SPRING AT FISHERMANS BAY
For me, at this stage in my early gardening life - there is nothing more appealing than repetitively returning to visit seasonally responsive gardens. I have found such value in garden visits in general, satisfying my curiosity around planting and the unique interpretation each gardener takes with their landscape, no matter the size. But with just one visit, it’s easy to leave with that space stamped in your mind, in that singular moment and season, somewhat frozen in time.
To truly open our eyes to the behaviour of plants and landscapes, and to gather up all the valuable learning available - it’s returning to our favourite gardens at all times of year that really packs the punch. Meeting the planting and the wider environment in its festive get-up, its melting glory, its stark bones and its gentle unveiling.
I shared a lovely insight into comparative seasons at Penny Zino’s Flaxmere garden a few months ago, and just a week or so ago, I paid a visit to another favourite - Fishermans Bay garden cradled in the folds of Banks Peninsula to compare once again.
Jill and Richard Simpson have become reassuring voices in my gardening adventure. I suck up our conversations and store them away to pull on later when I’m in a planting pickle. This garden drapes itself over the undulating hills of Banks Peninsula, a dramatic landscape that squares them up with the first rays of sun peeping above the Pacific Ocean each and every day. However, removing this borrowed view would barely affect the inspiring vision that Jill has applied to her planting. I had only previously visited in high and late summer, so I jumped at the early morning treat to see the beds beginning their slow awakening in spring.
I encourage you to enjoy this pictorial insight into Fishermans Bay in spring then watch the film and click on the link at the end of the article to explore this space in its summer clothes.
Garden profile
LOCATION: Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand
SIZE: Approx. 2 hectares as part of rural 100-hectare property
ENVIRONMENT: East facing on an exposed coastal hillside, steep in places. Typically hot dry summers, with increasingly catastrophic periods of rainfalls. Prevailing easterly wind.
