5 The main lawn

The view ahead across the main lawn is dominated in summer by a massive clump of Gunnera manicata. Trees ranged around the lawn include Phoenix Palms, Podocarpus totara, Swamp Cypress, Tulip Tree and Cinnamomum camphora, the Cinnamon Tree. An Acer griseum, the Paperbark Maple on the right hand side, is a beautiful tree which really glows when the sun shines on it.

But during spring and early summer the magnolias steal the show, and the selection we grow here ensure a long flowering period. They include Magnolia soulangeana ‘Atropurpurea’ and ‘Rustica Alba’ and Magnolia campbellii. These magnolias have an attractive spreading profile, naturally pruned by the prevailing wind.