Suburban Oasis
Address
21 Sloane St, Glen Innes
Themes
Wildlife, wellbeing, edibles, recycled materials, deep sponge soil
Set amidst rapid development and infilling of houses, this garden holds fast to traditional and permaculture principals creating a space of cool peace and tranquility.
Devasted by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, the garden is now more alive and productive than ever, pumping with food and life!
Following Cyclone Gabrielle where four massive poplar trees decimated the garden, the space became a "Gift the Garden" project with a revised design and planting plan and a “Permablitz' style working bee. Two weekends of serious soil moving (two truckloads rescued from the housing development across the road!), crushed concrete spreading, bench making, planting and mulch spreading!
Wanting to develop a relationship with the creek at the bottom of the garden, the smashed fence brought an opportunity to link the garden both visually and physically with this recovering ecosystem where eels are returning along with native fish. The design created a gathering space around the old Poplar trunk, with views through the fence to the creek. A door provides access for good works to further the recovery of this important ecosystem, a tributary to the Omaru Creek.
The smashed fence became a new and safer boardwalk access to the garden, sundry concrete and pottery items were put to good use in paths, a patio and gabion seating/bug hotels, plants gifted through friends, and a new fence and seating area with the views through to the reserve and small creek.
In 2024, with the blessing of Council and working with Eastern Songbird and the kaitiaki students of Tāmaki College, the area below the property on the reserve was replanted with a wide variety of trees, flaxes and grasses to mitigate flooding and provide a new ecosystem for the birds and insects that resided in the fallen poplars - Ruru can be heard at night!
Even if you visited this garden in 2023 you will see a huge change as it was just after that trail event, that Gabrielle hit!
