In 1967 the Barker Family purchased a rather run-down Larnach Castle and its 14 hectares of grounds. Today they host well over 100,000 paying visitors per year, making it Dunedin's top visitor attraction. The garden, Margaret Barker's personal creation over 37 years, has also been labeled a "Garden of National Significance" by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. This book tells the story of the development of these special gardens, the plantings of which have designed to complement the building and add a unique Southern Hemisphere feel to the grounds. There is nothing like first-hand research, knowledge and understanding gained by visiting these plants in their native habitats and Margaret has braved the roaring forties and furious fifties in a Russian polar explorer vessel to visit the Auckland and Campbell islands and flown to the windswept Chatham Islands. She has also climbed Mt Gower in the pristine Lord Howe islands, Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, The Andes in Chile and Argentina, where she camped amongst Monkey-Puzzle trees. These adventures, along with the sheer hard work of restoring and creating this unique garden, are told with humour and insight and accompanied by over 150 photographs in this beautifully designed and presented book.

Table of Contents

Prologue; A Bite of History; Early Years; Lost Rock Garden; The Serpentine Walk; A Step Out; Slowly Slowly; A New Vision; Achieving Clarity; Dare I mention my love affair with Rhododendrons?; South Seas; Southern Plants; Now this is the Garden; Hot Tips from the Gardeners at Larnach Castle; Credits; Directory; Index