Garden club warm up in sub-tropics

June saw the Mangawhai Garden Club members heading to Whangarei – the main destination was the sub-tropical Quarry Gardens in Russell Road. With two waterfalls, a lake, streams and steep rock walls, the quarry is the perfect place for a beautiful garden that’s continually evolving.

The unique site was quarried until the early 70s when it was sold to the Whangarei council as part of a 25 hectare for just $1. It was then abandoned for 20 years and became the dumping ground for old car bodies and other city rubbish. In 1997 a working committee was established to clean up the quarry form the bones of the garden.

A trust was formed to manage the quarry and it’s funding, and an eager group of volunteers set about transforming the site into a beautiful garden. The appointment of project manager David Muir in 2002 has helped co-ordinate the design and completion of much of the site.

David was eager to show us plans for a visitor centre which will hopefully get off the ground in 2014. With a possible cafe, gift shop and educational facilities, the Quarry Gardens could have a permanent source of income.

One of David’s pet projects is establishing an International Camelia Garden of Excellence on site. Camelias from renowned grower Jim Findlay fill the garden but unfortunately over the years, labels have been lost. David is painstakingly matching the camellia blooms to a photo album that recorded the collection.

High up on the rock walls of the quarry are the arid gardens, making the most of the heat radiating from the rocks. The Quarry Garden is definitely the sort of place that requires repeat visits to appreciate the ever changing garden beds and the maturing plants.

Our last visit for the day was to Botanica in First Ave. Most of our members didn’t realise Botanica existed and were pleasantly surprised at the array of plants on display in a temperature controlled glass house, a lovely warm place to duck into on a chilly afternoon. It houses wonderful tropical plants that would struggle to thrive outside. Adjoining this is the desert area planted with many unusual cacti and the fernery housing hundreds of native ferns. There are also plans to construct a Japanese garden. Botanica is well worth a visit on your next trip to Whangarei.
 
 By Viv Martens
 

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