Portfolio

The way in which this garden, within Auckland's inner suburbs, meets the street is one of the most important aspects of its design. It was important to us that the garden bears a lightness that complements the impressive architecture of the house. This is, in large part, achieved by the use of diverse native plantings on the main boundary, which contain a considerable number of threatened plant species.

Another notable feature of the design is the manner by which we adapted traditional elements of Auckland's older suburbs, including drystone walls (constructed of Port Waikato limestone) and a custom-designed post-and-wire fence. Within this portfolio profile, we also describe in detail a climbing frame that we commissioned for the vegetable garden, based on the form of frames that are traditionally utilised within old market gardens.

Some of the most interesting design challenges come out of grappling with small spaces. In the case of this project, we were required to increase the sense of separation from the street (which stands at very close proximity to the house), at the same time as providing improved access to existing gardens at the side of the house.

The most satisfying aspect of the job lay in finding a solution that provides a strong design response, whilst remaining sympathetic to the heritage of the villa that our new path adjoins.

Overlooking Hawkes Bay, this site provided very interesting context on the basis of the architecture (designed by Stevens Lawson Architects), the natural history of the area, and the pre-European Māori history of the hill on which the property stands. Partially due to its limestone geology and isolated position, Te Mata Peak has a distinctive flora, including a 'native daphne' and native mountain daisy that are only found on the peak. The area within which the property sits was historically occupied as a Māori pā.

This heritage is reflected in the paving patterns for the northwestern side of the garden; whose form we adapted from studying archaeological surveys of pre-European Māori settlements in the southern Hawkes Bay. A large border on the southeastern side of the house represents a progression in our interest in the idea of the integrated garden; in which natives are combined sensitively with exotics that provide seasonal interest and a wide range of flower colour and form.

This garden, set on a hill above Lake Tekapo presented an exciting opportunity - to plant a wide range of montane and alpine species in which we are interested, but that we do not often have the privilege of working with. The extreme climate of the Mackenzie Basin lends the surrounding landscape a distinctive character, which influenced the design of the garden to a large degree. The planting also reflects the nature of subalpine scrub from the Southern Alps, and includes significant species from various parts of the South Island. At certain times of year, this subdued native framework is interrupted by flashes of colour from exotic flowers, including daffodils, paeonies and ornamental onions.

Situated on the coast northeast of Auckland, this property lies in an area of great natural beauty. Local plant ecologies and geology informed the design for the garden (including the abstraction of the local cliff strata in the multi-layered concrete wall on the seafront side of the house). 

Noteworthy aspects of the garden include experimentation with a range of methods and finishes of concrete construction, extensive drystone walls and the rusted steel dog fence. The experience of one of the owners as a dry grasslands ecologist provided us with additional insight and inspiration into working with the 'dry' ecology types that characterise this part of the North Island coastline.

In 2006, Philip Smith of O2 Landscapes was a key member of the Silver-Gilt Medal award-winning New Zealand garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. The 100% Pure Tourism New Zealand Garden was positioned on the Main Avenue at the Show, and provided a very different experience from traditional Chelsea gardens. The overall design, of a moody Karekare landscape interjected by jagged abstract 'hard landscape' elements, was by Xanthe White; whilst Philip's role (as plantsman) was in providing ecological and aesthetic expertise in composing planting design, and in co-ordinating the selection, growing-on and export of plants for the Show. For this role, Philip worked closely with James Fraser, of Avant Gardener, who was the English-based plantsman for the team.

One of the owners of this house in a shady gully in Parnell, Auckland, had already developed a very good garden containing many interesting plant species present at that the point that we became involved. The structure of the garden consisted of a collection of species of Magnolia, Lonicera, Malus, Fagus and other traditional garden trees and shrubs. Many of these are more typical of southern gardens than in Auckland, where sub-tropicals and Mediterranean style plantings have dominated gardens for the last 15 years.

The owners of this beachfront property at Hot water Beach, on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, have always held an active interest in unusual and endangered native plants. They commissioned O2 Landscapes to design a garden based on a framework of rare and threatened coastal species, with interesting exotic species of a sub-tropical character for interest.

This small back yard previously contained a gently sloping lawn (running down to the steps) and regular garden beds, which followed the lines of the boundaries. The clients wanted to screen out certain views to neighbouring properties, and give the garden more volume (particularly with bolder-foliaged plants of the kind that are common in the north of New Zealand).

We are especially interested in the ancient craft of drystone walling. This is the construction of stone walls without mortar or concrete, in a manner by which the stones and their placement provide the integrity for the wall (in lieu of bonding). It is a feature of many of our early agrarian and urban landscapes, and as such represents a part of our cultural heritage. Drystone arrangements were also a feature of pre-European Māori gardening sites, and occasionally of pā sites. As well as being a significant part of our landscape heritage, drystone walls are just beautiful structures; perhaps on account of the natural logic that is established by compositions that fit together harmoniously, or due to the organic 'negative' detail established by the joints between the stones.

O2 Landscapes specialises in custom-designed wrought iron garden features. Wrought iron is a particularly interest material to work with, due to its malleability, strength and character.

Read more about the following commissions

• Holmes Clothesline >
• Geometric Climbing Frames >