Rural, Rusty and Gorgeous

Maybe it a childhood spent rummaging around many a rust filled box of bric-a-brac that my farming grandfather hoarded "just in case he might need it"! or the sheer joy I used to experience whenever I spent the weekend on the farm with grandad (feeding out the hay from the back of the old ox-blood red tractor was a particular favourite chore - not) -  but I have a total love of rusted iron, aged timber and ancient rural buildings and infrastructure.  You can imagine then my delight at the new trend for cor-ten steel!  Can't help but adore the whole concept of something with a patina - in a landscape it somehow provides a comfy lived in feel - like an well worn dry-as-a-bone - the more its allowed to weather the better it all becomes.  Or maybe it is the delight in knowing, that at the edge of everything we do as humans are the sticky fingers of nature ready to gradually embrace our constructions over time and slowly and surely begin to take over?

Here are a few of my favourite images from from my travels throughout NZ that reflect this concept...

Ellerslie Flower Show Inspiration

I have just come back from two wonderful days of judging at the Ellerslie Flower Show in Christchurch.  The show this year was spectacular with a variety of very different  gardens and some wonderful planting palettes which ranged from whimsical and natural to bold and joyful.  Here are some of my show highlights which will inspire future planting choices...

A riotous mix of burnt orange and deep purples is a very vibrant but effective tapestry in the garden by LA's Fiona Greig and Jocelyn Mahoney.

A soft and feathery white effect using Gaura in a garden by Sandi MacRae.

Contrasts with the silver, yellow and white of plants and glass sculptural water features.

A simple yet bold pot display.

A deep red and purple planting scheme in Xanthe Whites garden adds drama to a soft palette of Omaru Stone and pumice.

With a water feature back-dropped by a green wall.

A bold and very innovative garden by Paul Roper-Gee - I particularly liked the mix of natives and weed species as a statement about NZ's blended landscapes and feral botanical legacy.

And last but not least - my personal favorite - a 'gone to seed' vegetable garden by Rachael Matthews.

With a inspirational use of old flax flowers for tepee poles in the vege patch.

Green on Green

A recent visit to Whirinaki forest has highlighted yet again the beauty of the New Zealand forest and the multitude of senses enlivened by the array of gorgeous green which is the predominant palette of our (and indeed any) forest environment.  I am reminded of a quote whose author escapes me at present, but it provides a wonderful description of how the green of the forest can be all -pervading and enveloping.

"The green of the forest becomes ingrained.  It seeps into your skin and saturates the retinas of your eyes... it is almost as if you become a part of the forest chlorophyll itself".

Whirinaki forest is a place i've been wanting to visit since I was a teenager, when the illustrious David Bellamy visited NZ and championed the cause to save the forest from logging.  I still remember the controversy at the time - economic livelihood and jobs vs intrinsic values.  I must say that I was not disappointed and the place was as awe-inspiring as I had always imaged.  I have to admit to being very pleased that I can still stand in the shadow of the tall Kahikatea giants and know that many generations after me will hopefully have the same sensory opportunities to explore.

I always find our NZ native forest plants to be a never-ending source of inspiration for design.  Epiphytes inspiring a green wall - as this link to my own green wall creation illustrates.  Or the natural tapestry of plant mixes inspiring a revegetation planting.  When in the forest I tune in to not only visual observation, but also with a sensitivity towards sounds, scents, textures and flavours, all of which combine to create the overall experience of sensory opulence.