've lived in Hamilton for many years and can't believe I've never seen this place before. Les, the owner, gardener, host and self-proclaimed comedian hehe... was so accommodating and friendly. We loved the place so much that my fiancé and I will be back here next year to have our wedding too!
Thanks for having us!
Recently I visited the Blue House Garden in Amberley. If you have not visited this garden before, I highly recommend it for the plant selection and layout. It has a naturalistic theme which looks effortless (but won't be!) and that is a testament to owner and garden designer Jenny. Sumptuous photos on her Facebook and Instagram.
This garden excels at texture and layering and colour. Seed pods are left for effect, special plants are showcased but the ordinary is also special. Wee pots of succulents grouped together; thuggish plants behave very politely in very drought prone parts of the garden and the contrast between simple plants looks deceptively effortless. I think you get the message that this garden rates highly with me.
Gardens to visit is a collection of New Zealand's most beautiful gardens that open to the public.
