About Us
About Graeme
Graeme is from a well known horticultural family in the Waikato; his father John Burton set the scene back in the 1970/1980's for being the leading plant retailer in the Waikato. Burtons was a household name in gardening, and at one stage had 3 retail plant outlets in Hamilton.
Graeme has been actively involved in the nursery industry for 35 years, most of it managing one of New Zealand's largest plant wholesale nurseries, and this gave him a thorough grounding about what makes plants perform and what situation suits them best. His creative flair for putting different plant combinations and creative landscape ideas together have him being well respected amongst his landscape clients.
About the Homestead
Rukuhia Homestead is blessed to be surrounded by some of the oldest and most beautiful trees in the Waikato. Many of the trees are 120-150 years old including Camellias, Copper beech, Planes, Oaks, Rhododendrons, evergreen Magnolias and evergreen Oaks. These trees have given Graeme the back bone to create a variety of themed gardens spread over 2.5 acres. The various styles of gardens that Graeme has created include English Garden, Tropical Garden for a windy exposed site, Mediterranean, Balinese, Beach/Coastal Garden, Formal Potager, Shade Garden, Tropical Garden in a sheltered site, dry windy site, New Zealand Native Garden for an exposed site and a French Romantic Garden.
Graeme and his wife Val have recently completed the themed gardens project to a stage where they are now ready to be used as a Show garden for Graeme's landscape clients to view and get ideas / concepts for their own garden.
Testimonials
Dear Graeme
I would like to thank you for your great knowledge and skill in helping to prepare a garden that I am delighted to maintain and proud to show guests. Without your help and expertise I dread to think what I could have ended up with, or more to the point what would have survived the climate here in Rotorua.
We began with a clean slate and you were terrific at suggesting a wide range of options and with low maintenance being a definite pre-requisite for this non-gardener you certainly hit the nail on the head with my native garden. I really appreciated the fact that you were so honest and easy to talk to as not everyone knows all the fancy names for plants. Your enthusiasm for gardening is infectious, heaven forbid I am even considering putting in another garden now as I receive so many nice comments! I wish I could take all of the credit, but of course I will be calling on your services again to ensure I get it right.
I would not hesitate in recommending you to any prospective customer, so feel free to put them in touch with me and thanks again for all your help.
Yours faithfully
Helen Van Beek (Rotorua)
Love it, love it, love it, it looks fantastic! These were my words in a text to Graeme after I finished planting my latest garden and could see the ‘vision' that Graeme had created.
Graeme listened to what I wanted, to the ideas I had, he studied the websites I gave him, he talked to people for other ideas, he bought the plants to show me, leaving some with me to ‘look at and feel' allowing me time to see how they fitted with my garden, in creating "My Japanese Garden" - a wish I had from my years of living in Japan.
I have worked with Graeme over the last three years developing a number of different gardens and each time I have been thrilled with the process and the final result.
In listening to my ideas, and plant favourites, Graeme uses his extensive plant knowledge to suggest other plants which will work well with ‘my favourites,' to create something infinitely better than I could ever create. Graeme knows which plants work and where they will work, he spaces them well giving them room to grow and blend creating great gardens for the years to come.
Graeme's style enables the gardener who is keen to learn, the ability to feel included in the garden creation, leaving me with a true feeling of ‘it's a team effort and it's MY garden'. I look forward to the next project!
Vicki Dewdney
Matangi,Hamilton
Dear Graeme,
This is to let you know that we say another big thank you for all the new plants delivered this season. I must say that the plants look healthy and ready for planting in the places that you recommended.
For the last three years that we have been getting our plants from you our garden has been transformed into a good looking place. Remember when you first showed us how to keep our trees free from weeds and grass, they were struggling to grow, the same trees have just grown so fast and have been an attraction to all our visitors, thanks for all the encouragement you have given us, we can now reap the benefits.
I would also like to thank you for the knowledgeable advice that you have given us and for the reasonable prices of the plants, I certainly do not hesitate to recommend you to my friends and family and my colleagues at work'
Thank you once again, keep up the good service.
Karen and Robert
Whatawhata, Hamilton
Hi Graeme
Thanks again for another job well done. The Landscaping looked great and the property sold right away. The new buyer has asked for your details, as she would like to expand on what you have already started. We love your plant choice and artistic ability, so are very appreciative of what you do, and realise how important your role has become to our success. We understand it must be difficult to achieve what you do, on the limited budget we give you.
Kind regards
Gordon and Marilyn Finlay
Inspired Properties Ltd
Hi Graeme,
I have been meaning to do this for ages...I would like to thank you very much for all of your time,advice,inspiration, patience and passion for my garden you have given over the last 12months. Mike and I have enjoyed very much you working us through the steps to achieve what we are now enjoying...our completed beautiful garden! You made it so easy for us and listened to what we wanted etc and our end result is even better than what we expected! You have wonderful ideas and vision Graeme and took all the hard work of garden planning away and saved us a lot of money! Its now winter and my garden looks fabulous! IIt will just grow even more beautiful every season. I will recommend you to everyone, as you know I all ready have! Thank you so much once again Graeme and please come and have a cuppa or wine with us in our garden some day soon!
Kind Regards
Suzie Rutz
Hamilton
We were in the process of establishing a new garden from scratch and while we had an idea of what we wanted the garden to consist of, didn’t really have much idea on how to achieve it. Graeme was able to interpret our ideas and with his extensive knowledge of plants was able to deliver 3 distinct gardens for our small site from a lush tropical garden to a low maintenance border and a colourful cottage garden. In the space of 3 years we now have an established garden with the cottage garden allowing me enough scope to fulfil my addiction to visiting garden centres and buying different plants that take my fancy! Graeme knows what will work and what won’t in various locations and was even able to incorporate a South African cabbage tree (my husband’s homeland) among the pungas and palms in the tropical garden. Graeme has always been willing to answer questions and share his knowledge with us and I would have no hesitation in working with him again. Thanks for all your help and advice.
Catherine & Vaughan Wetton
Hamilton
