Variety provides the spice of life

The Wilson family – Rodney and Faith, Henry, Scott and Angela in front of one of their glorious rhododendrons.

01-03-2010 | Jackie Harrigan

For one Manawatu farming family, variety is the spice of life and diversification is the name of the game.

The Wilson family of Crosshills Gardens at Kimbolton are famous in gardening circles. They are known particularly for their rhododendrons, and for the 7ha of gardens planted by Rodney Wilson's parents Eric and Merle during 30 years, and Rodney and his wife, Faith, over the next 30.

The family also run a sheep and beef farm producing Texel lambs and wool and Angus cattle, sell plant labels and plants, host a country fair and marry couples.

Crosshills Gardens opened to the public in 1970, the first private garden in New Zealand to do so, and have attracted up to 12,000 visitors each year, although the advent of weekend shopping has seen numbers fall to around 5000 annually.

Many varieties of plants flourish in the free-draining soils and reliable annual rainfall of 1150mm, including over 2000 varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas.

Rodney and Faith Wilson run the gardening enterprise and 240ha farm along with their son Scott and his wife, Angela. Fourth-generation Henry is just a year old.

The family have always been keen on diversifying and "doing things a little bit differently", Rodney says.

His motto is "You don't want to be doing what everyone else is doing - do something different".

The garden generates around 30% of their annual income and the farm another 30% with peripheral activities the other third.

When the farm was settled in 1886 the first owners planted macrocarpa trees around a small dwelling, and two massive trees still stand in the car park. Only one other oak tree in the garden was established when Eric and Merle Wilson arrived in 1938.

In 1939 seeds from the macrocarpas were planted around the farm. Timber was later milled from them to build a garden centre and café.

The gardens were developed in stages, and as interest in rhododendrons grew the decision was made in 1970 to plant a large collection. Part of the hay paddock was sacrificed for the South Hill Garden.

The Azalea Bowl, Conifer Valley, Clematis Bank and Waterfall and Ornamental Pools have all grown the garden over the years.

To commemorate the new millenium a camellia maze was planted in 2000 with 30 varieties and more than 1000 plants.

A café was built in the garden to cater for visitors during the busy spring and early summer season when the rhododendrons are at their best.

The family also propagate and sell more than 400 varieties of rhododendron, standardised rhodos, evergreen and deciduous azaleas in the nursery and sell through the on-site plant centre.

A colour catalogue and mail and web-based order service also caters for gardeners from near and far who wish to buy plants.

A full-time employee helps with the garden centre and extra staff are taken on in the busy season.

Lifetime plant labels and anti-thrip tree bands are also part of the family's diversifications. The lifetime labels are anodised aluminium bands, stamped with individual plant names and details which, as the name suggests, last as lifetime identifiers.

The tree bands are impregnated with a pesticide to deter thrips, which love to live on rhododen­drons and azaleas. The band goes around the trunk and protects the tree from infestation.

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