20 minutes North of Dunedin is Doctor’s Point Garden, the area named after where Dunedin’s Doctors used to holiday at their weekend cribs. The 1 ¼ acre plant collection has over 1300 species and cultivars of native and exotic plants, many very rare or commercially unavailable. Dunedin’s climate is maritime with microclimates enabling sub-tropical plants to be grown alongside hardy species, Bananas to Trilliums, native alpines to carnivorous Sarracenia, continental Chinese trees to Cacti and succulents. The large selection of hardy trees are displayed in an arboretum setting with beds containing woodland plants and shrubs, a fern and Rhododendron dell sweep back to the house where alpines and sub-tropicals are found.

Willow Springs Garden, nestled within seven lush acres in Christchurch, embodies resilience, beauty, and natural heritage. Born from the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes, this garden has become a sanctuary for treasured plants rescued from the devastated 'red zones' of Christchurch and Kaiapoi. Over an 18-month period, mature rhododendrons, magnolias, maples, and other cherished specimens—some nearing 80 years old—were painstakingly relocated here, now thriving as symbols of hope and renewal.

The Ashburton Domain and Gardens is located at 337 West Street (State Highway 1), to the north and west of the Ashburton CBD. The Domain is considered the most regionally significant reserve within the Ashburton District. Many consider it as the ‘jewel in the crown’ for the Ashburton District. Ashburton Hospital borders the park to the west. The Domain has a Reserve Category of Public Garden Sport and Recreation. It’s total size is 37.6147 ha in area. The Domain provides public open space with sport and recreation facilities, situated in beautiful gardens of botanical significance lined by mature trees.

Willows Green – A Hillside Garden in the Heart of Marlborough

Willows Green is a thoughtfully designed hillside garden nestled in Blenheim’s Fairbourne Drive, overlooking vineyards and with views out toward the Wither Hills. Created by Dave and Kirsty Wraight, this private garden has been gradually developed since 2017 and continues to evolve, blending cottage charm with structural planting and seasonal colour.

This lush, colourful fragrant garden frames the 100 year old homestead that is the heart of Barewood. Located a pleasant 35 minute drive from Blenheim, Barewood has been developed within a framework of mature trees. A simple water feature greets visitors on arrival. The rambling century-old homestead with wide verandahs wreathed in wisteria and old-fashioned roses flows smoothly into colourful mixed borders and sweeping lawns.

Tucked behind a 1964 Modernist courtyard house in Lyall Bay, The Haven is a richly layered retreat designed for colour, texture and year-round interest. The house, recognised for its architectural heritage, provides a strong design framework: courtyards and pergolas create sheltered outdoor rooms that connect seamlessly to the architecture.

The garden is best experienced as a sequence of spaces. Visitors enter through the modernist courtyard, paved with patterned tiles and dotted with succulents, pelagoniums, and a reflective pond. From here, a path leads to the Blue Pergola Garden — a long, narrow sanctuary where climbers, roses and passionfruit weave through a rhythm of painted pergolas.

At its heart, a bubbling urn and clusters of salvias create vibrant focal points, with seating placed for quiet contemplation.

This urban nature retreat is a sanctuary for both humans and wildlife alike, humming with life, and shaped through careful design, predator control, and the gentle rhythm of nature Native plantings around the pond draw in an array of visitors: tūī flit among kōwhai blossoms, their song bright and playful, while kererū settle heavily into the treetops, lending a sense of calm authority. The butterfly house provides a safe haven from wasps and other predators, and allowing Monarchs to mature and complete natures cycle as they drift between clusters of wildflowers, their delicate wings brushing against the warm air. Bees work steadily among the blooms, ensuring the garden remains vibrant and well-pollinated. Their constant activity brings a subtle energy, balancing the stillness of the fishpond of the slow with the contemplative movement of the birds. Thoughtful predator control helps safeguard this haven, allowing native wildlife to thrive despite its suburban setting. Traps are discreetly positioned and regularly maintained, protecting vulnerable species from stoats, rats, and possums without disturbing the natural beauty of the landscape. The result is a flourishing sanctuary—a pocket of biodiversity where urban life meets the natural world in harmony. Here, water, wildlife, and quiet human presence coexist, creating a peaceful retreat that restores, inspires, and sustains all who visit.

