Eric and Heidi Harper
When Heidi Harper was a child in South Africa her mother used to talk to trees, and told Heidi that there were fairies in the garden. These days the garden Heidi shares with her husband in Wellington is dotted with sculptures and creatures and many of them spring directly from the couple's own imaginations.
Heidi and Eric are masters at creating amazing things out of almost anything at hand. Their property includes a pergola carved into a steep section of Wellington hillside, strange tree creatures cut from old branches, and wind chimes made of scaffold tubing.
Many of these creations are the brainchild of Eric, a former fitter and turner turned house-husband. Eric's creations are proof of his belief that gardens should be places where people find constant surprises.
Heidi is also no slouch when it comes to creativity, having won her first art prize aged only three. Heidi's colourful paintings dot the walls both at home and at the office where she works as an ACC case manager.
Visitors are often surprised that the Harpers have done so much work on the property, considering they are only renting. But Heidi argues that it's not about whether you rent or own a home, it's about what you do with it. She echoes her husband's comment about the sense of pride gained from leaving something better than what you found it.
Heidi and Eric first met 16 years ago in South Africa when Eric wandered into the Capetown bar where Heidi worked. "Eric had long dreadlocks, he was a surfer dude," recalls Heidi of that first meeting. "The following Monday he came to work behind a red rose. Nine years later, when the Harpers moved to New Zealand, they were carrying two kids, 11 suitcases, and some big dreams."
Heidi's love of gardens and nature stems from her gypsy mother, who encouraged the family to discover the fantastic in their immediate surroundings. "She would hug trees, and wake us up because the fairies were sick and we needed to paint the toad stalls. She was bigger than life itself."
Eric, who grew up in Timaru, was also encouraged to appreciate nature. "I remember as a kid my Dad saying look, there's a bit of garden, go and do what you like. I learnt from watching him."
Heidi is looking forward to the challenges of creating a garden from nothing: "I sometimes say 'honey, we're gonna have 48 hours to do a project. You can't dawdle for three hours on something'. But that's why we're good together. I'm here to keep him in line. I've got complete faith in Eric's visual sense, because he's proven to me so often that there's going to be a beautiful end-product."
The Harpers hope to make use of New Zealand natives in their garden, and also to incorporate some of their own artwork amongst the greenery.
