About Ortel Garden

Everything is a work in progress, this is just the beginning....

Suzanne - with the support of Geoff and the enthusiasm and artistry of Henry Turner

About Us

I love plants, how they change through the seasons and as they mature. The thrill of a radicle emerging in a new batch of bulb seed and the interplay of light and textures when looking at plant schemes, whether put together by luck or design. or discovering nature's wondrous assemblages. Biology, design and art combined. As an enthusiastic member of the New Zealand Alpine Garden Society, I especially love those little plants. I am addicted to trough and pot gardening, sand beds, creating hypertufa troughs and planting them with smaller woodland plants, colourful rock plants or our own alpine plants. Bulbs are especially wondrous coming up, asking little, and retreating to await their time again.

I have a huge garden with a native arboretum, rose garden, vegetable garden, rock garden, ponds and now a small nursery. Why a nursery? When Hokonui Alpines announced they were closing down, we felt the need to keep their rare plants circulating among New Zealand plant lovers. The plants will take time to bring to you, so most plants are still quite small, but then they are easier to introduce to troughs and rock gardens and a few smaller ones will be better value than one large one, often filling a space more quickly. So starting small is the plan. We will always be petite and specialised, as there is only one of me generating plants. What is more I am learning all the time myself. Some plants will be more expensive as they are slow and/or harder to propagate. I hope to include a few curated products designed or recommended by us.