A new day at Hollard's

BRADLEY AMBROSE

Children are welcome at the revamped Hollard Gardens, though they need to keep to the paths. The new signs have a quirky, hand-made look and are written as if Bernie Hollard himself were telling the tales.

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THE 4.5ha Hollard Gardens at Kaponga have just had a major revamp, including a plethora of new signs telling the stories of the garden and its creator, plus a new events pavilion, a gatehouse and the children's playground. It's not just the hardware that has improved, though the plants that make up this important collection are bursting with good health.

Bernie and Rose Hollard began planting the garden in 1927. They gifted it to the nation, placing it in the care of the QEII Trust in 1982. The Taranaki Regional Council took it over in 2002.

Regional gardens manager Greg Rine, who has overseen the revamp, became garden manager for Hollard Gardens when it was being run by the national trust. He and his family lived at Hollard's for some years, and Mr Rine has worked there for 19 years, including seven years with Mr Hollard.

He reckons the old man would be happy with the care his garden is receiving.

"Bernie was always concerned about the future of the gardens and I'm certain that he would be pleased. It would be fair to say, though, that he didn't think kids would have a place in the garden."

Fortunately for the youngsters of Taranaki, times have changed. Children are welcome in the gardens provided they stay on the paths and tracks and don't run through garden beds.

"For us to attract a wider range of people, we've got to have some exciting things going on for families, so young kids can come here and enjoy themselves," Mr Rine says.

He hopes some of those youngsters with happy memories of visits to these gardens will grow up to have gardens of their own.

The new carpark has been full much of the time since the Taranaki Rhododendron & Garden Festival began last week.

A new gatehouse greets people with a portrait of Mr Hollard and the first of the new signs. These give information about the garden but are written as if Mr Hollard were telling the stories himself. All the signs have a deliberately home-made, 1950s look.

"They look as if they've just been knocked up by somebody. That's what Bernie would have done. He was first and foremost a gardener and anything else was, she'll be right."

Examples include a sign telling the story of Rabbit Ridge in the older part of the garden, and Mr Hollard's battles to stop the various pests especially rabbits from eating his plants.

"Bernie was a writer and spoke in what I call colonial English; that is, more eloquent and descriptive. The language is quite quaint, much more attractive than the way we talk today."

More articles by Mr Hollard and advertisements for 1950s gardening magazines feature in the new public toilets.

Mr Rine says he doesn't know of any other public garden being managed in this way.

"From my understanding of public gardens, this is pretty unique in the country in terms of the signage, the stories, the brand and connecting with the community through garden workshops and events, and making the place more accessible in a number of different ways. That is the future of public gardens.

"With Tupare and Hollard's, with their genre, we have to maintain them as domestic gardens. They still have to have that look and feel as if their former owners were still managing them. If we don't do that, we're in danger of turning them into institutional parks."

Like Tupare, Hollard Gardens is to have its own friends group, to assist the staff and the council in running events and encouraging people to visit. And new signs and facilities apart, those who do visit the gardens are in for a treat.

"Now that we are in a position where we can actively manage the gardens, we can have a very high standard of plant husbandry prune and cull moribund plants, keep the heritage plants going, keep all the layers of the garden as vibrant as possible by doing the necessary pruning and shaping," Mr Rine says.

Way above head height in many areas, large rhododendrons drip with colourful trumpets while the scent of others infuses the air. And at ground level, butter-yellow poppies mingle happily with blue and maroon granny bonnets, and creamy bleeding hearts.

New plant signs highlight the plants bred by Mr Hollard and others worthy of mention, for being rare or the oldest or largest one in New Zealand, for example.

An abundance of azalea mollises are at their most vibrant these are plants that appreciate a good cold Kaponga winter. We pass a majestic Lemon Lodge rhododendron, smothered in lemony flowers.

"People always comment on Lemon Lodge this time of year," Mr Rine says. "The season is pretty good for us in terms of flowering and colour. The colours are really strong."

The Taranaki Farmers' Market was set up on the main lawn last Saturday and 600 people came to the gardens over the weekend. The stallholders, band and craft stall people will all be back tomorrow, November 8.

A big marquee has been left up on the main lawn beside the newly opened events pavilion. Garden visitors and picnickers are sitting in its shade. Visitor numbers at both Hollard Gardens and Tupare in New Plymouth have been good, despite the changeable weather.

Mr Rine says everyone he has spoken to has been complimentary about the new look. Various visitors we meet during our visit are effusive in their praise of Hollard's, the festival and New Plymouth.

"Lots of people have noticed how the gardens have improved since they've been under the regional council's ownership. Now that we've put in the new signage and storytelling and new facilities, part of our challenge is to bring in a wider range of people, more than just gardeners. To that end, we've put in the playground and a barbecue. That should be popular for families and all the storytelling should interest everyone. It's part of our culture and heritage."

Down in the swamp area, we find four visitors from the South Island lined up on one of the chunky new benches, admiring the Monet-painting vista of many-coloured primulas and surreal-looking blue-grey hostas. Along the path on timber stepping stones are a series of quotes from well-known Taranaki gardeners who knew Mr and Mrs Hollard.

One, from Mark Jury, leaves no doubt the garden's founder would approve of the progress here.

"Bernie couldn't help you enough if you were interested in plants. He went by the plantsman's creed it's about passing the baton."

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