Nature's Pantry

This picture-perfect farm north-west of Auckland provides a cornucopia of fruit, veges and produce for its owners

- Carol Bucknell

When a landscape architect and a chef join forces to create a garden, the edible component is bound to be something special. And so it is at Violet Hill Farm, the delightful Kaukapakapa home of Clinton and Renèe Davies. The couple have lived at the property, along with their menagerie of animals, for 15 years. During that time they’ve created a variety of garden spaces including a picturesque potager and herb garden, native forest, thriving orchard, Japanese garden, wildflower meadow and even a small pond.

THE SITE

Their 2.4-hectare piece of land is located in a valley about 50km northwest of Auckland. Formerly a dairy farm, the property was mainly bare paddocks and a few areas of native bush when the couple found it. In other words, it was perfect, says Renèe. “I wanted a site that was north-facing and sunny, on a private gravel road with little traffic, included some native forest and had oodles of space and potential for planting.”

The hard-working duo set about building a house, sheds and fencing before tackling the garden. Renèe’s an avid gardener but even for her the task was enormous. “It has taken a lot more time than I ever would have anticipated,” she confesses.

“Out of necessity and ambition it has become an all-consuming, lifelong project. The main challenge has been turning paddock into garden and dealing with ongoing weeds such as creeping buttercup and dock. It’s also clay soil, so improving the drainage with lots of horse manure and compost has been an important part of the process.”

DESIGN CONCEPT