The 100% Pure New Zealand Garden - Silver Gilt

Silver gilt garden by Xanthe White. This garden aims to illustrate the unique culture and landscape of New Zealand. The design will represent contemporary New Zealand and the relationship between design and the natural environment.

Garden description

The design is inspired by the west coast of Auckland and it reflects the close relationship with the city and the wild natural coastline. It follows the movement of water from hilltop to the horizon through rivers, waterfalls, lakes and natural streams. The planting follows the transition from hilltop to the shore, and is naturalistic in nature. It embraces the edges of the architectural elements and softens the harsh angles.

Xanthe White's design features a black sand beach fringed with a native rainforest, reminiscent of the Waitakere Ranges, where she spent her childhood summers picnicking on the beach, braving the waves, exploring the dunes and walking through the bush.

One of the key plants in this garden is kauri (Agathis australis). The majestic kauri tree is the only member of this coniferous genus that is endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 60m (200ft) tall with an impressive trunk girth of up to 16m (53.5ft). These ancient trees can live for up to 2,000 years and New Zealand's largest kauri, Tane Mahuta in Northland, is appropriately named after the Maori god of the forest.

Other key plants include kowharawhara (Astelia banksii), which grows up to 2m (6.5ft) tall with silver-green, strappy leaves and pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) which is New Zealand's most iconic flowering tree. Gnarled specimens of pohutukawa cling to the cliffs around the north of the North Island, casting a canopy of welcome shade over many of New Zealand's most picturesque beaches. Mature trees erupt in a blaze of crimson bottlebrush-like flowers each December, hence their common name: the New Zealand Christmas tree.