Only eight years old, Longbush Cottage garden in the Wairarapa has earned four stars from the New Zealand Gardens Trust, and has developed a reputation for bringing colour and gardening inspiration to the region.   

Words Rachael Dell  Photos Lucia Zanmonti

Twenty-six years ago, on opposite sides of the world, seemingly unconnected forces were stirring – gently laying the groundwork for what would become years later, the story of a little garden that dared to dream big. Today, you’ll find Longbush Cottage – a charming 1890s cottage held snugly by its hectare of gardens – firmly planted in Wairarapa’s gardening scene.

The journey began in 1998 when Canterbury-born Luke Gardner met Ben Quay in London. At the same time – back in New Zealand, a derelict turn-of-the-century cottage was transported from Eketāhuna to a 10-acre block in Longbush, a valley nestled between Martinborough and Gladstone. A young family moved into the cottage while Ben and Luke swapped London life for a hillside villa in Wellington. Luke learned to garden vertically, growing in pots, and the cottage started to burst its seams with a growing family.

By 2015, Luke needed to extend his gardening canvas. So, seeking greener pastures over the Remutaka Hill, a wee cottage in a paddock caught their eye. They moved to Longbush in November that same year – Luke could garden full-time, while Ben commuted to Wellington for work. On moving day, Luke’s prized collection of potted succulents were carefully offloaded onto the verandah. But on waking the next day – he was devastated to find a late frost had claimed more than half.

‘We’re in the bottom of a valley so the frost rolls down the hill and settles in. In winter, the sun hits the garden about 1 pm which isn’t a bad thing – because it means the plants don’t get burnt.’ He likens the big chill to a deep cleanse – protecting plants from troublesome pests. It’s also ideal conditions for growing peonies and tulips. But, Luke cautions, it’s the late frosts that bite.

As a result, he has become slightly frost-obsessed – checking his weather app daily for frost forecasts and covering tender plants with frost cloths and plastic pots. It sparked a flurry of research to find the perfect glasshouse (spurred on when his polytunnel blew away – three times). Luke wanted something strong, enduring and elegant. Serendipity came calling last winter when French glasshouse company LAMS contacted Longbush Cottage, having seen it online, and Ben and Luke were invited to be their Australasian distributors.

In autumn 2024, Luke got his dream – several times over – as four glasshouses were installed for display in the garden. From potting-shed size to grand outdoor rooms – the range is vast, highly customisable and built to stand up to the elements. One of the smaller glasshouses now houses the Longbush Cottage Emporium – stocked with locally made gardening gifts. The larger glasshouses serve as garden rooms, ideal for catering to garden visitors in all weather.

While French glasshouses didn’t feature in Luke’s original pencil-drawn plan for Longbush Cottage, they’ve slotted in easily and he loves how they ‘frame the space’ when you’re inside looking out.

Luke’s gardening style has been influenced in part by his love of English cottage gardens – like his mum’s country garden, and his grandad’s, designed by Alfred Buxton. Then later in the UK, he drew inspiration from historical beauties like Sissinghurst Castle – reimagined at Longbush in the white-and-silver-themed entrance beds.

Over time, Luke has come to embrace native plantings in his design. A visit to Broadfield Garden in Rolleston challenged Luke to ‘look again’. In response, he planted a native bed ‘loosely applying Gertrude Jekyll’s colour theory’ to draw the eye through cool to warm colours. Natives are a natural fit around the pond too – where the large strappy leaves of Phormium tenax are at home, a nod to the site’s earlier life as a flax swamp.

Luke’s tōtara avenue is a distinctive structural design feature. ‘It’s like a sorbet between courses,’ he explains, as the green walk allows a rest from the bright ‘lipstick garden’, the dark mauve tones of the ‘pinot garden’, and the fiery hues of the hot perennial border leading to the pond. ‘I knew I wanted to make a big pond because it creates a journey around it. It welcomes aquatic life and changes the ecosystem. A really big part of the pond for me is the light on the water.’

After five years, Luke’s vision for ‘symmetrical lines with shambolic planting’ had taken root and it was time to open to the public. In spring 2020, Longbush Cottage opened for the Wairarapa Garden Tour, and welcomed visits by appointment soon after. In 2021, their first Tulip Festival was a hit with around 1,000 visitors, and in November 2023 Rosé in the Roses launched.

Sharing the garden with visitors is ultimately what brings Luke joy. And by visitors, he’s quick to acknowledge the winged varieties too – birds, bees, and pollinators. He’s learning to let go of the ‘shoulds’ in the garden, and is growing in confidence. ‘It can be intimidating opening your garden, but I do really love getting feedback.’

While he’s busy year-round with his hands in the dirt (no matter the weather), Ben’s work is now full-time on the digital tools, growing the garden online and managing the glasshouses. Longbush Cottage’s website and Instagram platforms have expanded the garden’s visibility – opening up new opportunities.   

Balancing work and play is not a problem for Luke – he’s happy with the journey so far, and like the seasons, knows when he has to dig deep. Winter is the garden’s busiest time and while it’s closed to visitors, he’s constantly planning, editing, reviewing photos and notes from previous years as well as planting over 8,000 tulip bulbs – staggering their flowering display for their October Tulip Festival.

But it’s not all work. At the end of the day Luke and Ben will gather – often with friends – for a glass of local wine in the garden or in a glasshouse to soak up the fruits of their labour. Though work is never far from home, it blends the best of both worlds – for life and leisure.