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Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden finalist: Christine Walker's garden the result of years of hard work

Ethan Griffiths
By Ethan Griffiths
Multimedia journalist·Whanganui Chronicle·
6 Jan, 2021 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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Christine Walker's garden is a finalist in Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden competition. Photo / Bevan Conley

Christine Walker's garden is a finalist in Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden competition. Photo / Bevan Conley

Six years ago, Christine Walker's front and back yards were nothing but grass, dirt and agapanthus.

In those six short years, Walker has transformed her backyard into a paradise of colour, nature and art that she admires from her kitchen window every morning.

"In first couple of years, it was absolutely mad. It was just a bank with agapanthus," Walker said.

Walker moved into her Gonville property six years ago after moving from Auckland, looking for a lifestyle change in Whanganui.

"I've always liked Whanganui. I like the history, the arts and to be honest I didn't actually even check the climate particularly."

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The deal was soon sealed when Walker came across a property in Gonville.

The well protected moa nest, complete with correctly scaled eggs. Photo / Bevan Conley
The well protected moa nest, complete with correctly scaled eggs. Photo / Bevan Conley

"When we came here with a real estate agent, I just went 'bingo'. It was just a blank canvas.

"I had to learn how to garden on this sandy soil here in Whanganui, but in Auckland it's quite different. It was a bit of a learning curve having to deal with sand that's got no oomph in it really."

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The view from Christine Walker's kitchen. Photo / Bevan Conley
The view from Christine Walker's kitchen. Photo / Bevan Conley

Walker said that practically all of the garden was put together by her and her husband over many months, from using spare bricks to create paths, to commissioning sculptures that peer from the foliage.

Walker's garden is covered in various sculptures purchased from Whanganui artists. Photo / Bevan Conley
Walker's garden is covered in various sculptures purchased from Whanganui artists. Photo / Bevan Conley

The garden is home to hundreds of different plants, with very little of the blank canvas remaining; there's growth or some form of life within every nook and cranny of the garden.

Walker said gardening has been a lifelong passion.

"Even when I was a kid, I could tell you what people had in their gardens. My mother always had a big garden.

Discover more

Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden winner revealed

18 Jan 04:00 PM

"It's great, we've got a lot of birdlife here. You open the blinds and there are just birds everywhere. It's gorgeous.

"It's magic to see your garden attracting so much life."

Fruit loving dog Missy amidst the garden. Photo / Bevan Conley
Fruit loving dog Missy amidst the garden. Photo / Bevan Conley

The garden isn't without its problems. Walker's vegetarian puppy Missy creates many a headache, pinching fresh apricots or plums from the garden, and bits of driftwood used as decoration rarely stay in one place.

Also in this series:

Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden finalist: Karen Hurndell's garden is also art

Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden finalist: Phil Thomsen's garden built from the ground up

Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden finalist: Cherry Novis' pride and joy

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Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden finalist: Christine Walker's garden the result of years of hard work

Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden finalist: Penny Daddy's Japanese-themed garden hosts weddings

And the winner was ... Karen Hurndell takes out Whanganui's Most Beautiful Garden Competition

The wind also causes havoc, spreading the lawn and driveway with red velvet droppings from a gigantic pohutukawa tree that overlooks the property.

But despite the minor headaches, Walker says it's her sanctuary.

"It's just a lovely place to be. I'm proud of what we've done."

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