Gardens & Projects
Waitikiri
We created a garden for a newly built Waitakiri home designed by Threefold Architecture. We used textural planting to enhance the strong architecture on the street side of the property, and utilised the contrasts of the lush leaves of Ligularia reniformis with the natural concrete block screen walls at the entry. Away from the street a sheltered courtyard contains a built in bbq and bench with a back yard that is set up for outdoor living featuring a long lawn and fort for the kids to play.
Edible Courtyard | Strowan
We created this garden for passionate owners who love to grow and use their own produce from the raised edible courtyard space which is full of fruit, berries and vegetables. This area of the garden had been planted in white Roses and low hedges that were damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. After the earthquakes, the owners had the opportunity to head in a new direction with edibles. The design needed to relate to the formality of the house, be visually pleasing from inside and also fulfil the need for edible and therapeutic planting. It was important that the garden had a strong structural layout which is why the main area includes three raised planters. These are surrounded by some lawn area as well as ground level perimeter planting that the owner has created to enclose the space from the neighbours. (Photos by Juliet Nicholas)
Hinau Street
The clients of this large Fendalton home had the opportunity to purchase some land from a neighbour which allowed them to increase their outdoor living spaces. A new steel framed pergola against the new boundary wall creates a focus to the end of the new garden, helps to screen the neighbouring property and provides an additional outdoor sitting space to capture the last of the afternoon sun. Two new low tiled walls draw the eye out into the garden as well as providing additional seating. Discreet lighting in the base of the walls and under specimen trees enliven the space at night. A raised planter and new plastered block walls create a welcoming morning courtyard space from the kitchen and provide privacy from the service courtyard.
Memorial Ave
The owners of this property are amazing gardeners and entertainers. The house and property was completely restored. The single garage sat at the back of the property taking up a lot of room in the driveway and was impractical. We converted this into an outdoor shed open on two sides for entertaining. The existing plants were replaced with trees and underplanting that gave layers and always something to pick for vases inside. The lawn was extended and defined with buxus and garden seats.
Balmoral Hill
Designed to make the most of the stunning hillside site with a view over the estuary, city and southern alps the garden was redesigned in conjunction with alterations to the existing house. A low, curving stone wall edges the patio and draws your eye out from the house toward the ever changing patterns of the estuary below. When entertaining large groups the wall doubles as extra seating and contains a background planting consisting of NZ natives and perennials echoing the curves of the tidal water beyond and moving in the wind. A second more intimate area to the east of the house off the kitchen is surrounded by high drystone walls and will contain an outdoor kitchen. A green roof will be established over a flat roof that is seen from the top of the first floor stairs.
Exhibition Gardens
MacRae Landscape Design Exhibition Garden
FIESTA at Grow Ōtautahi 2021
Winner of Gold Award and Mahinga Kai Award. An amazing team effort in collaboration with: Gill Landscapes (landscape construction), Terra Viva Home and Garden (supply of plants), Kitini (outdoor kitchen), and Green Giant Gardens (lovingly growing on, caring for and planting). Making the most of the Ōtautahi's temperate climate and our love of outdoor dining, FIESTA is about growing, gathering and cooking with good foods, friends and whānau. This bountiful garden combines traditional seasonal vegetables, herbs and spices along with companion plants, edible flowers and good pollinators. Using roots, flowers, leaves and fruit, our Fiesta garden has given us the opportunity to use all of the parts of the plants. We are thrilled to show that growing food can be so much more than lines of vegetables.
Williams Concept Plan
A newly built home designed for family living. The large garden on the street side of the property is contained by a 1m hedge against the footpath, making the front lawn a safe place for children to play. The long path to the front door is broken into large pavers and a specimen tree gives privacy from the street edge and is to be feature lit at night. Outdoor living takes place in two areas – a deck off the kitchen provides outdoor dining space with room for a bbq and built in seating. A step lower, the outdoor sitting area is shaded by a specimen tree and is accessible from the family room. This space leads onto a second lawn area and through to some raised vegetable beds, a garden shed, and a clothesline and bin space outside the back door.
