Mosaic Magic New Zealand Style

Jan 20, 2026 | By Karen Chapman | Uncategorized | art,  artist,  combinations,  New Zealand,  Travel | 4 Comments
Just when you think you've seen it all….you discover the magical  Giant's House, perched high on a hill in Akaroa, so-named by a small child who declared that the imposing home must belong to a giant since it was so big. Yet the size of the home is modest compared to the imagination of its artist creator Josie Martin. Our fun-loving tour group was able to meet Josie and visit her home and garden during our recent tour to New Zealand.

The house was the first bank managers house in Akaroa, built in 1880. While the area immediately surrounding the home is flat, the remainder of the garden is terraced over many levels

Initially recognized as a painter specializing in abstract art, Josie turned to sculpture in 1993. This medium provided opportunities to infuse her colorful ideas into whimsical mosaic creations that delight and excite in equal measure.

Swimmers were bound to catch my eye! The central area was a mini paddling pool.

There were so many layers of detail in every element. The longer one looked, the more one saw

Just when you think you've seen everything, you round another corner to be surprised yet again.

This is a garden where you could write a new story for every scene. Here we have Eve tempting Adam perhaps – but he has a watermelon on his head…and yet the snake is writhing between them.

Even the water fountain was an elaborate mosaic!

Yet this garden was so much more than just an art installation. Each vignette was carefully detailed and perfectly integrated with the colors of the surrounding flowers and foliage.

Mosaic figures juggle balls giving form to an undulating wall, but notice the repetition of yellow and red in the poppies growing at the base of that wall and the yellow flowers above. Both serve to frame and enhance the scene as does the carefully clipped low hedge

The Blues….one happy face, one 'blue' face, the color repeated with flowers and mosaic details

  Many of the pieces invited interaction – and my tour guests could be heard laughing with child-like glee as they posed for photographs with the larger-than-life sculptures.

And yes our lovely Sue really is an angel 🙂 but who is that sitting next to her? Any why is a wolf peering over his shoulder?

Waiting for the chef to get lunch ready

This scene anchored the main garden and was truly outstanding. The details on the piano, the bench, the band and even the wall which featured a mosaic musical stave – incredible. And our lovely Kathy was the perfect guest to complete the scene.

  What did we learn? Not to take ourselves or our gardens too seriously! Enjoy life, embrace color and live in the moment.

One of my favorite pieces – you could almost hear this cat blowing a raspberry !

I carefully select each garden on every tour, balancing styles, sizes, concepts and even the owners personalities at times! My aim is to stretch our imagination, broaden our understanding and be open to new discoveries  and while I know this garden wasn't everyone's favorite, it was certainly one we would all remember.

Join me!

I have lots of exciting tours lined up for the future  – come and join the adventure.

Subscribe to Receive Blog Posts

Gardening inspiration delivered right to your inbox from Le Jardinet

Winter's Blush

foliage,  Monrovia,  shrubs,  winter | 10 Comments

Rosy cheeks (and noses) are as much a part of winter as woolly scarves and mittens, but do you realize how many shrubs also take on a winter blush? A stroll around my garden this morning made me appreciate anew that the garden is never really dormant – there is always something new to discover.…
Read More →

The Winter Garden – a berry bounty

berries,  birds,  container design,  design,  foliage,  grasses,  perennials,  shrubs,  wildlife,  winter | 6 Comments

A winter garden doesn't just ‘happen’, it takes planning. Most of us visit nurseries earlier in the year when we are seduced into buying ephemeral spring beauties, colorful summer perennials and fall foliage. It takes serious restraint to look beyond those and seek plants that offer great bark, interesting silhouettes, winter flowers and bright berries. As I…
Read More →

The Winter Garden – beautiful bark

bark,  container design,  deciduous trees,  design,  shrubs,  winter | 13 Comments

As leaves fall from the trees it is tempting to consider them merely naked statues in the landscape until they are clothed once again in foliage. It is also tempting to stay inside by the fire rather than explore the garden! Yet the texture and color of bark and stems can add significant interest to…
Read More →

