Low Maintenance Cottage Garden - Waiake, Torbay

The owners of this 1940’s cottage garden in Waiake, Torbay, wanted to make the most of their wrap-around coastal garden by incorporating natural elements and traditional planting with minimum upkeep. Waiake, meaning ‘healing waters’, has its own Deep Creek flowing down to the bay, so the owners were keen to reflect their local area when re-imagining their outdoor space.

To break up the straight lines of the side garden, the owners opted for curved flower beds and a winding ‘river’ path. Highroads Riverstones were an obvious choice, 100% sustainably sourced from the Mangatangi River, these attractive pebbles are an excellent low-maintenance stone for all kinds of decorative projects. Providing all year-round contrast in grey-gold tones they soften hard edges and introduce smooth reflective textures. Here they gently lead the eye through the grasses and flowering shrubs to the garden office and sun deck beyond. “The Riverstones were easy to use, looked great and were cost effective” the owners told us, they are also a natural choice for fishponds and planters. Riverstones are available in 20kg bags in a range of sizes and colours.

Working closely with a professional garden designer the owners were delighted to discover the benefits of Daltons Coloured Mulch to support their vibrant cottage garden planting. Available in red or black, the mulch provides a ground cover that suppresses weed growth and increases soil water retention, so there’s far less weeding to do and the plants you love stay hydrated for longer. Using mulch is also known to encourage healthy microbial activity in the soil which in turn protects the plant’s root systems. The owners opted for the red mulch which contrasted well with the pebbles and greenery and was beautifully echoed in the Japanese acer and red cordylines.

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