About Us

After the devastating Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, a lot of homes were lost along with their gardens. What started out as an offer to Chris to take three Rhododendrons from a condemned home, before they were bulldozed, to an idea that he could rescue as many plants as he could from the red zone, Willow Springs was conceived. Chris bought a digger (Frank the digger) and he and his best mate Chris (BC) spent every weekend for the next 18 months rescuing mature plants from the Red Zone. 

 

The word spread and people would even drop notes in Chris’s letterbox asking if he’d like to rescue their plants. What became apparent, was that insurance could replace their homes but many people were broken hearted to see the gardens they had tended for decades being destroyed. After permission was granted by Cera, the governing body, Chris then had to find the owners of the properties and get their permission to save their plants.  The owners were more than happy to have their plants rescued and replanted at Willow Springs. So what started out as one small island of a couple of rescued plants, soon turned into seven. 

 

Chris has always had a passion for gardening and most nights, weekends and anytime in between when he isn’t running his own insurance company you will find Chris and Andrea in the garden. Willow Springs is a garden that keeps developing.