Nestled within a unique landscape, this enchanting garden is beautifully divided between a serene hillside and a lush, flat expanse, each offering its own distinct charm. The hillside garden winds gently upwards, showcasing over 150 vibrant Rhododendrons that burst into colour through the seasons. Their blooms form a breathtaking backdrop alongside native ferns and mature trees, creating a peaceful retreat for native birds, including the melodic tūī, which flit through the branches adding life and song to the air.

Descending from the hillside, the garden opens out into a tranquil flat area, designed in the relaxed, romantic style of an English cottage garden. Here, winding paths lead through a generous collection of cottage-style plants — foxgloves, delphiniums, hollyhocks, and roses mingle in a profusion of colour and scent. Carefully arranged perennial borders create a timeless feel, with flowers tumbling over pathways and framing quiet nooks perfect for reflection.

At the heart of the flat garden lie several serene fishponds, home to water lilies, reeds, and a variety of ornamental fish. The ponds reflect the sky and surrounding plantings, adding a sense of calm and movement. Nearby seating areas invite visitors to sit and enjoy the harmonious sounds of water and birdsong, completing this sensory-rich experience.

This garden offers a perfect balance between structured beauty and natural abundance — a haven for gardeners, bird lovers, and anyone seeking inspiration from nature’s palette.

Enter by a long driveway of elm trees on one side, and on the other oak trees.

There are historic trees, some of which would have been planted in the 1800s: Scarlet oak, English oaks, Linden tree, Parrotia persica, and a magnificent Melia, also a row of long established Plane trees lead to the truffiere. There are lovely autumn colours, especially on the large front lawn. This front lawn has a spectacular view to the north. There is also room for croquet, tennis, badminton on other large lawns surrounding the homestead.

The original vision for the gardens created by Barry Cox in the early 2000s was to create a private garden of peace and serenity reflecting his love of trees and church architecture.  The gardens tend to reflect largely English and European landscaping traditions.

Nestled in the peaceful suburb of Flat Bush, Auckland, the garden at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple of New Zealand offers a tranquil sanctuary where nature and spirituality meet. Designed in the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism, the garden features manicured hedges, symbolic sculptures, and stone-paved paths that invite mindful walking and quiet reflection.

A small city garden planned and planted simultaneously with the building of the house to create an integrated  whole. An immense variety of plants, many very unusual, are set in an ordered framework to provide pleasing views as you go through the garden and to reward close inspection. There is an emphasis on form and foliage combined to create a tapestry of plants with splashes of seasonal colour.

Silkwood Lodge Garden is a small native and sub-tropical Balinese style oasis, showcasing wider vistas and secluded seating areas.

The first view of the garden is from the street, where a deliberate effort has been made to include the road edge beyond the property.

Local moss covered rocks, sculptures, South Island schist pavers, tile steps, hardwood fences, hedges, wooden decks and ornate gates from Nepal, Java and Bali are all important aspects, giving structure to the garden. Mass plantings of clivia under nikau trees, crocuses, bromeliads and vireyas help to compliment the view.

The garden has an enchanted wood feel attributed to its many shaded glades of Hellebores, avenues of bluebells, knot gardens, wandering Peacocks and the lake which was featured in two Lord of the Rings films.

Lan Yuan - Dunedin Chinese Garden is an authentic example of a late Ming early Ching Dynasty scholar’s garden and celebrates the Chinese influence on Otago's history and heritage.

Over a century old, this large garden surrounding historic Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula is at an altitude of 300 metres. The scenery is spectacular and though the garden is subjected to wind and low rainfall it contains a unique collection of plants seldom seen elsewhere. Some remnants from the original plantings 120 years ago - Cupressus macrocarpa, planted extensively for shelter and a cedar to one side of the castle - give an air of maturity. The plantings reflect the owner's interest in New Zealand plants and in their southern hemisphere relations.

The Botanic Garden is a garden of great variety with the Leith Stream on the southern boundary and Lindsay Creek running through the middle dividing the garden in two. From the formal, almost level area of the lower garden with its herbaceous borders, rose garden, camellia collection, herb garden and the beautifully planted Lister Garden, to the major collection of plants in the rock garden on the slopes leading to the upper garden, there are features for all to enjoy.