On 27 April 2007, The Duke of York opened the completely refurbished New Zealand Garden. It is the largest collection of New Zealand native plants outside of that country.

History

In 1986, on a state visit to New Zealand, Her Majesty the Queen was gifted with a selection of native plants - planted, on her return, in The Savill Garden.

The opportunity to expand and redesign the collection came in 2006 when the old visitor facilities were demolished following completion of the Savill Building. Renowned garden designer and New Zealander Sam Martin oversaw the project, finding inspiration in the unique and diverse habitats of his native country.

New Zealand flora 

At least 80% of New Zealand flora occurs nowhere else - a consequence of the island’s long isolation from other landmasses. The garden showcases this flora with hebes, phormiums, cabbage palm and spiky groups of silver-leaved astelias.

The Maori people have long exploited the medicinal and utilitarian aspects of their native plants, and this is reflected by including Maori names, in addition to Latin plant names, in the garden.

Plants to look out for...

Sophora microphylla (kowhai), with small yellow pendulous flowers; Chordospartium muritai (NZ Broom), a rare plant of which only 12 plants are known to exist in the wild, which has weeping almost almost prehistoric foliage with tiny flower bracts of white with violet throats; Corokia buddleoides (whakataka), with silvery foliage, yellow flowers and red berries; Hoheria angustifolia and H. sexstylosa, with weeping branches wreathed in white flowers, and H. lyallii one of very few deciduous trees native to New Zealand; the divaricating shrubs Muehlenbeckia astonii and Myrsine divaricata - which are predominatly woody and twiggy.

• The Savill Garden Gallery
• Plants of Interest - July to August 2008