If you've ever strolled along Mt Eden Road, chances are you've spotted Max Scoble lovingly tending to his patch.

Just metres from one of Auckland's busiest thoroughfares, the intrepid gardener has carved out a veritable oasis of vegetation on a vacant lot wedged between two commercial blocks.

If it weren't for this wee slice of heaven, the shy retiree admits he might be pushing up daisies by now.

Instead, Mr Scoble, 80, remains very much above ground, coaxing an array of flowers, vegetables and fruit out of the volcanic soil with a single-minded dedication that's as impressive as the paradise he's created.

Born in Taumarunui, he has spent most of his life alone, working 20 years for a concrete pipe manufacturer and another 20 on the Auckland wharves, before retiring.

That's when his passion for growing things really kicked in.

"I met a guy on the wharf who told me a lot about gardening," Mr Scoble recalls. "I didn't know a bloody thing, but he told me a few things and I just picked it up.

"Things just seem to grow for me."

The land adjacent to his suburban flat was overrun with privet, but with the owner's permission, he began clearing the shrubs and converting the site into a workable space.

"It was just all overgrown, but no job is too hard if you're interested."

That was 18 years ago - these days, he patrols his domain daily, watering, planting, trimming and pulling weeds.

This week, Mr Scoble invited RadioLIVE gardening host Tony Murrell to tour his turf and our man jumped at the chance.

Afterwards, Mr Murrell gave it a big green thumbs-up.

"This is a garden I've known about for almost 20 years, and I've watched it evolve and seen it through the different seasons as well," he says. "At this time of the year, in November, it's extraordinary.