 He hardly altered the existing vice-regal garden, although he did remove 160 trees and shrubs which he considered to be insignificant, including a beautiful cypress hedge on the north-west side of the house.He furiously underplanted all that remained with camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and oleanders and set out to create his "show garden" with rose beds and huge displays of dahlias - 500 varieties in every conceivable colour, shape and size 'new types being raised from the gardener's own seed'.In 1958, he extended the garden from 3.5 to 7 acres to allow for his dream, "a place for contemplation and the getting of wisdom".