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Apple Tree Gardens Tour

The Apple Tree Gardens tour takes you through the Apple Tree Border, a foliage garden created around old orchard fruit trees, and on to the top lawn, the wood shed with its exuberant pink rambling roses, and the potager-turned-rose garden, with pergola.

The Apple Tree and Back House

The Apple Tree Border was created in a very early digging episode in Moosey's Country Garden. It seemed natural to use the old orchard fruit trees and dig around them. Alas - the plum and the apricot tree missed out on the naming rights. This border was originally full of shade-loving plants like Ligularia, Bowles Golden Grass, variegated white Honesty and blue Hostas. Chatham Island Forget-me-nots thrived in the dappled sunlight. The apple and plum trees had Moonlight roses climbing through them, and there were large clumps of spring daffodils.

In March 2000 the Apple Tree Border suffered a sudden shock, as the tree lucernes which shaded the bed in summer were chopped down. The oaks planted in their place took over shade duties, but to stop any thoughts of sulking the Ligularia was moved to the back of the wood shed.

Top-side of the Apple Tree Border are some rather large hydrangeas, and the neighbouring wood shed is smothered by a rambling rose, name unknown, intentions extremely vigorous. The top lawns between the wood shed and the Sleep Out are sheltered, the spongy grass perfect for lying down on and cloud watching.

The Sleep Out has a small shade garden of hostas, oak leaved hydrangeas and camellias. An odd collection of pots, including an old tin bath, and a very courageous Lemonwood growing in a half oak barrel, live by the Sleep Out door. This is also the reception area for new plant arrivals - here the mail order boxes are excitedly opened, or the stragglers from the bargain bin spend weeks waiting for a new home.

My vegetable garden is often in disgrace, although its lettuce trees are spectacular each summer. Roses and perennials have colonised the potager, and a rose covered pergola points the way to the bridge over the water race. In the spring of 2002 roses which had pushed their way into the vegetable garden were redistributed around other newer borders. However, the potager which should have reclaimed the soil just wasn't quick enough. And now more new roses have sneaked back in.

New features of the Apple Tree Gardens include a large Variegated Elm tree given sanctuary in the country - and its own small garden bed to keep it company. This reaches out from the side of the wood shed towards the glass-house, and contains feathery grasses and daylily clumps. In the winter of 2006 thuggish Mermaid roses and a large chunk of the back fence were removed, and the lawn area opened up. Nothing stays the same for long...

