Fernglen

by Celia Walker

With the Dr Seuss-like grass trees of the Dracophyllum collection, enormous king ferns, tumbling rock gardens, and general plant abundance, Fernglen is a plant-lover’s heaven. This legacy of avid plant collector and author Muriel Fisher and her husband Bill is a botanical garden in miniature, occupying a 12-acre site in Birkenhead.

Not the over-clipped and tidy look of some public gardens, the plants are allowed to run a little wild, this unruly abundance adds to the character – although there is no mistaking it for a natural space, with juxtapositions of alpine species, rare shrubs and the massive variety demonstrating a dedicated and exhaustive collecting ethos.

The garden built upon the work of the Fisher family, Frank Fisher, purchased the land in 1880, and his propagation of native ferns was just the beginning.

Pohutukawa, rimu and kahikatea planted 100 years ago jostle in with older kauri, nikau and rimu in the native bush area and now look as though they have always been there. Muriel and Bill’s son Malcolm carries on this family tradition, still maintaining and working in the garden, despite ownership of the property being transferred to Auckland Council twenty years ago. An education centre, a host of informative plant labels, and the sheer array of species, makes this an excellent teaching resource and a gardener’s delight.

Image Credits: Celia Walker