A quiet treasure on Ferry Road, the Edmonds Factory Garden was commissioned by Thomas Edmonds — the manufacturer behind New Zealand's famous 'Sure to rise' baking powder — around his new factory, built in 1923. The garden and factory went on to feature on the cover of the best-selling Edmonds Cookery Book, and the garden has been a horticultural delight for generations of Christchurch visitors and residents.
Laid out in formal geometric beds, lawns and plantings of annuals, the garden won many awards in civic beautifying competitions and was maintained by full-time gardeners until the late 1980s. When the factory building was demolished and the property subdivided, the City Council acquired a major portion of the original garden in 1991, later adding a rose garden and an oval garden, along with newer enclosed areas of a more natural style featuring evergreen shrubs and dwarf conifers.
Today the Council-managed garden is supported by the Friends of the Edmonds Factory Garden, a dedicated volunteer group that cares for the rose and scented gardens. Visitors will find public toilets and plenty of garden seating, a dedicated car park behind the gardens, and Edmonds Park next door with large playing fields and a children's playground. Dogs are welcome on leads, and three bookable lawns — Bluebird, Back and Front — make the gardens a popular site for outdoor weddings and photography.
Behind a long driveway on Ferry Road in Christchurch sits one of the city's most storied green spaces: the Edmonds Factory Garden. It was commissioned by Thomas Edmonds — the manufacturer behind New Zealand's famous 'Sure to rise' baking powder — to surround his new factory, built in 1923. A century on, the garden remains a horticultural delight for generations of visitors and residents, and its place in the country's heart is secure: the garden and factory famously featured on the cover of the best-selling Edmonds Cookery Book, the volume that taught generations of New Zealanders to bake.
Today the garden is managed by Christchurch City Council and championed by a devoted volunteer group, the Friends of the Edmonds Factory Garden. It pairs its formal heritage character with quieter, more natural corners, and it remains free and open for everyone to enjoy.
The original garden was laid out in the formal style of its day: geometric beds, manicured lawns and bold plantings of annuals, all kept to an exacting standard. The 'Sure to rise' brand made Edmonds a household name, and the garden helped make the Ferry Road factory a landmark in its own right. It earned honours beyond the factory gate too, winning many awards in civic beautifying competitions. Until the late 1980s, a succession of gardeners was employed full-time to maintain and develop the formal beds, lawns and annual displays — a level of care that explains why the garden's bones remain so handsome today.
When the factory building was eventually demolished and the property subdivided, the City Council stepped in, acquiring a major portion of the original garden in 1991. Since then, a rose garden and an oval garden have been added. More recently, new enclosed areas of a more natural style have been developed with an emphasis on low maintenance, featuring permanent plantings of evergreen shrubs and dwarf conifers. The result is a garden that honours its 1920s geometry while offering gentler, more sheltered spaces to wander.
The heritage core is still the star: formal geometric beds and lawns near where the factory once stood, now joined by the rose and oval gardens and a scented garden tended by the Friends. Public toilets and plenty of garden seating make it easy to linger. Behind the gardens, Edmonds Park adds large playing fields and a children's playground, so a slow stroll among the beds pairs naturally with family time on the grass. Dogs are welcome but must be leashed at all times — a rule that protects the heritage plantings that make this place special.
The gardens are a popular site for outdoor weddings and photography. Three spaces can be booked for weddings and events: the Bluebird Lawn, which holds 100 people; the Back Lawn, the largest at 150; and the Front Lawn for gatherings of up to 30. Availability, photography permissions and terms and conditions are all arranged through the Council.
Much of the garden's polish comes from its community. The Friends of the Edmonds Factory Garden weed, prune and run working bees, and look after both the rose and scented gardens. New helpers are welcome to get in touch and join in.
Enter from 357 Ferry Road in Waltham, or from Edmonds Park off Ryan Street. A dedicated car park sits at the back of the Gardens — take the long driveway off Ferry Road — and up-to-date bus information is available through Metroinfo. Whether you come for the roses, for wedding photographs on the lawns, or out of nostalgia for the cookbook that lives in New Zealand's kitchens, the Edmonds Factory Garden is a small gem with a big story — one that, like its founder's famous slogan, is still sure to rise.