Roger and Lyndsey Partridge
ROGER AND LYNDSEY PARTRIDGE Tell me a little bit about yourself – where did your love of gardening come from? We are both lawyers and work in the city. Gardening is a great tonic after a hard week’s work. It’s hard not to become a keen gardener living in an historic home on the side of Mt Eden, with views over half of Auckland. Briefly describe your garden and what it means to you? Our garden is a series of terraces covering nearly half-an-acre on the northwestern side of Mt Eden. It is a great way to escape after a hard week’s work and you can literally feel the city fall away as you walk up our front path. It’s like having a half-acre of garden at the top of a 20 story office tower, providing a perfect retreat — physical and mental. What’s the inspiration behind your garden? Our 1870s villa and iconic Mt Eden are the main inspirations. It is a modern take on a formal garden, with formal paths, steps and paving, married with elements of whimsy, especially the hedging, the traditional cottage garden, and native flora and fauna. The slope creates a number of natural outdoor rooms and each provides an opportunity for different uses and different elements of design. We wanted to create the perfect family home, but at the same time give a nod to our surroundings including Eden Park, which we look down on from what must be the highest cricket nets in Auckland.
David Matulovich
What’s the favourite feature of your garden and why? The front entrance. Our brilliant landscape designer, Trish Bartleet, helped us create this modern take on black and white Victorian tiling, with two landings on the way up to the front door.
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DAVID MATULOVICH
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Tell me a little bit about yourself – where did your love of gardening come from? I work as a designer and my garden is another space to express myself. Growing up we had large vege and flower gardens on a quarter-acre section, I would help my father and had my own patch to work.
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Briefly describe your garden and what it means to you? My garden is Mediterranean inspired and somewhat formal with borders and privacy hedging. This creates a lot more planning and upkeep but the results are more rewarding. It is a slice of my Croatian heritage in Herne Bay. What’s the inspiration behind your garden? The Croatian coast is known for its limestone and I have incorporated a container of stonework around my garden to evoke that feeling. What’s the favourite feature of your garden and why? The stone is the best feature offering an established look and a contrast to the greenery.
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The festival gives attendees exclusive access to some of Auckland’s most striking private gardens, each one with a point of difference. Celebrating 20 years, the event features 24 diverse gardens across Auckland, including food producing and designer gardens. In the line-up are new gardens open to the public for the first time and 14 gardens open to children. Unique to this festival is the opportunity to talk with the garden owners themselves. All funds raised go directly to Mercy Hospice Auckland. For the first time this year, NZ Gardener magazine will be hosting the Heroic Garden Fete at Ayrlies Garden a pre-launch event on 12 February. Also, celebrate with your ‘someone special’ and enjoy a romantic evening on Valentine’s Day on 14 February at Landsendt - an exclusive troprical paradise.
WHEN: 13-14 February 2016 WHERE: Gardens across Auckland city COST: Tickets are $50 for both days. For tickets and more information visit www.heroicgardens.org.nz