Karen Mekalick loves plants and wants to have as many as possible in the garden. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Karen Mekalick loves plants and wants to have as many as possible in the garden. Photo / Alyssa Smith
When Karen Mekalick retired two years ago she started cataloguing the plants in her garden.
“I’ve recorded about 500 species of plants.”
Those species and many more will be on display at the end of the month when Karen and her husband Valentine open up their garden, Bohemian Embassy, for this year’s Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival.
“My husband’s ancestors are from the Czech Republic, historically known as Bohemia. We incorporated that in the name and came up with Bohemian Embassy.”
The garden has no theme, she says, with her goal to plant as much as possible.
“I want to make the best use of the space. I always try to find the right place to put them, but sometimes they surprise me and establish themselves in the concrete cracks and garden edging.”
The Viburnum tree is one of Karen's favourites. Photo / Alyssa Smith
The garden features perennials, alpines and woodland plants.
“I also have some fruit trees scattered around as well. One of my favourite features in the garden would have to be the large oak tree. When we first moved here we had to prune it back and take the karakas off it to keep the weight off it.”
Some of the plants have been given to her by other gardeners, she says.
“Jill Kuriger gave me some dwarf Korean lilacs and plantaginea hosta. The thing with the gardening community is they’re always happy to help out and share tips and plant cuttings.”
The Korean lilac bushes grew from a plant given to Karen by Jill Kuriger. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Karen has entered garden festivals for several years, entering the original Taranaki Rhodododendron Festival in the early 1990s and then entering the Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival in 2013-2014.
“This will be my second year entering the Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival. What I enjoy most is meeting people. You meet so many people from all walks of life. Some will tell you the scientific names of plants or help you identify one. It’s very encouraging to see people enjoying themselves.”
She is currently adding the final touches to get her gardens festival-ready.
“It’s a lot of work but it is rewarding. I can’t wait for people to come and see the garden.”
