Gardening Don’ts

1913

Truby King Collection SB 453 CF22 1913

London: Bickers & Son

In 1921, the Kings moved to Wellington where Truby took up the position of Director of Child Welfare for New Zealand. While waiting for their ‘Mount Melrose’ house to be built (at 21 Manchester Terrace), they lived in Tinakori Road. The ten-acre ‘Melrose’ plot was a windy site so both Truby and his daughter Mary planted trees as windbreaks. In 1924, they finally moved into the house. Little concerned with costs, King spent thousands of pounds developing the gardens, roads, brick walls and tennis court on the property. He designed the gardens himself and never seemed to write anything down. Perhaps he was heeding this piece of advice in Marion Chappell’s Gardening Don’ts.