What  design ideas can I possibly glean for soggy Seattle from a garden in the driest and coldest part of New Zealand? It turns out, many. Not only that but my visit to Jo Wakelin's garden  at the foot of the Mt. Pisa range in Central Otago is one that has stayed with me, almost hauntingly so. This is a blog post I have wanted to write since returning home but even now I'm not sure I can do this very special garden justice. However, I shall do my best to explain why I found it so captivating and how it has inspired me personally.

Design Concept

Cast your mind back to days in the chemistry lab; remember the crucibles we used to heat up over a bunsen burner and watch liquid slowly evaporate? Well that was Jo's inspiration. She wanted to connect to the harsh steppe habitat by highlighting the scarcity of water in this arid landscape and achieved this in a variety of ways.

Connection to Surroundings

By mimicking the muted colors and hummocky shapes of the surrounding mountains, Jo made it appear that her 1/2 acre garden extended to the distant horizon. Likewise, the integration of local stone used throughout the garden offered a seamless transition to the glacial landscape.

Connection to History

This area was at the heart of the 1860's gold rush, and so the integration of rusting metal work, used as focal points references that history. Likewise a low mound of rocks mimics early goldminer's tailings.

Choosing Drought-Loving Plants

Not drought-resistant, nor drought tolerant but drought-LOVING. An important distinction. If plants are to thrive rather than merely survive or tolerate the conditions we impose on them, this is a strategic mind-shift. However, one design challenge is that the native plant palette is visually very singular – muted colors and finer textures which provide little opportunity for introducing seasonal color or contrast. As a trained ecologist and horticulturist, Jo decided to include exotics in her design but limit their placement to the area closest to the house while native plantings are included towards the perimeter and ease the transition to the wider landscape.

Connection to Climate

By making minimal demand on resources, Jo has acknowledged the local conditions and is aiming to work with them rather than despite them. She uses no fertilizers, pest control or supplemental water. As a design element Jo included two teardrop shapes at the heart of the design to symbolize the preciousness and scarcity of water, rather like two water droplets at the base of a crucible. One of these tear drops is densely planted, the other left as primarily barren rock, the contrast playing into the metaphor as well as offering a striking contrast: lush versus dry, hard versus soft, natives versus exotics.

Jo's Inspiration

I was delighted to hear that Jo's inspiration for using gravel as her primary medium was inspired at least in part by Beth Chatto's  dry garden in the UK. The 4 inch base of pea gravel that Jo used is a waste product from a local quarry. It reduces evaporation, helps to keep plant roots cools and provides a visual link to the surroundings.

My Inspiration

My regular readers will know that we moved house last July, leaving our 5 acres of 16 years for a much smaller garden closer to town and family. We are still busy with house renovations but of course my mind is working overtime with ideas for the landscape. Our back garden overlooks a small peaceful lake backed by a forested hillside. We love to sit on our deck and watch the play of light; sparkles on the water, sunrise glow from behind the trees, the evening alpenglow that sets the trees on fire, autumnal shades as the big leaf maples contrast with towering evergreens. Jo's connection to her surroundings gave me the idea to mimic the colors of the lake and forest (green, gold, orange-red and white (for the sparkles)) in our plant palette and to keep the plantings mostly low mounds with just some see-through vertical elements here and there. I can't use gravel here as our rainfall is so high it would be a mass of weeds in no time plus neither the dog nor I can easily walk on shifting pea gravel. I also have to keep the existing permeable surfaces and while lawn and pea gravel are considered permeable, tamped gravel is not. So there will be some lawn;  maybe a shape to mimic the lake (rough oval) or perhaps more of a 'wide river' that leads to the side garden. Hmmm – this should be fun!

Want to Learn More?

Books Featuring Jo's garden

 (At the very least get them from your library but if you were to only purchase one, I'd suggest Visionary as being my favorite for photography  as it includes a spectacular drone shot showing the two tear drop shapes, although Wild has the better narrative.) Visionary: Gardens & Landscapes for our Future by Claire Takacs (Hardie Grant, 2024) Wild: The Naturalistic Garden by Noel Kingsbury & Claire Takacs (Phaidon Press, 2022) The Contemporary Garden (Phaidon Press. 2025)

Upcoming Free Webinar Featuring Jo's Garden (and many other great gardens)

Hosted by Cascade Water Alliance. Join me on Tuesday January 20th, 7pm pacific time. Registration details.

Where Will Your Curiosity Take You?

Traveling in a small group is a great way to explore new countries, gardens, cultures and ideas. Join me on one of my upcoming tours. Reviews, details and more. 

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links which may earn me a few pennies towards my next plant purchase