Zen Garden

A bare slope in Auckland was transformed into a calming Zen oasis with the clever use of rocks, boardwalks and Japanese planting 

- Carol Bucknell

In 2004 when Siew Ng left Malaysia for New Zealand, her fondest hope was for a house with a garden. “In Malaysia we didn’t have very much land; most houses are terraced units,” she explains. “My garden was entirely in pots over there. So when I came to New Zealand it was good to be able to do something I am passionate about.”

It took a few years before she could realise her dream but now Siew and her husband, Chee Hong, have their idea of paradise. On a sloping site in the West Auckland suburb of Henderson, a Japanese Zen-style garden is filled with the maple trees Siew adores, as well as a set of meandering steps up the incline, ponds, a rockery, seats to take in views of the Waitakere Ranges and even a flat lawn for the couple’s cute little West Highland terrier, Sky, to play on.

SITE

The 650-square-metre property on a steep slope had virtually no garden when the couple bought it. “There were no plants at all and no access to the back. We had to climb up the steep slope without any steps,” Siew remembers. “After a few months I started to think about how to realise the potential of that area. At first I wanted to plant fruit trees and edibles up there.”

Solid clay soil made planting fruit trees very difficult so that idea was put on hold. In the interim, landscape designer Jules Moore of JM Landscapes drew up a plan for planting a range of lush subtropicals on the eastern boundary, which was duly implemented. However, the couple were undecided about what to do with the rear and western side of the site, so these remained untouched.

STYLE