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Main Features:
- Mature trees and plantings
- Sweeping lawns
- Grass tennis court
- Pond
- Walnut orchard
The beautiful gardens surrounding Riverstones feature many mature trees. These trees not only provide the perfect setting for the other garden features but provide wonderful shelter for the garden and house.
Some of the mature specimen trees include a Southern Beech, English Oak, Ash, Cedar, Amalanchier, Holly, Apple Blossom, Hawthorn, Magnolia and Cherry Blossom. Many mature Rhododendrons and Camellias also feature and dozens of roses, many old fashioned types, provide months of pleasure. Fruit trees include varieties of Apples, Pears, Grapefruit, Lemon, Quince, Plum, Feijoas and Olives. Permanent residents in the vegetable garden are Raspberries, Asparagus, Gooseberries, Red & Black currants and Rhubarb.
The tennis court was put in the 1950's by the second owners. It has provided many hours of entertainment for the families who have lived at Riverstones, both for family and social occasions. From this vantage point you can see out over the pond which was put in by the present owners.
The pond features two small islands and was designed with a gradual gradient to attract bird life. Regular visitors now include Blue Herons, Pied Oyster Catchers and Kingfishers. In the summer the owners often enjoy picnics under the walnut trees by the pond. There are also more recent plantings of other types of trees, such as Kowhai, Copper and Red Beeches and Golden Totara around the pond and plants such as Irises provide further interest.
Rose Donaghy, the landscape architect, redesigned many aspects of the garden in 1995. The brief from the owners was to maintain the established feel of the garden but to provide vistas and simplify some of the lines in the design, which had become cluttered over the years. The present owners are a busy family so the garden had also to be a low maintenance one. The owners wanted to have time to enjoy the garden, not to be tied to it.
The present design has been a resounding success. The garden provides a wonderful retreat for family and friends alike.