Frensham: A New Zealand Garden

Description

In this lavishly illustrated book, Canterbury gardener Margaret Long tells the fascinating story of Frensham, considered one of New Zealand's finest gardens. As though we were right there with her, the reader is taken on a tour through the seasons, listening as we go to Margaret's thoughts and insights about why this plant was placed here or that tree there, and what is behind her choices not just of plantings but also structures, materials, and colours. With Margaret, we are able to experience the subtle monthly interchanges that occur between nature and the gardener. This very personal and yet informative perspective on thirty years of gardening with passion makes for a delightful book, one to be treasured and shared. Highly acclaimed garden photographer Juliet Nicholas has `lived' with Frensham for an entire year, photographing its changes through the months and the seasons and providing a unique insight into the growth and development of this beautiful garden, as well as capturing one of the most frequently written comments in Frensham's visitors' book: `The garden is so peaceful'. Divided by month and season, beginning with Summer, Margaret and Juliet, in words and images respectively, reveal the story of the garden and its changes during a year at Frensham.

Margaret Long calls herself a `late bloomer' - her interest in gardening developed into a life-changing passion thirty years ago when she first began visiting gardens near and far, and developing her own, Frensham, in Canterbury, New Zealand. A voracious reader on all aspects of gardening and with a particular interest in trees and shrubs, Margaret's knowledge and expertise and the joy she found in visiting gardens and sharing her knowledge saw her begin `Margaret Long's Tours', for which she developed her own very successful itineraries, leading groups to many European gardens. Margaret published The Gardener's Journal, which was very well received, and her continued search for knowledge about trees has led to her new role as editor of the newsletter of the New Zealand Branch of the International Dendrology Society. Frensham has been open for visitors for twenty-five years. These days, Margaret's monthly newsletter Writings from Frensham is read by gardeners throughout the world. Juliet Nicholas has been a freelance photographer for thirty years, specialising in garden, architectural and documentary photography. Her work features regularly in New Zealand's leading magazines, including NZ House & Garden and New Zealand Gardener and occasionally in overseas publications. She also undertakes many private commissions and is increasingly involved with the publication of books. Her previous book, Flourish: New Zealand Women and Their Extraordinary Gardens (Penguin Random House 2018), has received critical acclaim. An avid gardener, it is no surprise that Juliet is best known for her garden photography. She regards it as a privilege to return to a garden many times, as she has at Frensham, capturing the changing complexities, nuances and beauty as the months and seasons unfold. When she is not taking pictures in other people's gardens, Juliet can be found pottering in her own Christchurch backyard. In her free time she escapes to the wilderness of Stewart Island, where she delights in the beauty and bounty of the great outdoors.