Lavender garden to open gates to the public

It's too early for the lavender to be in flower but stunning trees and other delights of a spring garden are easy to see at Oropi Road Lavender Garden.
Garden owners Jenny Robertson and Graham Mudgway will open the gates of their 6000 sq m property on November 10 and later from 12 to 14 for Tauranga's Garden and Artfest.
Since taking over the property two years ago, the couple have had the north western boundary cleared of pines, letting in light and air. It is a garden with unexpected twists and turns that nevertheless has a tranquil air and the trees are a magnet for birds.
Along with native rimu, kowhai, kauri and totara there are dramatic cedars, a large jacaranda and a copper beech. Mature avocado trees and other fruiting trees - apples and plums for example also grow there.
Ms Robertson said she learned about gardens in Nelson, having lived most of her life in Wellington.
"In Nelson I inherited a lovely garden when I bought my house. I felt I had to keep it up to scratch and gradually gardening became a pleasure rather than a chore," she said.
"When I moved back to Wellington I had a smaller section but by that time I had cultivated an interest in gardens."
Lavender harvest brought a few challenges for the couple.
They borrowed a small still to extract the lavender oil from the harvested flowers.
"It took several loads to do one row," Ms Robertson said. They contacted another lavender-growing couple who at first said they did not have enough capacity to process any more lavender than their own.
"Several days after that, they visited and said we could process some lavender with them.
"They had changed their minds because they said they would have appreciated some help at the time they began production." she said.
Even with assistance, there were still 10 rows of lavender left to be processed so all the remaining flowers were put in the back of the car and driven to Napier to a large contracting still at Whitebay Lavender.
"We both work full time so the garden is a hobby.
"We haven't got children in Tauranga so if we have spare time we work in the garden.
"We've opened it for a few days but we can't have it permanently open.
"We'll probably open the garden over a few weekends in summer."
Lavender oils, soaps, sachets and handcrafts are on display in a garden cottage.
Paintings by Michelle Thorby, an Oropi artist, will be on display in the garden over the Garden and Artfest.