Exploring Design, Home, Art and Gardening since 2008. By Julia Atkinson-Dunn
Join me to explore the far-reaching corners of Ōhinetahi garden in Governor’s Bay, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Created by a family of art and plant loving architects, it is now a treasured jewel of significant gardens in Aotearoa.
There is great inspiration to see in exotic vs. native planting and traditional structure vs. wildness.
Arrive at extraordinary Fisherman's Bay just before dawn. Witness the sun rise and reach the South Island at this point before any other on a calm autumn morning. Fisherman's Bay is a world-renown garden on the steep slopes of Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Created by Jill and Richard Simpson, it has adorned the pages of the worlds best magazines and books, celebrated for its beautiful planting and amazing environment.
Click through for video and full article
Introducing Robyn Kilty and the small but enormously inspiring wild garden that ultimately ignited my gardening fire.
Read MoreLet me introduce you to the beauty of The Blue House in the summer gloaming. Hidden from passers-by, this garden answered my long-held lust for witnessing naturalistic style planting locally.
To say that I was, and have since been, inspired would be an understatement.
My initial experience, and the many following at Flaxmere, opened my eyes to gardens as “spaces”, rather than just places. Any pre-conceived ideas I had around them being delicate or quaint were rapidly unraveled.
Join me for a gentle guided walk through the garden (or realm!) of my mentor; Penny Zino. Share in her ability to create distinctly different areas within her 54 year old, 3.4 hectare garden created in the harsh North Canterbury climate.
Not to mention the most incredible, New Zealand example of “naturalistic planting” as learned directly from Piet Oudolf.
I’m Julia Atkinson-Dunn
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME!
Here, you’ll find my ongoing adventures of creating art - oil pastel and painted landscapes, mixed media botanicals, plus some writing and information about me!
Studio Home began as NZ’s first design blog, launching in 2018 as a champion of NZ/AUS creative talent.
Since then I have used this space to continue exploring design and art as well as deeply investigating gardening through the publishing of three books and the launch of Unearthed in 2023.
Julia xo
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