Helleborus Gold Collection® – the best of the best

combinations,  container design,  deer,  design,  fall,  foliage,  perennials,  Skagit Gardens | 8 Comments

As the last of the colorful leaves fall from the trees and blue skies turn gray – especially here in Seattle, I find myself yearning for color. Spring is many months away – I need something NOW and the new Lenten roses (Helleborus) fill that gap beautifully. Helleborus Gold Collection® grown by Skagit Gardens has…
Read More →

Hot Colors for Cold Days

annuals,  bulbs,  combinations,  container design,  deciduous trees,  fall,  foliage,  perennials,  spring | 9 Comments

I have a fabulous orange container. It's not a color I would ordinarily have chosen for our home but it was perfect for a magazine photo shoot we did this summer and I had been really looking forward to replanting it for fall and winter knowing that I would have fun playing off its exhibitionist…
Read More →

Houzz – fresh design inspiration

design,  Houzz | 6 Comments

I need to choose tile for our bathroom. Selecting a color palette was easy – soft earth tones. I could even make a quick decision on the material – either porcelain or ceramic since as much as I love natural stone it is more maintenance than I want. After that comes the hard part –…
Read More →

Stark Silhouettes – a lesson from the desert

cacti,  combinations,  design,  drought tolerant,  foliage,  succulents | 15 Comments

I had the opportunity recently to visit Tucson, Arizona and was fascinated to see a landscape so different from the lush Pacific Northwest. Instead of ferns and mossy glades beneath towering evergreens the arid desert landscape was filled with cacti, succulents and other drought tolerant specimens piercing the rocky terrain. To some this stark landscape…
Read More →

Fragrant Fall Favorites

birds,  climbers,  fall,  fragrance,  perennials,  shrubs,  wildlife | 4 Comments

Many of you enjoyed last week’s post on the katsura tree, loving its caramel apple scent as much as I do. Did you know that there are also several shrubs and perennials which spice up the fall garden with their fragrance too? Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) is a somewhat sprawling shrub with tubular white…
Read More →

Fall Favorite – The Katsura Tree

deciduous trees,  fall,  foliage,  fragrance,  trees | 8 Comments

I must have raised a few eyebrows as I went around the nursery sniffing like a bloodhound. I just couldn't figure it out. I knew I could smell cotton candy (UK translation – candy floss) but there were none to be seen, yet that sweet sugar and cinnamon fragrance was wafting all around me. In confusion I…
Read More →

Similar but Different – the art of observation.

combinations,  conifers,  container design,  design,  foliage,  shrubs | 2 Comments

Sometimes we need to be thrown a challenge to discover something new. This week I received sample of several trees, shrubs and perennials to try in my fall container designs. They were sent to me by Qualitree, a grower in British Columbia after they read my recent article on Great Conifers for Fall Containers. When…
Read More →

Welcome to My Garden Adventures

SE6A7058

I'm a serious plant-aholic. In other words I'm usually covered in a layer or two of soil, I drive everywhere with a large tarp for impromptu plant purchases and I'm truly passionate about sharing the joys of gardening.

Buy My Books Here!

a-logo-amazon
A1mqTzUr9bL._SL1500_
Shop Now
A1Q17hIXwTL._SL1500_
Shop Now
91M8zsA8EJL._SL1500_
Shop Now

Container Gardening Course

Enter KCHAPMAN20 to get 20% off

Architecture, interior design, and more ∨

Use the help of top home decorators to select matching bedside tables and a new lamp shade for your own bedroom design.
Collect and share photos of bathroom tile, bathroom vanities, shower curtains and bathroom mirrors to create your perfect home decorating style.

TV Interview

Search

Tags

annuals art artist bark berries birds books bulbs Christmas climbers combinations conifers container design cut flowers deciduous trees deer design drought tolerant edible England event fall First Editions Focal points foliage fountains fragrance grasses groundcover indoor plants Monrovia Nature path patios perennials Proven Winners seeds shrubs spring succulents Travel trees water gardens wildlife winter

Archives