• Some of the district’s most impressive urban and rural gardens have been recognised in this year’s Keep Whakatāne Beautiful Annual Garden Competition. Beacon reporter Tamara Herdman has been visiting some of the award-winning gardens and talking to the owners about their green-fingered success …

What was once “just a paddock” has, over the past 12 years, become one of the Whakatāne district’s most admired country gardens.

Kelly and Gill McCartie moved to their Otakiri property in 2014 and have ploughed much time, energy and money into transforming their once-bare land into a colourful and lush oasis.

This year, for the second time, the retired couple have claimed the title of Supreme Rural Garden at the Keep Whakatane Beautiful annual garden competition,

“When we came here there was nothing here, it was just a paddock,” Mrs McCartie said. The pair had previously lived only a short distance away, but this was the first property where they had the time and space to build the garden they had always wanted.

“We’ve always loved our gardens, but this is the one we’ve been serious about,” Mr McCartie said. Retirement, they agreed, finally gave them the hours to devote to it.

The couple estimate they have planted 72 roses, though their garden is far from a rose-only showpiece.

The property features a mixture of trees, including Japanese maples, silk trees in both green and bronze varieties, rhododendrons, and an ever-expanding array of flowering shrubs. Sculptures, curiosities and family-made art pieces are scattered throughout, adding personality at every turn.  

Their approach to design is relaxed and intuitive. “There’s no plan,” Mr McCartie said. “We plant as we go.”

The earliest section, they said, began with a waratah plant some 10 years ago, and from there, the garden simply grew outward.

The garden’s newest areas remain works in progress, including freshly extended beds yet to be fully finished. Even so, the property feels cohesive, helped by long views across their 10 acres and the established trees framing newer plantings.

Despite its scale, the garden is maintained almost entirely by the couple. Daily time varies, “Today, I spent probably two hours,” Mr McCartie said. “Coming up to the competition, it was quite a few hours a week.”

The pair have entered the garden competition three times, winning twice.

Among their prizes is a bright, large-scale painting by the late Diane Yeoman, an artist and keen gardener, which they won two years ago. The couple display it proudly inside their home alongside two newly won silver cups from this year’s competition.

Many of the garden’s more unusual plants originate outside the Eastern Bay.

They regularly travel around the North Island, sourcing plants from local nurseries to large garden events. “Wherever we are, we always look in garden centres,” said Mrs McCartie.

“We used to go down to New Plymouth, to the Garden Ramble,” said Mr McCartie. “We’d always come home with a ute-load of plants.”

Their advice for developing a garden is simple: start small and don’t overthink it.

“First you’ve got to go and collect the rocks,” Mrs McCartie joked when asked how to begin a design.

As for planting, they favour adding a small amount of compost and ensuring new plants receive a proper watering. “I water my plants well once I put them in,” Mr McCartie said. No elaborate fertiliser regime, just consistency.”

The garden’s sculptural pieces include a machine-gun-shaped artwork made by a neighbour from a motorbike tank. A sculpture created by a granddaughter as a school project also holds pride of place.

Despite the hard work, the couple say their greatest reward is simply being among the plants. Mornings are a favourite time.

“You get out there and you’re in your own world, just doing your own thing.”

They often sit on the verandah looking out over the garden, appreciating what the past 12 years have created.

With new beds still developing, their garden remains a constantly evolving project.

Its mixture of colour, character and personal history has already earned admiration – and with its creators’ ongoing enthusiasm, its story is far from finished.