They’re crazy about conifers and they’ve got the garden to prove it

Conifer gurus David and Noeline Sampson have run one of the country’s premier specialist nurseries, Cedar Lodge in Paraite, Taranaki for decades.

When they sold Cedar Lodge, the Sampsons “retired” to the back section of the farm where they built a house and at the time had no intention of creating a garden.

“We didn’t have a garden. But there was this long drive and a lake. Suffice it to say that our intentions without planting went out the door,” says David.

Now the highway – where the first plantations went only 16 years ago – is a tribute to all things coniferous.

David claims that he has now stopped creating new areas of the garden. However, as we head back uphill, he points to a flat paddock at the back. “I’d like to grow a maze here,” he says with a twinkle of rebellion in his eye.

After the highway, came the slope behind the house. Looking over the raised rear deck, the four-year-old native garden below belies its young age. In that short time, what was a cow paddock was transformed into a thriving native garden.

“I had the idea that it would be nice to look after the trees. So I fenced it off and now a garden festival favorite, the robot mower, keeps it under control. It works brilliantly. So I have the time and energy to extend the planting of the forest along the slopes of the mountain and focus on other parts of the garden.

Throughout the garden, there are strategically located places. In one, our view is directed through a rusty circular cornice to the heritage station that David has painstakingly restored. “It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.”

When David had Cedar Grove, they didn’t have a plant that wasn’t a conifer, but now he likes to have some fun in the garden trying new things, including natives. “It’s a learning curve since I didn’t know much about natives. The focus is on a garden of natives and smaller cultivars, and it will develop over the next few years.”

David is not one to rush things, as his life working with conifers has taught him that good things take time. “You can develop a new garden in one go – but where’s the fun in that,” he says. “I like to watch the development over time. For me, a garden is never finished and it is a joy to be a part of something that changes forever.

Near the house is a nursery area for young trees that are being nurtured ready for the next big job – replacing the dying trees along the front entrance. David is still doing some propagating – he admits he can’t stop.

He points to a cultivar of rime for the soil: “Sir Russell Matthews [the horticulturist who developed Tūpare] considered to be the smallest conifer in the world.”

We then pass through a hill planted only in tōtara. “I used a nurse crop of cabbage trees and other native shrubs. The nurse crop was there to mimic the forest environment so that the tōtara would stretch up to the light and give rise to dramatic columnar sentinels in this grove. I’m now in the process of getting rid of all the nursing stuff.”

Out in the open they are a completely different tree, he explains. “It’s all about going back to nature’s way of doing things. If you have a problem with growing things, go back to nature and adjust your management. We have a lot of hard days in Taranaki, but it’s magnificent when you walk through the tōtara, since it is sheltered and shaded in the hot sun. I will never see these trees mature, but I don’t care. It is the joy of growing a tree and watching it develop over time that is the best “.

A developing garden area has a long mowed path that runs along the slope, with groves of young seedlings rhythmically located on either side. A wow moment with a forest of monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana), planted in 2008, illustrates this. “I grow my trees in groves because they are an elegant and bold way to display their forms.”

The nearby forest supports a beautiful Japanese cedar Cryptomeria japonica ‘Egmont’. It’s a pet subject for David. “I’ve been trying for years to generate interest in these trees for forestry and finally people are noticing,” he says.

David developed this clone himself, selecting about 30 years ago a beautiful form that resists the wind and grows from cuttings. “My problem now is that I can’t find enough people to propagate it.”

Noeline has a special talent for developing new cultivars. A cultivar of kamahi (Weinmannia racemosa) that developed was spotted on a branch of a young tree and took cuttings. Three years later, she introduced David. It is a stunning specimen with a spectacular red color in January.

This attention to detail is a key trait of the Sampson couple and has led to their conifer cultivars being sought after around the globe. “It’s such a thrill to see our plants growing in other countries – it’s really our legacy.”

With David hitting his 88th birthday before Christmas, he exemplifies the characteristics of his beloved conifers – tough as old boots, resilient, adaptable and frankly, amazing. His passionate appeal to embrace this oft-maligned plant family is infectious.

It’s really time to take a closer and more enlightened look at conifers. Its graceful forms, pleasant fragrance, impressive bark, contrasting leaf colors and textures combine to elevate its utility in the garden beyond mere cover.

As David says: “They range from the Arctic to the tropics on every continent. In New Zealand, we have the opportunity to grow almost the full range of these plants, and most of them grow really well. We are unique in this respect”.