November 18 2005 

Xanthe White’s Kiwi Garden at this year’s Ellerslie Flower Show has delighted crowds and wowed garden lovers from around the world with its creativity, imaginative planting and clever cultural interpretations.

 ‘The Kiwi Garden – from Cultivation to Inspiration’, situated in the Pacific Retail Finance Feature Marquee, is characterised by a series of ten progressive garden spaces that trace the history of garden style through New Zealand’s development as a nation.

The garden has received praise from New Zealand visitors and beyond, including Bob Sweet, Chelsea Flower Show General Manager; Koji Ninomiya, Chief Director of The World Garden Competition in Shizuoka, Japan; Ruth Clausen, International Judge and Michael Jones, Convenor of Judges.

Experienced Show Judge Ruth Clausen, from the United States, says Xanthe’s garden requires real thought from those walking through.

“The way it traces New Zealand history is really clever. It is beautifully designed, well thought out and very unusual.

Xanthe is an extremely talented young designer and New Zealanders should be very proud of her. She will be a wonderful ambassador for New Zealand designers at Chelsea.”

Convenor of Judges, Michael Jones, says Xanthe’s design in the Pacific Retail Finance Marquee ranks highly internationally.

“This is a feature marquee at Ellerslie and it has lived up to its name by providing an amazing feature at the Show. It’s a showpiece for New Zealand, New Zealand design and the extraordinarily talented New Zealanders who have made it happen. 

It has a much greater variety of contrast than its predecessors. It is a subtle of mix of styles, allowing you to witness various stages of New Zealand gardening culture.” 

Whilst Xanthe’s Marquee was not part of the formal judging, the international judges agreed it to be of gold medal standard, not just within New Zealand but ranking highly with the best of the best, including the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show.

Designer Xanthe White says the garden represents New Zealanders relationship with the landscape and how it has changed and developed over time.

“The ten different spaces in the garden represent how we have changed as a nation and our path to cultural identity – how we became Kiwi’s,” she says.

The ten garden spaces include the following:

• Bush Garden: Xanthe says this garden represents New Zealanders first relationship with the landscape and the stories we tell about the land.

• Burnt Landscape: This space reflects the first ‘cultivation’ of the land and the premise of erasing the existing to make a unique landscape.

• Miniature Landscape: This garden represents Maori culture as it was before the Europeans arrived in New Zealand.

• Edible Garden: A space that represents the early history of New Zealand gardening, this garden features traditional Maori crops such as the cabbage tree, along with native celery, spinach and mint.

• Formal Garden: This space reflects a time New Zealanders looked to the homeland for what was right. “This garden is about using plants creatively for their form and beauty,” says Xanthe.

• Flower Garden: Springing from the romanticism of the homeland, this garden also represents a time when people began to adopt gardening as a leisure activity.

• Kiwiana Garden: This garden celebrates the Kiwi can-do attitude and a time when New Zealand first started to relate to a distinctive identity.

• Sub Tropical / Art Garden: Xanthe says the naturalistic informal style of this garden reflects the cultural environment Kiwi’s grew up in. The garden features a mix of subtropicals and natives and work from favourite Show artists.

• Maze: This modernist maze is collection of vibrantly coloured walls and rooms with architectural arrangements of plants enclosed in garden rooms viewed through windows.

• Final courtyard: The last garden aims to get people to think more creatively and bring some colour and vibrancy back into their gardens, says Horticultural Designer Philip Smith. “New Zealanders have great flexibility with their gardens so it’s about expressing yourself and enjoying yourself.”

The Ellerslie Flower Show 2005 is Like Never Before, with innovation, inspiration and floral delights. The Show blooms from 16–20 November at Auckland Botanic Gardens. Tickets can be purchased at any Ticketek outlet, by contacting 09 307 5000 (or your local Ticketek number), via the website www.ticketek.co.nz or at the gate.