City serenity

[This story first appeared in the Feb-Mar15 issue of Green Ideas magazine.]

When Susan and Steve Hirst saw that the house next door was up for sale, they decided the opportunity was too good to be missed. The home in Grey Lynn, Auckland, was blessed with an unusually large block of land – almost 3000sq m sloping gently to the sunny north – and an ageing orchard of assorted fruit trees. Buying it would give the Hirsts a rare chance to create a garden retreat in the heart of the city; it would also protect the historic homestead from the very real possibility of subdivision. The couple made an offer – it was accepted – and the family moved in during 2010, dog, chickens and all.

Gardening with nature

The house is a well-known local landmark thanks to its unusual concrete construction. Built around 1887, the stately old home is one of four concrete villas built by the Warnock family above their soap and candle factory down the hill.
Despite the grandeur of the place the surrounding land had seen little work. With just a sloping lawn and ancient orchard, the large section presented a virtual blank canvas, so Susan and Steve immediately set about creating a slice of countryside in the city. Five years later they are now able to step back and literally enjoy the fruits of their labours; the rescued 100-year-old plum trees are now bursting with fruit thanks to pollinators drawn to the overgrown bee meadow that surrounds them. Rustic flower beds give a countryside feel that balances the formality of the home. Extensive edible gardens drop in terraces down the slope next to a long chicken run for Steve’s ‘girls’; and a chlorine-free natural swimming pool provides a home for native reeds, darting dragonflies and even fish.

What is a natural pool?

One of the most striking additions to the property, the pool offers a surprising mix of clean, inviting swimming water with lily-dotted shallows where goldfish cruise.Abraham Brenner of Pool Environments, who completed the pool’s design, explains the delicate balance that lets you take a dip without the need for chlorine clinging to your skin. One system of pumps mechanically filters the water for clarity, while another takes water from the pool’s edge and into a 14,000 litre reservoir below ground. An ozone treatment then kills any potential nasties such as giardia, before a UV light breaks the ozone into harmless O2. From there the water is pushed back up through layers of rock and gravel for a final filtration before it meets the roots of plants, including water lilies, irises and native reeds, which extract enough of the nutrients in the water to discourage algal growth.As Abraham puts it, maintaining the delicate balance between water clarity and plant life in a natural pool takes thought and care – “if you want a sparkling blue pool, just build a sparkling blue pool”, he quips – but for Susan and Steve, the pleasure of the environment they’ve created has been worth the effort.