Wattle Woods Garden Paths

The Wattle Woods is a large garden, and needs quite an extensive network of paths. The main path weaves underneath the large wattle and gum trees, through waves of Renga Renga and Japanese Iris.

Wattle Woods Garden Path - 2000

A side paths connects the lawn to the fence-line gum trees. Another little wiggly path ducks around underneath the Camellias and pops out by the glass-house door.

Side Wattle Woods Path - 2007

All Change

Paths are always allowed to change position in the Moosey Garden. The Head Gardener's philosophy is that it's usually much easier to move the path than a plant which is blocking it.

The Head Gardener tends to plant big things far too close to paths, having read once in some silly gardening book that having plants spilling over the edges was a romantic look. Hmm... It's not so romantic tripping over wet flax leaves...

Tree Damage

In the winter of 2006 there was extensive tree damage, and after the great clean-up a lot of exciting new garden space was created. I laid one of the newer little paths exactly where a gum tree had fallen - I liked the shapes that the garden now divided itself into. Suddenly the older rhododendrons were given much more focus.

But the main route, which starts at the top by the water race and trundles slowly down towards the pump house hasn't really moved since it was first built, more than ten years ago. Sometimes it's been widened, or maybe a curve realigned to accommodate a favourite Astelia or Pseudopanax. Who was the silly gardener who planted those things far too close to the path, anyway?

path pumphouse end - 1998

Easily Created

I can still remember how easily it was created, with big river stones for the edge. I had to spread out the heaps of compost which were sitting on the fence side. Gradually more and more garden plants were shifted in. It's nicer if a main path has garden on both sides, after all!

The New Zealand native Renga Renga was an inspired choice to plant along the edges, too.

Always On the Move

In 2007 a modification - actually a rather serious wiggle - was needed to get around a pair of small ponds, and the lower parts of the path completely changed course. I'm not actually sure if I've got it right yet - a path wanderer will get stuck in the Pittosporums, and may not be sure how to get out!

The main path used to end in a very obvious way at the Pumphouse by the big irrigation pond. This is an early photograph from the archives looking back towards those crazy leaning Wattle Trees.

One thing's for certain - the Wattle Woods paths will always be on the move.