11 March 2009 Many Lincoln University links among Ellerslie International Flower Show exhibitors

Lincoln University Bachelor of Landscape Architecture student Tim Scott is a lucky man. Two years ago he travelled to Auckland to compete in the Ellerslie International Flower Show and won a Gold Award in the Tertiary Competition Category. Now, in 2009 the show has come to his home town, Christchurch. That means he had only the short distance from Lincoln University to the city to travel to create his garden for public viewing. Winning the Gold Award in 2007 qualified him take part this year.

Tim, who is now in the final year of his four-year BLA degree, won his award for the design of a bach garden of the future, which involved a colourful use of plants, water awareness, organic and biodiversity principles and recycling.

His futuristic bach garden looks at using abandoned industrial areas in the Christchurch suburb of Woolston. He saw recreational potential in these sites for reconstruction as weekend retreats for people living in gardenless high-rise apartments in the central city.

Titled “Silo-Tary Confinement, the Post-Industrial Bach of the Future”, Tim’s exhibit can be seen at Site EG18 in the Avon Gardens area and this year it has won him a Silver Award.

The design brief for entrants in the 2009 Tertiary Competition Category is a courtyard garden for a couple in their 50s who are downsizing to an inner-city townhouse, with the couple liking the idea of using  traditional landscape design materials in unique way. As in previous years with the Tertiary category, a number of Lincoln University’s landscape architecture students have entered. In 2007 Lincoln students won a total of nine awards.

In addition to Tim Scott’s exhibit, Lincoln University is represented at the Show through a display of the best work from the public exhibition last year of designs by 2008 BLA graduating class. Both this exhibit and Tim’s have students and staff in attendance from Lincoln University’s School of Landscape Architecture and the University’s student recruiting team.  Senior Lecturer Neil Challenger has been the co-ordinator, assisted by Warwick Hill.

Another Flower Show exhibit with a Lincoln University connection is the “bloke’s back garden” or “man cave”, designed and constructed by All Black halfback Andy Ellis, who is part way through a Landscape Architecture degree at Lincoln University but has taken time out to pursue his rugby career. For this creation, titled the “Crate Escape”, Andy teamed up with Lincoln University BLA (Hons) graduate Danny Kamo from John Marsh Landscape. The “Crate Escape” is inspired by Kiwi backyards in summer with their beer, barbecues and backyard cricket, and it has won a 2009 Silver Award for its creators.

Ellis who entered Lincoln University as a Sports Scholar, says he has always had an interest bin design and plants. He grew up in Christchurch where his grandparents had a couple of hectares growing asparagus and his parents’ tomatoes.

Kamo grew up in North Canterbury with a “massive veggie garden” tended by his father. 

The “Crate Escape” is at Site EG 11 in the Armagh Gardens area. 

Also exhibiting at the Ellerslie Show is Lincoln University BLA graduate Carl Pickens who founded the Christchurch-based “One Earth Matters” landscape architecture company. He has a philosophy of integrating contemporary landscape designs with organic growing and permaculture.

Carl’s garden exhibit, titled “Take Five” incorporates ideas such as water reduction by planting natives which need little moisture; using mulch to help with water retention in the soil; and adding compost to the soil, made from kitchen and garden waste, to return important nutrients. The garden also uses  sustainably grown and certified timber, native lawn which doesn’t require mowing and fruit and vegetable plantings to reduce food miles.

Carl’s exhibit is at Site No. EG 15 in the Avon Gardens area and it has won him a 2009 Gold Award.