and fi nished with mixed-grade round river stone from the
adjacent Shotover River. Local stone is also used in the water
feature.
“The courtyard — inspired by Japanese Zen gardens — is
a strong component of the design and can be seen from the
tatami mat room inside the home,” says Joe. “The revamped
courtyard garden is my favourite part of the designed space;
it is peaceful and simple in structure but bold in overall
appearance and eff ect.”
The owners are also very proactive in the native revegetation
of the garden and adjacent gully area, which was originally
mostly covered in noxious weed but is now completely fi lled with
native vegetation.
Food sustainability has been achieved through the couple
growing their own vegetables in two areas. “Moving from a
small unit in Japan to a larger garden in New Zealand, the
homeowners required a large vegetable garden area which later
turned into the development of a second garden area,” says Joe.
As a section of the property is reclaimed landfi ll, the soil
structure and drainage was poor. A lot of organic material and
fertilisers were added during garden bed preparation, and
fertiliser is still added during maintenance. Sub-soil drains were
installed post-construction to remove water run-off from the
road.
With the brief for the garden specifying a strong Japanese
infl uence mixed with native plants, the designer, LAND
Landscape Architects, integrated both formal and native
plantings. This was an approach that appealed to Joe. “I love the
natural surroundings of the Otago region but I also like to use
plants other than natives in my plant palette as you can get more
variation with colour, fragrance, foliage, structure and seasonal
changes,” he says.
The property required screening from the road, which was
achieved with evergreen pittosporum hedging. Gabion baskets
were used in layers to terrace the southern end of the building
down to the natural ground level.
Gabion walls were installed with an 80mm steel-mesh rigid
structure and lined with a mix of washed Shotover River gravel.
Macrocarpa timber sleepers were used in natural form to allow
nature to grey them, keeping them as natural as possible.PROJECT// ORIENTAL DELIGHT