Gorgeous Gardens: Barbara Broughton's small-is-beautiful Whanganui garden

Barbara Broughton in her small central city garden. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

Barbara Broughton's garden is proof that good things come in small packages.

Her central city garden is small, but contains fruit trees and an extensive vegetable garden - as well as enough flowers to make the garden look inviting and attractive.

The back door of the house leads on to a massive wooden deck, with a shade sail, that looks out over the garden. Steps lead from the deck down to the garden.

"The deck is my happy place. I love sitting out here and enjoying the garden," Barbara said.

The raised vegetable garden sits flush with the deck.

"Because the veggie garden is raised off the ground, it's much easier to work in."

Beyond that, there is a small but wide lawn. A row of stately ponga (tree ferns) screen the high, corrugated-iron back fence.

When Barbara moved into the house, there wasn't much other than roses, which still grace much of the garden.

"There was a lovely tree, but that died. So I replaced it with a flower bed that has cottage flowers in it."

There are fruit trees and vines all over the garden - many of them small, so they don't take up much room. Blueberry and guava both grow in pots; a feijoa Bambino has a home in the vegetable garden; strawberry plants grow in planters attached to a wall; and passionfruit, grapes and blackberry climb over walls.

Barbara moved into the house five years ago with her mother, also a keen gardener. Her mother died in February - but reminders of her live on in the garden.

"A lot of the plants came from cuttings from Mum's old garden, so they're quite special," Barbara said.

"Mum loved gardening, and we used to potter about together."

Barbara enjoys having a small garden.

"It's amazing what you can fit into a small area. I tend to pop things in wherever I have space."