From bare block to Garden of International Significance — Seven Sharp reporter Jendy Harper took a tour of Broadfield before auction day.
In 1992, David Hobbs set out to create a large-scale garden on land at Broadfield on the outskirts of Christchurch. It was no easy task. The land had been used for grazing horses and needed to be cultivated many times over to eradicate weeds.
Thirty-one years on, it's hard to comprehend the work carried out to create Broadfield, a Garden of International Significance.
Features include a kauri forest of more than 100 trees, one and a half kilometres of totara hedging and a canal that culminates in a circular lily pond.
There are herbaceous borders, camellia and rhododendron plantings, a formal rose garden and an English cottage garden. Incredibly, there is no dwelling on the property.
When asked why, Hobbs said it was due to "indecision and occasional poverty... I usually work steadily at it during the day and when I go home I close the gate and shut off".
That gate is open to paying visitors, with Hobbs setting out to create a garden that would "entertain people for about the same time and cost as a visit to the movies".
Hold the popcorn — this garden takes longer than a movie to tour its delightful nooks and crannies.
And, although the property is up for auction on December 7, Hobbs wants to negotiate an April 2024 settlement, allowing summer visitors to enjoy Broadfield while they can.
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