Coniston

Originally established in 1890, Coniston is now a mature woodland garden, developed by the first owners, the Robinsons, from 1956. Gigantic turn-of-the-century wellingtonias, Lombardy poplars, oaks, elms, ashes, cedars, picea and thuja form a shelter belt around the perimeter of the garden and line the curving driveway. A canopy of old pear trees provides dappled shade for rhododendrons, azaleas and perennials. Favourites are the tree-like rhododendrons, especially mauve and blue shades, underplanted with groundcovers.

In early spring, daffodils accompany camellias, then flowering cherries and dogwoods blossom. Early magnolias bloom with the rhododendrons and golden and apricot mollis azaleas established in 1965, now underplanted with blue ajuga and forget-me-nots. Two years earlier, a natural riverbed gully was transformed into a lake bordered with weeping willows, maples, conifers and swamp cypresses. Cherry blossom, colourful azaleas and Kingcup calthas are mirrored in the still waters among waterlilies, while other moisture-loving plants crowd the banks. Tea roses and climbers take centre stage in summer, when the woodland is brightened with Cardiocrinum giganteum. Autumn colours deciduous trees established in the ’sixties and a range of conifers provide contrast, with natives including evergreen beeches and a 12-metre kauri originally planted in 1936.

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