Design and Garden Landscapes Ltd staff (from left) Grant
Wassell, Paul Gillies, Andrew Rae and Wayne Butson, at the
award-winning Hotere Garden Oputae in Port Chalmers. Photo
by Gregor Richardson.
The Hotere Garden Oputae, sitting high on Observation Pt,
Port Chalmers, first brought reconciliation between artists and
Port Otago, and has now landed the landscape construction
company which designed it a national award.
The award was one of seven collected by Dunedin landscape
design company Design and Garden Landscapes Ltd for three
separate gardens at the Landscape Industries Association of
New Zealand awards in Auckland last week.
The Port Chalmers garden won the premier award for the best
use of New Zealand native plants, a gold award for landscape
horticulture and a silver award for landscape design.
A contemporary residential garden at a property in Fairfield
collected two merit awards, and a garden on a small steep
residential property in St Clair two silver awards.
Company owner Wayne Butson said the 800sq m Hotere Garden
Oputae had taken about two months to complete in 2005 and
included the installation of four sculptures by Hotere, Chris
Booth, Shona Rapira-Davies and Russell Moses.
Mr Butson said because the site had formerly been a quarter
acre section with house and garden, much work was required to
transform it.
A panel of four judges said the Hotere garden epitomised the
"wild New Zealand landscape" and the use of many smaller
native grasses was inspired.
"This garden set the pulses racing and was a clear winner in
this section," the judges' citation said.
Mr Butson said the plants were chosen to suit the coastal
environment but also to keep the garden simple, to allow full
appreciation of the views.
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