CHS Avebury CLimate Resilient Garden Logo

Avebury Park was gifted to the government and subsequently transferred to Christchurch City Council. The house is a Heritage site and is managed by Avebury House Community Trust as a community hub. Many of us relish the events and range of social and educational opportunities available here. Gardens have always been important at Avebury. Historically the gardens were extensive and complex. Post-earthquake the Richmond Community Garden began here. CHS Avebury Climate Resilient Garden will incorporate elements from Avebury history, with raw Manuka pole obelisks and cuttings of plants used in the original Richmond Community Garden.  

CHS Avebury CLimate Resilient Garden

Working Bee

Working bees take place on the 2nd Sunday of the month between 9am - 12pm.
See the current Facebook Event here

 

 

Can you help us create a Climate Resilient Garden for Christchurch?

We need volunteers to:

  • Grow 5 plants from seed
  • Propagate 5 plants from cuttings
  • Give an hour of time on site at a working bee
  • Mentor a gardener on site
  • Do a green waste run with their trailer
  • Provide baking for the volunteer gardeners on site

If this sounds like something you can do then
Fill out the Volunteer Form Here
or send an email to: office@chsgardens.co.nz. 

We would love to hear from you!

 

CHS Avebury Climate Resilient Garden is a collaborative project to create and maintain an ornamental garden which showcases a wide variety of plants that are resilient in Christchurch’s changing climate.

Gardens resonate with people when they are connected to their environment and the people who spend time there. CHS Avebury is designed to be a beautiful naturalistic Christchurch garden. The space is secluded but welcoming. Clustered seating and immersive planting encourage people to linger; share gardening knowledge and experiences or quietly absorb the atmosphere and contemplate the plants.

The climate in Christchurch is becoming warmer with longer dry periods between intense rainfall events. This means plants must be resilient to both drought and downpours. CHS Avebury encompasses a wide range of both New Zealand native and exotic species which have evolved with adaptations to withstand our changing and future climate. Like people, plants are stronger when surrounded by a positive, compatible and harmonious community. The species used at CHS Avebury will be planted in densely layered plant communities. The naturalistic style plantings and the paths through them will be mulched with arborist’s mulch to help retain soil moisture. The garden will be managed with sustainable techniques. Plants have been selected with sensitivity to eco-system services, for example: single flowers have been chosen to enable pollinator access while potential pest plant species are excluded. Seedheads will be mostly retained. As well as adding visual interest seedheads provide niches for invertebrates to over-winter, in turn providing food for birds. 

CHS Avebury garden design uses a diagonal main axis along which are centered three circular borders based on Fibonacci proportions. The planting in each border becomes more complex to give a sense of a swelling crescendo of beauty and biodiversity.  A twisted paired trunk of Plagianthus regius (native Ribbonwood) marks the end point of this axis. A secondary, perpendicular axis directs our focus to the multi-stemmed trunks of Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese Elm) and the sightlines out to the main Avebury lawn. 

A series of native species give evergreen structure to the garden: Melicytus obovatus are clipped into spheres; various Astelia species give dramatic arching form while the seedheads of native tussock grass Chionochloa conspicua (Hunangamoho) provide delicate, light movement. The fine, weeping foliage of Kunzea ericoides ‘Little Fox’ (weeping Kanuka) and the glaucous leaves of Pimelea prostrata (NZ daphne) are a calm presence to offset some of the dramatic perennial flowers. Under the tree canopy, native ferns Polystichum vestitum (Prickly shield fern) and various Parablechnum species (Kiokio) provide textural interest and form.

CHS Avebury CLimate Resilient Garden

In every season climate resilient shrubs, perennials and annuals provide colour. Bulbs such as Leucojum aestivum (Snowflakes) and Narcissus bulbocodium 'White Petticoat' launch spring. In summer, spires of Digitalis (Foxglove) and Verbascum (Mullein) juxtapose umbels of Daucus and Orlaya. Domes of Euphorbia and cones of Echinacea (coneflower) contrast with Achillea (Yarrow) platters. In autumn Salvia and Hylotelephium (Sedum) are magnificent. Winter flowering TiarellaHelleborus and Pulmonaria (Lungwort) ensure year round colour.

We hope you enjoy CHS Avebury climate resilient garden with us.

CHS Avebury Plan

Download a high resolution version of the plan here