The homestead garden was around the house they lived in, and the camellias and raised brick herb garden date back to then.
The committee visits the garden several times a year, and decides on pruning and planting. Members are green-fingered people such as Mrs Gedye, Terry Dowdeswell and Clive Higgie.
"It's an amazing committee.
"Everybody discusses everything. Gardeners are special people," Mr Hamilton said.
Wanganui District Council parks manager Wendy Bainbridge provides the plants and the gardens are maintained by contractor Fulton Hogan. Vonnie Cave and a team of volunteers look after the succulent area.
The Westmere loam soil is excellent, and the beds are also fed with compost and layered with truckloads of mulch.
Old fashioned homesteady plants in the garden include granny bonnets, old roses, delphiniums provided by Mr Dowdeswell, hydrangeas and pinks. But this garden isn't in the rambling "cottage muddle" style. Its borders and beds are crisp and weed-free.
The favourite patch for Mrs Gedye and Mr Hamilton is the "hot garden", with its fiery reds, yellows and oranges. Another feature is a gap in the garden fence, framing a view of Mt Taranaki.
"I have been gardening all my life, and if you ever finish a garden it's time to give up," Mrs Gedye said.
An orchard area is to be added, and the garden's gate is to be enlarged and decorated with glass insets made by artist Lisa Walsh.
