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There’s an interesting current debate being played out in the media, exploring the merits of exotic versus native plantings. It’s a multi-faceted, ongoing discussion with political, ecological and historical undertones. Putting aside the ideology and looking from a garden design perspective, its still an interesting concept to consider. Typically I’ve found in my practise, that a client requesting a native or exotic garden is simply stating their individual preference for the ‘look’ created by the specific plant selection. I’ve also noticed clients will request a native garden with the idea t ..read more

Part of the enjoyment of working in the residential sphere of Landscape Architecture in Canterbury is the opportunity to work at a range of scales, with an equally wide range of clients. Projects can range from a spacious lifestyle block in Ohoka to a pocket sized urban courtyard in a high density central city residential housing development. An effective landscape plan will see the same principles and design process applied, regardless of the size of the land parcel in question. The design elements incorporated at both ends of the scale can often be similar, but utilised to reflect the diffe ..read more

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A key part of any design process is to get a full understanding of the requirements of the client or the end user, and this certainly applies to landscape design. One of the key questions I ask garden design clients when I’m putting together a design brief is if they prefer straight or curved lines in the proposed layout. While some clients are open to either, some will have strong views against one or the other. In observing landscape and garden design of the last few years, it seems that straight lines have been the order of the day. This could be a response to a number of factors. Firstly ..read more

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The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show stands out as the ‘must see’ southern hemisphere landscape event, and over the years famous Australian designers have ‘wowed’ the crowds with cutting edge, high budget, show-stopping displays. The recent 2017 show was no exception, with an impressive line up of showpiece gardens, and over 100 000 punters delighting in what they saw.With Melbourne and Christchurch sharing a love of all things gardening, and a somewhat comparable climate, its worth looking at the key design trends of the show to see what we can import and apply to our Canterbur ..read more

On recent trip to the local refuse centre I was struck by the amount of ‘greenwaste’ being dumped by an almost continuous stream of car and trailers - all loaded to the hilt with a mixed selection of flax, pittosporum and other woody trimmings. I couldn’t help but see this a whole lot of trees and shrubs that 10, 20 or even 30 years ago were planted in the wrong place. It does seem a pity to be removing plant material that could have had many more years of life, if its initial planting and selection had a bit more thought. A successful planting would be defined by many as one that over time c ..read more

Over summer you may have visited a friends house and admired the landscape design of their property. Chances are that a large part of what you were appreciating was a well-conceived and put together garden design. Garden design is at its simplest a planting plan of the selected plant material for a space where a garden is to be formed. At its best it’s an art form blending horticulture, ecology and psychology that can create an amazing range of responses from those lucky enough to experience it. For many embarking on a garden design project it can be a bit overwhelming. The range of plant cho ..read more

Good landscape design is always a considered response to the requirements of a design brief, the physical environment and the contextual setting in which a development is taking place. When designing in Canterbury there are some specific factors that need to be allowed for to create landscapes that are great spaces for people to be in and that are visually cohesive, distinctive and successful. A factor that can’t be ignored in Canterbury is to design with regular hard winter frosts in mind. This will primarily have a distinct impact on garden design. Plant selections in Canterbury require spe ..read more