Out the front, the left of the driveway (looking from the street) features a rockery and pebbles. On the right side of the driveway we have flowerbeds -- currently there is a lawn too, but we will slowly eliminate that in favour of riverstone paths and flowerbeds: we've decided that we don't want any grass. We have our old Christmas tree (a pine tree) in the front-right corner of the section -- at Christmas time we put lights in it. We also have a Pohutukawa tree and a Kowhai tree (both natives) in the front flowerbeds.
Along the left side of the house, we will have a fernery, with a riverstone pathway, or perhaps stepping stones.
We have an unpainted trellis-topped wooden fence around the property, excluding the front: our covenant prohibits fences within eight metres of the road edge. There will be gates on both sides, with a pergola above the right-side gate. Inside the fence is a line of trees, raised by half a metre or so, for privacy.
Through the gate on the right side of the house we have a vege garden and fruit trees. We plan on having a glass house against the fence.
Next to the patio, we have decided not to do the in-ground swimming pool as shown in an earlier version of the garden plan, but will instead have a subtropical garden, with a spa pool (hot tub) towards the back.
In the back-right corner, we have a fish pond water feature, consisting of a large pond and a cascading waterfall. Next to the pond is a bog garden, and a native bush garden with a riverstone pathway that leads from the spa pool space to the pond. We plan to have a bridge over the pond overflow area (which stores heavy rain for the bog garden), connecting to stepping stones in front of a swing seat next to the patio.
The back part of the section will be a Japanese-style garden, with stone pathways, benches for contemplation, trees and bushes, and so forth. The pond will play a major part, and will be surrounded by suitable plants. We'll also have a hammock and a swing seat for relaxing.
Hopefully most of this will happen over the next few years. We are well into it now, with the background laid, and working on details one by one. We'll see how things turn out -- we fully expect it to be a work in progress for quite a few years. Should be fun!
Of course, we would welcome any suggestions or advice you may have -- please e-mail us.
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