Gardening by the ocean on New Zealand's Banks Peninsula (2024)

Jill and husband Richard’s garden, Fishermans Bay, overlooks these cold waters of the southern Pacific Ocean, where the gales of the Roaring Forties — strong westerly winds found south of the equator, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees — are ever present. Penguins, as well as fur seals and their pups, can be seen from vantage points in their garden, 150 metres above sea level. Planting is kept to a minimum where the spectacular view is all-embracing.

A contrast in windswept grasses. The old cypress trees in the background have been shaped by the prevailing winds of the Roaring Forties. As the garden sits at 44 degrees south, the wind is the determining factor in the space’s planting and design. “Wind gusts of 140 kilometres per hour are exceptional, but 120-kilometre-per-hour winds are not exceptional,” Jill says. “Gale-force winds are just a way of life here.”

Layers of foliage protect the house from the cold southerly winds. The property ­— about 20 minutes’ drive from the historic French settlement of Akaroa — was originally settled as a dairy farm in the early 20th century. Old barns and outbuildings still huddle beneath massive Monterey cypress trees, shaped by the prevailing winds.

Low-growing hebe shrubs and Astelia ‘Silver Spears’ cover the hillside, keeping the view almost uninterrupted. Jill and Richard have owned the property for 20 years, and some 10 years ago, rebuilt the house. Jill, an art history graduate and a landscape designer, then set to work reshaping the area.

The glorious view from Fishermans Bay Garden on the Banks Peninsula of New Zealand’s South Island. The signature trees are Cordyline australis, commonly known as cabbage trees. Another of New Zealand’s favourite perennials, Astelia, lines the pathway. “I’ve always known that gardens are part of their surroundings and that one should take advantage of a shared landscape when laying out a garden,” Jill says.

The garden’s elevated outlook. “Gardening against such dramatic views, as we have here, has been transforming. It took gardening in such a visually dominant environment to make me realise how completely a garden is of its own place,” says Jill.

Colourful phormiums are a highlight among the grasses. With admirable clarity, Jill articulates her understanding of the landscape she lives in. “The interplay of huge skies, rugged wild coast and ever-present views of sea, sky and cliffs have the strongest influence,” she explains.

Mounding ornamental grasses reflect the shape of the cliffs behind. “It’s also the continually changing light — from gorgeous oranges, as the sun rises from the ocean, to the hard, crisp light in the middle of the day that bleaches out all but the strongest colours, and the soft pinks of sunset reflected in the evening sky.”

Wide-berth steps lead the eye through a sheltered area to the vista beyond. Jill, who designed gardens for a living in Christchurch before purchasing the Akaroa property, explains her vision for Fishermans Bay. “Every planting in the garden is of itself as you look at it, but it’s of the landscape, too. For example, the hebe hummocks reflect the undulating ridge lines of the land reaching out into the distance, and their flowers reflect the colours of sea and sky,” Jill says.

Phormium leaves. “I keep trying to capture the essence of place in a truly New Zealand way with low-growing shrubs and tall, grass-like plants,” says Jill. “But, then, I’m a gardener, so I can’t resist colour and foliage contrast experiments as well.”

Jill’s design expertise is evident in this landscaping contrast of foliage and form. Jill and Richard are founding members of the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, which they set up in 2001. The non-profit organisation aims to help other local landowners preserve and improve the native biodiversity around farms and homes on the peninsula.

Silver plants thrive in the salty air. The structure and texture of native New Zealand plants is best seen in Jill’s superb collection of hebes, 150 species and cultivars at last count. “They tolerate the climate really well, even the salt-laden winds, and some of them won’t even grow in Auckland [North Island],” Jill says.

Winding paths lead the visitor through a garden of varied areas — from a shady fern gully to a traditional flower border to a wild and exposed rock garden. “It’s possible for me to just plant with one particular area in mind and I can blend and contrast different plants as the mood takes me,” she says.

An iron outdoor seat, delicately wrought, makes a great place to admire the view. For Jill, taking advantage of the beautiful surrounding landscape and the sweeping views was something she couldn’t ignore. “As far as the design of this garden goes, whether near the house or further out, the views are always there — you just can’t avoid the drama of the scenery,” she says.

Eye-catching phormium. “In the classic way, I have made sure that the plantings become more naturalistic and less structured as you move away from the house. I try to get the natural wetland and forest backdrop to blend with the garden plantings as seamlessly as I can manage.”

And as Richard says: “It’s probably lucky we have the natural boundaries of sea and valley, so we have to stop gardening at some point.”