Teviot Gardens in Roxburgh to get a make over

Teviot Gardens on the corner of Kelso and Scotland streets in Roxburgh, is about to get some love.

From the week of 20 June, the Central Otago District Council will be removing old shrubs from the front of the reserve to open-up the visibility into the site, with the aim of making the space more obvious that it is a park, and so increase the use.

The Council’s parks and recreation team believe that the plants to be removed are past their best – misshapen and woody, and the garden now lacks the colour and variety it was originally designed for.

Site access will involve taking out some of the street front fence panels so there may be some inconvenience for a very short time for footpath users.

The finished job will see the site left bare until the spring when a decision will be made about replanting it as a garden or perhaps establishing it as lawn.

The three rowan trees, the sculpture, the seats and some of the smaller plants around them, and the litter bin, will be protected and retained.

In addition, the street side timber fence on Kelso Street will be cut down to the height of the other fencing to improve visibility into the back of the park. The fences between residential neighbours and the park will stay as they are.

Some tree maintenance work will also be completed if budget allows, with the potential for some of the larger trees that are showing decline to be either pruned or cut down. If that can’t be achieved in this visit, it is work that will be programmed for later in 2022.