Ayrlies : New Zealand
Ayrlies is one of New Zealand’s finest gardens, created from bare paddocks over fifty years ago by Malcolm and Beverly McConnell. With great energy and flair, Beverly gathered together skilled gardeners, crafts-people and estate workers and treated us all as family. Having trained at Sissinghurst UK, my remit was to develop and care for the planting but thanks to Bev’s generosity and trust I got to do so much more; designing garden buildings, opening up prospects and devising seats, ha-has - follies - walkways and lookouts. All these projects were realised thanks to the skill and hard work of Oliver Briers and Rowan Wiggins. During my 12 years involved with Ayrlies the garden was one of only a handful designated as a ‘Garden of International Significance’ by the New Zealand Gardens Trust and was chosen to be part of Monty Don’s TV series ‘Around the World in 80 Gardens’ (Link: ayrlies.co.nz )
A little folly doubles as both eye-catcher and a seat from which to view the magnolia bank. Its shape is the koru - Maori symbol of new life.
To draw visitors down and around the furthest pond of three in the garden, I devised a little building with a surprise once inside. It was inspired by the pavilions at Hidcote in Gloucestershire ..
The ‘Sittooterie’ another simple building made as a focal point in this Mediterranean area and a cosy retreat to ‘sit-oot’ among succulents and aromatic herbs.
A view through gaura and Box Elder (Acer negundo ‘Variegata’) to the leaf seat; a feature cast on site from concrete to be viewed from above
This is one of the few places where, with some careful pruning we achieved a view out to the sea
To open up a raised terrace lawn as a performance space this set of steps was designed - based on the Lutyens stairs at Great Dixter in Sussex. An overbearing shelterbelt of cryptomeria was felled to make way for this emerging hedge of native Totara which looks like yew when clipped.
The Coral Corner: Creating harmonious planting is always fun but needs strongly contrasting shapes and foliage. In New Zealand I got to play with an eclectic range of plants from all over the world.
I often take inspiration from an existing plant like this purple maple and design the planting to complement