Flaxmere Garden (Private)
Flaxmere is a North Canterbury high country garden sitting beneath the main rib of Southern Alps. This large 7 acre garden is boldly designed to make the most of alpine views with strong axes and cross axes focussing on the surrounding mountain and pastoral environment. Heavy old bridge timbers and stone walls reflect a country atmosphere, and a feeling of peace & romance abides here, amidst dramatically changing seasons.
Water meadows and a series of ponds support a variety of bird life amongst lush planting and mature trees which includes exotics as well as a large native garden using plants indigenous to this unique sub-alpine area.
The layout of the garden and plantings comprising many different areas, are designed to enhance and complement surrounding vistas. Leading from one to the next, each are distinctive in their planting. These include clipped boxwood creating the approach to a formal rose garden with many varieties of old fashioned roses. Formality gradually merges into the countryside with the use of perennials & NZ grasses, & woodlands work well with roughly mown paths. Trees have been planted well beyond the fence lines. The naturalistic garden of grasses and perennials comes into its own in the summer and autumn, while the whirlpool garden is an inspiration after a heavy snowfall which left broken eucalyptus branches in need of a new home!
Penny views gardening as an art form. Flaxmere is an ideal canvas for wedding celebrations and photos.
Flaxmere is part of the Hurunui Garden Festival held every year: www.hurunuigardenfestival.com.
The garden is clearly sign posted from Hawarden.
Accommodation available in our garden cottage, with a minimum stay of two nights. A wonderful opportunity for travellers to relax, and enjoy what this district has to offer.
Plants available for sale.
Photographic Exhibition in the Barn - a timeline of Flaxmere from its beginnings, plus the ‘Garden through the Seasons'.
Please enquire about catering:
Groups of up to 40 catered for by the owner, includes morning and afternoon tea and coffee and plated lunches.
For groups of 40 or more, boxed lunches are available.
Opening Hours and Tariffs
Open by appointment only
Adults & Seniors $20
Group guided tours - $150
Children 12 and under years free of charge
Contact Details and Location
Physical Address: 128 Westenras Road, Hawarden, North Canterbury, 7385
Phone: 03 314 4504; 027 2100 958
Email: zino@flaxmeregarden.co.nz
Website: http://flaxmeregarden.co.nz
Facilities and Amenities
Guided tours available (bookings required)
Flaxmere Garden – 50 years of extremes
Years of record breaking droughts, ferocious winds, searing summer temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius, along with harsh frosts and freezing winters of -15 degrees Celsius are not ideal conditions to create a 6-star Garden of International Significance.
Flaxmere Garden 50 years of extremes tells the captivating story of how Penny and John Zino battled the extremes to successfully create the 3.2 hectare garden that attracts many visitors from New Zealand and around the world each year.
Lavishly illustrated with over 70 pages of full-colour images, Flaxmere Garden 50 years of extremes shares Penny’s design philosophy, along with her choice of plants and planting combinations, and her valuable insights gained from fifty years creating an award-winning garden in a challenging environment. The theme of extremes also relates to how the personal circumstances of the Zino family shaped the development of the garden.
Flaxmere Garden 50 years of extremes is a beautifully illustrated inspirational story, and a source of practical advice for garden designers facing challenging environments. The book, published on 15 October 2017, may be purchased directly from Penny for $45 plus $6 postage and packaging. E: zino@flaxmeregarden.co.nz
