Welton House

07/11/2023

Visits by appointment only.

06/11/2023

The Magnolia soulangeana garden is finally becoming cohesive - an oasis of greens, yellows and cream. This part of the garden has had a very old and grand multi stemmed matriarch of the local Ti Kouka/Cordyline family majestically ruling the backdrop. Sadly she will not be around much longer. Luckily there is copious quantities of her mokopuna scattered throughout the garden and farm; offsetting a little of our grief. *************************

02/11/2023

We had the pleasure of welcoming yesterday. They had had a very long journey but their inspirational enthusiasm remained. Here is explaining our planting and plans/experiments in the Paddock. ********************

31/10/2023

Looking through to the incipient Big Border with Euphorbia Great Dixter somehow toning down Iris siberica Caesar’s Brother before Calamagrotis, cannas and taro take centre stage. The buttercup ‘pond’ is totally self created. It is a fleeting moment as a pool of golden shimmer as in a couple of weeks it will be quite unruly and definitely not pond like but this wee moment when nature delivers unexpected delights is worth documenting. **************************** trust

22/10/2023

No filters needed for todays dawn. Our new Tui dad was in full song and we’re catching close up glimpses of him gathering nectar for his hungry brood from this aloe. The new mum prefers the Leptospermum reflexum. It has taken 2 human generations of neighbours to have Tui nesting in our wee road. Deeply thrilling.

18/10/2023

I’m a bit obsessed with the the family heirloom Cymbidium lowianum at the moment. As many will know this is a descendant of a plant won by at a Peachgrove Intermediate’s 1974 fete. Last count there were 31 flower spikes. It’s difficult to get perspective so out came the tape this morning - 1700 wide and 1500 high from the bottom of the pot. It is huge! At some point the ton of pseudo bulbs resting on the doppio bordo will cause a fatal crack in the terracotta. We’re constantly thinking about how we could repot - it’s tricky but if there is a will there is a way….. I’ve been using a nitrogen cycling regime for the past year and the results have been startlingly good. Perhaps too good but in the meantime I’m in a glow of lowianum heaven.

17/10/2023

Welcoming early morning sun after a cold wet windy day.

01/10/2023

On my way back from Eliza’s this had to be snapped. *******************************

30/09/2023

The Big Border with its bigness yet to be is currently a tapestry of spring blooms. All these wee things will be obliterated shortly by their very large neighbours. And wondrously they will sit contentedly in their smothered spots and wait for the winter cut down whereupon they will reappear jauntily without a care in the world.

01/09/2023

27/01/2023

I’ve just unearthed this photo of the garden that was Ross and my first collaboration in the Stour valley on the Suffolk/Essex border. Taken probably mid 90’s. It was very pretty. The cottage was mid 1850’s and had been built in the walled garden of the school masters house when the pupil numbers required a school mistress. For propriety’s sake separate living was required and a 2 up 2 down cottage became The Little Schoolhouse. Luckily we had 2 thirds of the wall which was covered in ancient ivy. The trimming was the worst chore each year. We dreamt of completing/finishing/reinventing the unwalled third. That never happened. We all loved that place. It was a sanctuary and place of beauty for many.

23/01/2023

Early morning as I’m having my last check before the lovely group from the American Horticultural Society arrive. A friend asked me to send photos of the Big Border. It’s very hard for this amateur to capture it. Hopefully you’ll get a sense of it It’s not at full flight yet. All this cold weather has made it so very slow. Two more weeks and it should be at its peak.
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28/11/2022

Welcomed by morning textures.

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25/11/2022

One of my new projects caught my eye this morning. I’m hoping it’s going to look like an rich luminous grey wedding cake. Well I had to something with that fantastic, exceedingly heavy, cast iron cake stand. The Echeveria Mexican Giants I bought in had been in the rain but they are starting to get their bloom back.
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16/11/2022

We’ve been enjoying the tranquility of our young meadow with hundreds of visitors recently. There’s something about sitting right within a garden space that is soothing. Particularly when a huge tree kindly lends shade during these past few days of sunshine.
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11/11/2022

Discover the best of New Zealand's gardens with a helpful new book.

09/11/2022

Early morning in the hot garden. I love how the Euphorbia rigida softens the Agave parryi. And all that fan action in the background is rather thrilling too.
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07/11/2022

Awhhh! Thanks Rach!