Kitten in the Woodshed... Wed 25th Mar 2009: In the beginning of the year 2009 something really exciting happened in the Apple Tree Gardens. Deep at the back of the woodshed my dog Rusty found a little wild grey kitten. Naturally, being an animal lover, I leapt to the cat-rescue with food and friendship.
Epimediums... Sat 18th Oct 2008: I rescued three big pots of Epimediums from an Easter nursery sale, and decided to try them planted underneath the Cabbage Tree, at the start of the Apple Tree Border. I wasn't sure if they'd like their chosen spot...
Apple Tree Border... Tue 30th Sep 2008: The Apple Tree border lies on a gentle slope, and this side faces the Pond Paddock - and the sun. Things are forever changing in this garden - I can't decide whether it should be shrubby or flowery!
The Back House Lawn... Sat 27th Oct 2007: A sheep fence used to divide the back house lawn into two narrow strips. At first I let it be, and planted a small garden along it. But one day I had a better idea, and the fence-line garden was gradually turned back into lawn.
Orange Daylilies... Sat 10th Mar 2007: Underneath the Elm tree, just over the path from the Apple Tree Border, I grow the most beautiful double orange daylilies. The clump is forever expanding in size.
Wood Shed Rambler... Wed 27th Dec 2006: The Wood Shed is on the top lawn. This rambling rose covers the sunny sides and the roof of the shed with apple blossom pink flowers in late spring. It came here with the wrong label on, so I don't know its name.
A Tale Of Two Borders... Fri 20th Oct 2006: These two garden borders - the Apple Tree Garden (on the right) and the Wattle Woods (on the left) both used to have New Zealand flaxes at their end points. The snow storm in 2006 flattened both flaxes - now only one survives.
Ornamental Angelica... Sat 25th Feb 2006: Lucky gardeners have at least one plant they've brought into their gardens which visitors are amazed and stunned by. My special plant is n ornamental Angelica, which grows at the back of the Moosey wood shed.
Aster Flowers... Sat 18th Feb 2006: By the corner of the pergola a clump of asters colours the autumn garden with beautiful smoky blue flowers. No mildew, no sulking - they just have a tendency to allow weedy grasses to creep through. But surely that's the gardener's problem!
Garden Rose Pergola... Tue 20th Dec 2005: The pergola with its resident roses has been a real success. It forms part of a natural walkway from the back of the house over a bridge to the new Hazelnut Tree Orchard.
Hydrangeas... Sat 12th Feb 2005: The Apple Tree Garden houses my random collection of hydrangeas. Some were bought from plant sales, others were grown by me from cuttings. My garden tends to be too dry for growing hydrangeas with confidence.
Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nots... Fri 11th Feb 2005: In a shady spot near the Sleep-out I've planted a cluster of Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nots. I'm hoping that they'll grow quite large here, as I've seen waist-high specimens in similar positions in other gardens.
Cabbage Tree Top... Wed 23rd Jun 2004: One of the first Cordylines (or Cabbage trees) I planted in the Apple Tree Garden is seen here, tattered but triumphant, silhouetted against the winter sky. Ha! The blue sky in this picture is proof that we have nice gardening winters!
Elm Tree Garden... Sat 22nd May 2004: The variegated elm arrived at Mooseys in 2001 as a rather large tree. Firstly it was planted in the grass by the woodshed.
Climbing Roses... Wed 19th May 2004: Early in the Moosey garden's history the fence by the woodshed was planted with pink roses, in a very narrow border. I planted a yellow climbing rose, Banksia Lutea at one end. Such a tiny thing, cutting-grown...
To the Glasshouse... Wed 19th May 2004: This is the view of the Moosey Glass-House standing under the yellow Banksia Lutea rose looking across the back lawn. The actual Apple Tree Border is to your left.
The Pergola Garden... Mon 17th May 2004: Plantings along the garden fence towards the pergola have changed over the years. First things were very simple - and apart from daffodils and some neglected dahlias there were few major gardening statements. But then...
Choisya Sundance... Wed 21st Apr 2004: This slow growing Choisya has beautiful yellow foliage, and lightens up the shady Apple Tree garden with its sunny colours. The variety is called 'Sundance' for a very good reason!
Behind the Wood Shed... Thu 1st Jan 2004: I've moved a spotty Ligularia into this narrow border behind the wood shed, and it is appreciating the shelter from the hot summer sun.
Sleep-Out Garden & Lawn... Sun 21st Dec 2003: The Sleep-Out gave me my first chance to grow climbing roses around a house window. I also planted my favourite white camellia (plus hostas and other foliage perennials) in its small garden.
My Rhubard Patch... Thu 6th Nov 2003: Just along from the corner pergola post is my rhubarb patch. The compost heap is just over the fence, and I have to lean over the rhubarb with my food scraps. I like to use rhubarb in jams.
Blue Green Hosta... Sun 16th Feb 2003: This blue green hosta clump is due for dividing. It is one of the original texture plantings in the Apple Tree Garden.
Wood in the Wood Shed... Tue 14th Mar 2000: The wood shed is full of wood collected from the property and sawed up ready for the log burner. Winter is never far away. And who knows - with New Zealand's peculiar weather, firewood could be needed anytime!
Blue Delphiniums... Thu 9th Mar 2000: The Apple Tree Garden originally housed my original collection of blue seed-grown delphiniums. They were initially a bit of a flop (literally), until the trees and shrubs planted nearer to the road gave wind shelter.
Nicotiana and Japanese Iris... Mon 6th Mar 2000: There are always lots of annual Nicotiana flowers in the Apple Tree Garden border - they have all self-sown from my original plantings, which I grew from seed. My favourites are the pale lime green variety.
Orange Canna Lily... Mon 6th Mar 2000: Underneath a scruffy green cordyline I've planted a clump of Canna lilies. They have purple leaves and beautiful orange flowers, and I suspect they are very much the common garden variety!
Perennials and Roses Garden... Sat 4th Mar 2000: Oops. The new perennials and roses garden (by the rose pergola) took over ground which was supposed to be a potager. In it I planted many budget roses with no labels, and others either rescued or given to me by friends.
Mermaid Rose On a Garden Fence... Thu 2nd Mar 2000: An old sheep fence used to run towards the Sleep-Out, with a narrow garden border on each side. In my earliest rose phase I planted two fierce Mermaid roses, whose thorny canes stretched right along the fence.
Hardy Geranium Plants... Sun 27th Feb 2000: This purple flowering geranium, with subtle lime green foliage, is planted behind the Moosey wood shed. It grows well in this partially shaded and reasonably moist garden.
Hosta Vista... Sun 27th Feb 2000: On the far side of the Apple Tree Border, under the apple tree itself, is a small pink hydrangea. It is in the company of some pushy variegated hostas.
Foxgloves... Mon 21st Feb 2000: The southern or top side of the Apple Tree Border has many different coloured foxgloves, which self seed each year. There are also large clumps of the geranium Mourning Widow, which I clip back after flowering.
Bowles Golden Grass... Sat 19th Feb 2000: The Apple Tree Border started life crammed full of golden foliage plants. A small beauty which still survives is Bowles Golden Grass. It is pictured here in spring, with purple violas and golden marjoram.