Transplanting some of the finest plants from a mature garden is never a task for the faint-hearted – lifting the root balls with a 20-tonne digger and transporting them nearly 40 kilometres to a new Canterbury garden takes the process to a whole new level of optimism and determination.

Liz and Warren Scott developed their family garden Stonehaven at Ruapuna inland from Ashburton for over four decades, extending generous woodland-style plantings around their home which included hostas and primulas in a bog garden and a series of ponds, and which they opened for visitors and fundraising events from around 1980.

Ruapuna (rua meaning cave and puna a spring) is a farming district on the Canterbury Plains a little east of the Rangitata Gorge in the shadow of Mount Peel. Liz tells me that there’s a distinct local climate zone, which in gardening terms is like ‘the golden mile’: higher rainfall as mist and drizzle tend to cling to the foothills, light soils over shingly subsoil for perfect drainage, and always some air movement in winter from the mouth of the gorge (of course good shelter is a must) which maintains relatively milder conditions in the cold and tends to moderate extreme temperatures generally. The garden had effective shelter and deciduous trees for shade – in fact regular thinning of overhead branches was needed in later years to keep plenty of sunlight and fresh air coming in. Liz also maintained a small perennial nursery, husband Warren has an interest in farm forestry, and their son also works professionally in the industry, so there’s a range of family horticultural expertise. ‘I always enjoy talking to plantspeople, especially about the more unusual plants – sadly they are becoming harder to find.’

A local rhododendron grower Jo Murdoch generously started Liz off at Ruapuna with a wide selection including big-leafs R. grande and macabeanum; many originals also came from local nurseryman Harold Jordan and later his son Ken.

In 2014 Liz and Warren decided to move from the farm, which was leased, and build on their family property in Geraldine: the third generation on this land. They subdivided, retaining around 10.5 hectares (26 acres) within which they set aside a generous section with some old plum trees for creating a new home and garden, The Willows. A new house replaced the old residence, sited about 50 metres further forward on the block to take advantage of a fine view of Mount Peel.

Liz was keen to bring what plants she could from Stonehaven so she could continue to look after her favourites, and to give some instant maturity to the new garden. The land had been grazed by sheep, so the couple were prepared for a few weeds – however significantly harder frosts, more exposed conditions, and heavier topsoil with clay subsoil were different challenges. It finally took two winters to transplant most of the rhododendrons (many 30 years old), trees and shrubs Liz wanted, including three-metre-tall rhododendrons, leaving the Ruapuna garden more compact to make future maintenance easier. She had originally planted in harmonious colour blocks and drifts, but inevitably things became a little muddled during the transplanting process. Quick decisions were needed at the new garden, as massively heavy root balls of maples, magnolias, rhododendrons and dogwoods couldn’t be left hanging from strops on Warren’s tractor for long – and it was very important to get their placement and angles just right.

The new garden’s layout differed from Stonehaven in that the colourful and intensive woodland borders were positioned some distance away from the house, on the other side of wide lawns, along the route of Raukapuka Stream which flows through the property. Day lilies, Siberian irises, hostas, primulas, astilbes and dogwoods are just some of the perennials and trees thriving with their toes in the water. Spring-fed from near Woodbury corner approximately two kilometres away, the lower part of the stream is home to endangered long-fin eels which the Scotts’ younger grandchildren feed with morsels of meat. It can flood in prolonged wet weather such as we had in July last year, but the level quickly drops again.

Gardens beside the new house were kept simple so that the building’s clean lines could stay uncluttered and the eye would be drawn out to the periphery of the section. Formal elements were introduced too – ‘not my usual style at all!’ – with large blocks of one particular plant: deciduous azaleas and sweetly scented Christmas box Sarcococca around the front entrance courtyard, and a neatly trimmed beech hedge to the northwest. Liz and Warren’s choice of style for the house’s design referenced local farm buildings, with pitched roof and long wings around the front courtyard. The couple were planning to remove an existing 100-year-old woolshed once the house was complete, but then they thought ‘why not keep it?’ Warren installed a new floor, and the building can accommodate all seven grandchildren when they come to stay. Recently planted camellia hedges visually link the woolshed and main house, which has robust textures: external walls with oversized roughcast, squared profiles on folded steel cladding, projecting skylights, and distressed steel on the front doors. The main entrance has flashes of dark barn red, one of Liz’s favourite hues. Warm colours inside the rooms are extended out into the gardens through floor-to-ceiling windows with heucheras such as ‘Marmalade’ and ‘Fire Alarm’: continuity is important, as are sight lines.

Stonehaven had several double herbaceous borders back to back. A single deep border at The Willows mixes blue, cream, apricot and lime-green colours: Aster × frikartii ‘Mönch’, willow gentians Gentiana asclepiadea in both kingfisher blue and white, Jacob’s ladder, single peonies ‘Krinkled White’, Alchemilla mollis along the front, and various Clematis hybrids intertwined with roses draped on a supporting frame at the back. Liz prefers fuzzy edges rather than excessive neatness; she’s of two minds about Astrantia varieties though as they tend to seed a little too enthusiastically. 

Drifts of blue and white bearded irises alongside a gravel driveway originally came from Liz’s parents’ farm, only about nine kilometres east as the crow flies from Geraldine. She grew up in a big country garden, and gardening was a family interest. The Scotts do most of the maintenance themselves. ‘Warren plays a big part in the garden – he is Mr Mower Man and very good with pruners and the chainsaw. I might do the design etc. and planting but Warren does the hard physical work!’ 

Irrigation is by a farm-style ‘pod’ system laid through the garden; particularly valuable for the maples, rhododendrons and dogwoods, and rarities such as pink-flowered Halesia, and deciduous Magnolia macrophylla subsp. dealbata which has delicate leaves up to 60 centimetres long. Some of the maples and rhododendrons still look a little thoughtful after their move from sheltered woodland to this more open site, and Liz is in the process of pruning back their tops to encourage vigorous lower growth. 



Some of her most beautiful plant combinations are in the front courtyard garden: deciduous azaleas ‘Mount Rainier’ were chosen over double cream ‘Pavlova’, as they have a softer form she’s very fond of. Smaller evergreen Gumpo azaleas mix with white hellebores, Galanthus snowdrops, white Kalmia Calico bush and white Camellia ‘Setzu Gekka’. Huge buds opening on Rhododendron ‘Stead’s Best’ are a seasonal favourite, as the densely-packed crinkled shapes gradually unfold like a butterfly’s wings into scented white trumpets in spring.