Kristine Crabb shares the inspiration behind her green thumb
As head-turning as her clothing designs, Kristine Crabb’s garden features hibiscus, banana palms, bougainvillea and a giant bird of paradise given to her by a friend.
After closing her eponymous fashion brand known for its dreamy silk designs in 2019, Kristine Crabb is back from hiatus and opened the doors to a creative new venture Gloria.
During her time of rest and reflection, Kristine poured some of her talent and creativity into her garden, often thinking of her grandmother’s wild and beautiful property, which inspired the new freesia and lily of the valley-scented signature fragrance Gloria.
What prompted you to start gardening?
My dear friend Richard Orjis, an artist and art gardener has inspired me over the years. He’s done some amazing civic art gardens and his own garden is enchanting.
The idea of creating something beautiful with nature, Papatūānuku is special. I love the philosophy of intuitive learning as you go, too. Learning about the plants, what they like and what works is really cool.
Once you start, you find out there’s a community of green thumbs with so much curiosity and knowledge to share, which is so amazing. It’s a kind of bonding. I just wish I had taken up gardening in my twenties, but I guess I was too busy making clothes.
What have you had the most success with?
The tropical native garden has been the best. It’s completely popping and creating a lush privacy for our small central city house. There’s huge bird of paradise, native ferns and harakeke, mānuka and climbing ficus on the walls. My mum gave me a Vegepod and we’ve grown lots of herbs and salad varieties.
What do you enjoy growing and why do you like it?
I wanted to create a garden that is quite wild and takes care of itself, one that I can add to over the years. I wanted to honour the endemic species and aesthetic of Tāmaki Makaurau.
I was really inspired by the gardens in Samoa, which made me understand some of the amazing old gardens here in Auckland. It inspired my back garden. My mum always had a cool garden. It’s lovely how gardens can remind you of home, especially the scents and certain plants. She had lots of calla lilies and bougainvillea.
Has your garden inspired any of your fashion designs?
Yes. I never knew how creative and restorative it could be.
I have a rather European-style front courtyard, inspired by our Gloria Parfum, made by perfumer Curionoir. The perfume was inspired by my grandmother Gloria’s otherworldly garden.
Out the front of my house, I’ve tried to create a fragrant floral garden – a little inspired by French and Italian gardens. There’s citrus, peach, jasmine, gardenia (my favourite), lavender, camellia, freesia, lilies, gladioli, iris, hydrangea and bougainvillia… mostly plants that have been given to me by loved ones.
Is there anything you would do differently?
I put in some nice, hardy kikuya grass out front, which has had varied success (there’s a trampoline there). I’m wondering about making it into a wildflower meadow or turning it into a market garden and growing food – I’d love that.
It’s a real privilege to have a garden, everyone should be able to have one.
Text Michelle Joe, Photography Annamarie Ott
Related Articles:
- All your early winter gardening tasks
- 10 Gardening gifts for loved ones with a green thumb
- Pot luck: an easy guide to container planting
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
