Gates open on NZ's premier garden show
05 Mar 2009
The Southern Hemisphere’s largest garden show, the 2009 Ellerslie International Flower Show, opens its gates next week (11.03.09) at a new home in the South Island city of Christchurch.
Ellerslie Flower Show began life in Auckland 14 years ago, but the concept was bought by Christchurch in 2007 to further enhance its ‘garden city’ image.
The new look show will reflect its now southern location with a ‘Taste of the South’ feature and inclusion of southern flora peculiar to the region.
World class show
Ellerslie managing director Dave Mee says the plan is to develop the event into one of the top five garden shows in the world.
"Importantly, Ellerslie has preserved and boosted its international status with a multi-award winning feature garden from Singapore as one of the key attractions, four international judges from Britain, Japan and Australia, and one of the world’s top Ikebana artists on site each day demonstrating the Japanese art of flower arranging," he said.
Ellerslie is well recognised as a prestigious event on the international calendar of flower shows and evident, Mr Mee says, by the large contingent of international media, horticultural experts and visitors who will be in Christchurch for the event.
Fresh thinking
Ellerslie 2009 will be held at Christchurch’s North Hagley Park and features more than 250 exhibits and 30 garden displays with an emphasis on creative design and fresh ideas.
Key features include:
- Multi-award winning Singapore Garden Festival garden Seeking Shangri-La by leading Asian designer Peter Cheok. A fantasy garden with a serious environmental message.
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens’ exhibition garden depicting the city’s natural landscape as it was before European settlement - a natural wetland with a contemporary urban twist.
- I See Red - 10 square metres of red flowering plants, an original Phil Price sculpture and many textural elements combining the talents of Christchurch architect Sir Miles Warren with a nurseryman, head gardener and garden designer.
- Starlight Marquee where West meets East in a visually arresting and challenging display of garden design and lighting.
- Ellerslie’s Crate Escape - the ultimate bloke’s garden promoting backyard cricket, beers and barbecues, and designed by All Black halfback Andy Ellis and his mate Danny Kamo from John Marsh Landscape Architects.
- Sustainability gardens tackling climate change weather extremes with clever ideas for water recycling, water-wise planting, low energy gardens and soil restoration.
- Fashion shows of controversial 'Wearable Weeds’ by internationally renowned Christchurch costume and fabric artist Jenny Gillies.
- Lectures on British garden trends and judging by top British garden designer Andrew Fisher Tomlin who selects gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show.
- Guided visits to Canterbury’s award-winning and nationally significant gardens.
The Ellerslie International Garden Show runs from 11 - 15 March.
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