Elms Garden receives national honour

Video and photos by Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The Elms Tauranga has begun 2018 with outstanding news - the garden has received a prestigious honour.

The New Zealand Gardens Trust has registered the garden as a 'Garden of Significance” with a 5-star rating.

'What makes this achievement so special is the illustrious company with whom we share our rating,” says The Elms Foundation manager Andrew Gregg.

'Including the Kerikeri and Pompallier Missions, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Olveston Historic Home and Government House in Auckland and Wellington.”

The Elms is one of the oldest New Zealand European gardens south of the Bay of Islands.

It was originally created by the Church Missionary Society, along with The Treaty House gardens at Waitangi.

Both The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga and The Treaty House Gardens retain some of the insitu, Maori and European cultivated vegetation with considerable archaeological landscape content.

The landscape archaeology is now perhaps the most valuable resource to be preserved for understanding more fully the history of this place.

Grounds custodians Rosie Burr and Troy Edgecombe.

When Te Papa Mission Station first opened, the peninsula was covered with manuka and fern, without trees for beauty, shade or firewood.

However, Alfred and Charlotte Brown soon got to work and enjoyed gardening in the favourable Tauranga conditions.

Brown's journal is full of references to gardening: 'planting out lettuces, pruning 32 fruit trees, planting out cuttings, sowing peas and beans, preparing and planting raspberry bed, transplanting trees”.

The books in the library include a magnificent copy of Loudon's Encyclopaedia of Agriculture which was first published in 1825.

The Scottish botanist includes information on garden and farm husbandry that the original Brown family used to plant out the vegetable gardens and trees.

Notably, the Oak Tree at the corner of the north lawn grew from an acorn brought from England by Reverend Brown in 1829. It was originally planted in Paihia and transplanted here as a sapling in 1838.

It's the oldest living tree on the property and a significant heritage tree in Tauranga today, as are two Norfolk pines, the Archdeacon's Sentinels which guided the early sailing ships entering Tauranga Harbour.

The Maxwell family continued to tend and develop the gardens in the years that they lived there. Edith and Alice Maxwell introduced palms and natives to the garden and plantsman Duff Maxwell intended his collection of interesting, unusual and rare plants and trees to be Tauranga's plant museum.

A 5-star rating means that the garden is highly recommended for its presentation, design and plant interest throughout the year.

Ground custodian Troy Edgecombe with the hollyhocks.

It will have a distinctive identity of its own and a character that gives it an edge. It may also have special features that appeal to those with special interests.

The New Zealand Gardens Trust has set up a system to assess all gardens and provide visitors with information.

Established as a Trust of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture in March 2004 the Trust's focus is to promote the best in New Zealand gardens and horticulture.

Volunteers at The Elms have been running heritage garden tours with Devonshire Tea all year around and these are particularly popular with garden clubs.

Nearby two old houses have been removed from the corner of Chapel Street and Mission Street.

'We're developing a new garden of historical significance there,” says Bev Corbett, who is one of the Guides running heritage garden tours.

'It's being designed by garden historian John Adam. We are just finalising the design.”

Troy Edgecombe and Rosie Burr are the grounds custodians. Troy started at The Elms in April 2017, after working in the Parks team at the New Plymouth District Council.

'Paula Lambert was here before I started and she did an amazing amount of work on a shoestring budget,” says Troy.

'She was taking up and planting seedlings from what she found.”

The original hollyhocks that were planted in the garden came all the way from Buckingham Palace, according to Guide Maureen Boyle.

'The trees in this garden have so much history,” says Maureen. 'Because they've been planted by various people who have lived at the property over 180 years.”

Troy points out the flowerbed next to the coach house.

'Edith and Alice Maxwell used to grow a lot of violets and other flowers,” says Troy. 'They'd take them in to the market to sell to help with the war effort. Eventually we're going to look at developing a Soldiers' Garden here to acknowledge this part of our history.”

Grounds custodian Rosie Burr amongst the king ferns.

The garden also features rarely seen king palms.

'You don't often find king palms in our native bush,” says Rosie, 'as wild pigs love eating the stems.”

The gardening team plan two or three projects for the Chapel lawn during 2018.

'We're going to be putting in some more brick edging around the western boundary garden,” says Troy.

'And creating a garden around the historic kauri that we have on the north side of the chapel, just to prevent people walking all over the roots.”

Now that the Volkner building has been removed from the site, they're keen to add more colour into the garden and tidy up some of the area around the belfry.

'This achievement recognises the unwavering commitment and industry of numerous people over a long period of time,” says Andrew.

'In particular, we can be grateful to the Brown and Maxwell families for establishing and developing this beautiful garden and the many volunteers and staff since who have nurtured it for the emotional and spiritual nourishment of the community.”

The Elms Foundation manager Andrew Gregg.

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3 comments

Really?

Posted on 19-01-2018 09:30 | By MISS ADVENTURE

So Tauranga Ratepayers have without notice, discussion or prior warning had monies spend by the millions and all there is to show for it is a few flowers and an award without reward?


A stunning must see

Posted on 19-01-2018 09:38 | By Murray.Guy

A stunning 'must see' and massive congratulations to Andrew and the Team at The Elms.


Answer to really

Posted on 23-01-2018 16:49 | By Lizzie Bennet

The council pays a nominal sum towards the Elms upkeep. It now costs $10 to visit the gardens as a ratepayer more for out of towners, in the past the garden was free. Honestly I think there must be other ways of raising money it was a lovely place to visit and now you have to think twice before a wander. I doubt if millions have been spent.


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