15/09/2026
Today was a busy day in the Feather Cottage garden! Museum volunteer and head gardener Lorrie spent the day planting a selection of cottage garden plants, many of which have been generously donated or purchased with donated funds.
The garden is now home to daphne, heliotrope, fuchsia, cranesbill geranium, begonias, achillea, pulmonaria, hollyhocks, foxgloves, granny’s bonnets, phlox, lavender, rosemary, polyanthus, lady’s mantle, roses, phlomis, penstemon, catmint, salvia, gypsophila, dianthus, Shasta daisies and pelargoniums. There may not be too much to see just yet, but we can’t wait to watch the garden grow and see it filled with colour as the plants become established and begin to flower.
We would also love to hear from anyone who has an old-fashioned plant with a special family connection – perhaps something that has been grown from cuttings, bulbs or seeds and passed down through the family for generations. We would love to include some of these special plants in the Feather Cottage garden and, with them, a little piece of your family’s history.
Lorrie also planted a river peach tree in one corner of the garden. Peaches have a long history in the Tuakau district, and we wanted to recognise that connection. Introduced to New Zealand in the early 1800s, peaches were soon being widely grown by Māori. Before European settlers arrived in Tuakau, local Māori had planted extensive groves of peach trees, particularly on the fertile land near the Waikato River and other waterways. Historical research indicates that thousands of peach trees had been planted in the Tuakau area. For the European settlers who began arriving in the district from 1865, these peach groves provided a welcome and greatly appreciated source of fresh fruit during their early years of settlement.
Finishing touches to the garden will include a white picket fence and a vintage birdbath gifted from a local family.