04/11/2022

Decked out for today’s action It’s a stunner too.
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01/11/2022

Today is the dawn of festival week. Many hours of prep have come to an end including a brave tussling with the pride and joy of our newly acquired cacti collection. Repotting enormous Barrel Cactus is not for the faint hearted. His mantra of ‘It’s not ok to touch the plant’ and assisted by some handy thick furniture removal rugs resulted in only one very large prickle needing tweezerly removal. Phew. Glad that task won’t be necessary again for a few years. The assessors are here early today for our 3 yearly check up which always provides the creators with an opportunity to audit the gardens journey since the last assessment. The evolution of the garden as the years quickly pass is fascinating and frequently ignored as we do what we need to which is carry on regardless. Hedges planted in the last 2 decades are finally demonstrating their purpose, subtly guiding the eyes to where we want them to focus. The loss of the ancient Copper Beech and it’s nearby neighbour the massive Kowhai bedecked with epiphytes has created a large sunny garden where once was woodland. It’s new plantings are raw and not yet satisfying the vision. But we wait patiently for its moments to shine again because we gardeners know there is always next season to look forward to.
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18/10/2022

Ross’s 50 year old first orchid, won in a raffle when he was ten is sheltering the most perfect, wee, self arranged fernery. This has taken about 5 years with the only human intervention being the water and food given to the lowianum. I’m enjoying the optimism of the Dicksonia fibrosa which has recently appeared in the middle.
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15/09/2022

Our favourite youthful instagrammer is also our favourite garden journalist. If you’re not following Julia Atkinson-Dunn you must! Thanks Julia. I love being called a geek.

31/08/2022

Mōrena Magnolias!

29/08/2022

Sunshine for our evening wander. It’s been a very long time. Bliss. everyday

27/08/2022

We’ve ventured north to ‘s birthday celebration. This is the extraordinary wee terrace outside my bedroom. I’m in orange and yellow heaven. Who cares if the skies are still grey? Next years Conference 2023 in Wellington will pay a visit here. You’re in for a rare treat!

16/08/2022

Cymbidium fabulousness! This red spike has 29 flowers. I’m not sure if that’s a personal best but it’s been a mission preventing it from trailing on the ground and positioning it to avoid dog damage. The Lowianum has welcomed our complicated watering strategy last summer - it’s our last ditch effort to keep this 50 plus year old heirloom from being cut up and repotted. I’ve got a few tricks left for this summer. It will be in full bloom for months and spectacular in November.

09/07/2022

Dawn

26/05/2022

Sunrise makes the yellowing vines orange.

06/01/2022

Our meadow experiments continue. Nature is arranging it’s plants perfectly without any human interventions it seems. And has changed and softened the views with pleasing new vistas. This summer has seen an explosion in spider life I’m assuming it’s the new found abundance of insect delicacies. Lucky I’m not an arachnophobe huh? But the best part about summer 2021/22 is our dream of a Totara forest is finally showing a glimpse of its future. Only 15 years wait.

27/11/2021

Puya alpestris with an impossible peacock flower.

23/11/2021

Symphony of greys and green on the paths to the bush providing a calming contrast to the late spring colour running riot elsewhere in the garden.

14/11/2021

A wee homage to my mentor, friend and gardener extraordinaire; Carolyn Ferraby, who’s is a constant inspiration. I never leave a visit without at least one huge ‘I must have that’ loop in my brain. Here’s two baby loops that need another twenty years to reach the Barewood dream - Cornus kousa Satomi and Sambucus nigra Black Beauty; the latter a treasured cutting from Carolyn.

04/11/2021

Our favourite photographer and writer will have this book in the shops next week. Stunning photos from .nicholas and lovely stories from Sue Allison. .
……………………………………Don’t forget our OPEN FOR ALZHEIMERS this weekend

29/10/2021

ALZHEIMER’S OPEN WEEKEND

November 6th and 7th 2021

We are open for our favourite charity for 2 sessions each day at 10am and 2pm with every penny going to this amazing organisation.

$25 per person including morning/afternoon tea, tours conducted by the garden designer and owner.

Bookings/tickets are essential. Contact: Marlborough Alzheimer’s
Tel: 03 577 6172
Email: [email protected]

www.weltonhouse.co.nz

02/10/2021

Screaming Venus returns to the hot garden. Phew. Sometimes it feels like a very long time between drinks.

17/09/2021

Playing with Magnolia nigra and my new phone after my old one finally spat the dummy. This magnolia was rescued after it bravely revealed one tiny strangled flower through its blanket of camellias. 10 years on it is a picture of perfect health.

28/08/2021

A gloomy day cheered by swathes of acid yellow, orange, hot pink and apricot. The orange Bulbinella from Terry Hatch has to be the star but Magnolia Iolanthe and this unknown rhodo will soon be at centre stage. Does anyone know what that rhodo is called? For awhile I thought it was Unique but the leaves are wrong.

24/01/2021

An early morning walk down the garden path to the chook house shows how good it is when a plague of bunnies have succumbed to nature’s own population control. I could hardly glance at this garden last summer. might know the names of these very lovely dahlias.

30/12/2019

Lilian superbum after 7 or so years is clearly very happy. Love the way she celebrates the New Year here. Happy New Year Insta friends! 2020 has such a nice ring to it I’m imagining all things wonderful for us all. ••••
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@ Welton House