Design and Garden Landscapes Ltd managing director Wayne Butson still cannot quite believe his company has just won 15 awards at the recent New Zealand Horizon International Ltd Landscapes of Distinction Awards.
The awards were won for their work on the Kunac garden on the Taieri, the Helm garden in Andersons Bay, and the Barker garden in Macandrew Bay.
The Kunac garden (owned by Scott and Desiree Kunac) won seven awards, including three gold medals and the 2010 Supreme Horizon International Ltd Landscape of the Year award.
The Helm and Barker gardens also won several medals and awards for best in category.
Mr Butson was humble about the awards, saying he was "just the chief spade technician".
"These gardens have been put together by a team of very professional tradesmen. This is a result of their work.
"We've picked up awards since 2002, but this year we've managed to get the Landscape of the Year award, which was the one we were really after.
"I'm absolutely stoked."
Mr Butson credited the Kunacs for their garden's success in the competition.
"The clients have helped us to create a truly remarkable garden by allowing us to be creative without any restraints."
The judges were impressed with the workmanship in the garden which combined gabion baskets, timber, concrete and rocks in a way which made the materials morph into each other.
"A stunning design entirely appropriate to its southern setting."
Mrs Kunac agreed, saying it was the perfect Kiwi garden.
"It's great for barbecues. My only stipulations were that it had to be easy care, but also have an X-factor. The native plants make it homely, but it's also robust enough to withstand kids, footballs and dogs."
Pukerau Nurseries, near Gore, also collected two medals in the large project category - a bronze for landscape design and a silver for landscape horticulture - for its work on Arne Cleland's garden.
