An interview with Secret Gardener, Phoebe of Ngā Kaupeka — a small-scale, productive garden in Forrest Hill, North Shore, Auckland.
Secret Gardens is a garden-share platform that enables you to visit a diverse and inspiring collection of New Zealand gardens, across the seasons — along with the opportunity to meet the passionate, knowledgeable gardeners behind them.
This autumn, we’ve invited some of the insightful Secret Gardeners to share their thoughts and tips for this time of year in the garden.
In this interview, we speak with Phoebe, who has created a productive urban garden complete with with chickens, a beehive and mini orchard, in Forrest Hill, Auckland.
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Meet the gardener — Phoebe Atkinson | Ngā Kaupeka
Phoebe has loved being in the garden for as long as she can remember, following her parents around the garden, gathering bunches of flowers to fill every vase available.
She worked as a florist during her high school years and went on to study sustainable horticulture and social research in youth and community development.
As a teacher, Phoebe is passionate about sharing her gardening knowledge, especially her interest in soil health which is at the fore of all her gardening practices. “My interest in gardening has always been predominantly in the productive space and utilising organic principles. I love the aesthetic of tidy potager gardens but have also increasingly come to appreciate the benefits and beauty of the less formal permaculture model including companion planting and food forests.”
Now it’s Phoebe and her husband Dave’s two gorgeous children, Harley and Kyla, who follow her around the garden, not just picking flowers but getting involved in every aspect of gardening. When she’s not gardening with her family, Phoebe is running a community garden in a council reserve across the road from her place.
“What I enjoy most about gardening is the whole person benefit to be gained. From physically being motivated to be active in the elements in all seasons, to mentally being engaged in a focal practice that stills the mind to the task at hand, to socially connecting with like-minded folk who are invariably generous with seeds, cuttings, harvests and advice… What’s not to love!”
What changes in your garden do you most look forward to as autumn sets in?
Gardening in Auckland, the change in seasons isn’t as marked as some other parts of the country, so I really love the plants that do bring the season front and centre. At Ngā Kaupeka in autumn, the turning leaves of the Boston Ivy are the welcome signal that temperature, light, and crops are all on the shift.
I enjoy witnessing the alchemy of 6 months of kitchen and garden waste having been transformed into the most fabulous compost to top up all the raised beds before replanting with autumn and winters crops. And I look forward to autumn rains finally taking care of keeping the gardens watered!
What’s your favourite autumn harvest?
Without a doubt – figs! A wonderfully luxurious fruit that aren’t all that easy to come by in the shops, yet grow without any effort on our part. And such a gorgeous thing to give away, always received with such delight.
What are the main tasks you’ll be tackling in your garden this autumn?
Autumn is a season for being resourceful – not only in preserving the harvest, but in utilising lots of what the garden has offered up over the last 9 months.
The grapes and figs drop their leaves which are collected for leaf mould, the star jasmine vines which threaten to entangle the house become frames for Easter wreath making and the cabbage tree leaves are bundled up to be used as fire starters come winter.
There’s something deliciously satisfying about such tasks which nod to cosy occasions up ahead.
What’s your stand-out favourite thing about the autumn season?
I love the sense of refresh that comes with autumn’s arrival. The summer crops and blooms that have long since had their day and are just hanging in there, now have permission to take their final bow. Their removal often clears the slate of powdery mildew, rust, whitefly and cabbage white damage.
Cleared of detritus, a fresh load of compost teeming with vitality breathes new life back into tired raised beds. And perky new seedlings in tidy straight rows punctuate the renewal that has taken place. The garden and the gardener breathe a sigh of relief!
Ngā Kaupeka is part of Secret Gardens.
To visit this garden, book a visit at: www.secretgardens.co.nz
