31 August 2011 Lincoln University graduates prominent among contributors to lavish new native plants book

 

Almost a dozen Lincoln University graduates are among the 20 top New Zealand landscape architects and designers contributing their expertise to a new native plants book from Lincoln University’s Professor of Nature Conservation, Prof. Ian Spellerberg, and environmental management graduate Michele Frey,  a recreation and planning consultant with Opus International Consultants Ltd in Napier.

The book, Native by Design: landscape design with New Zealand plants, will be launched in Christchurch on Thursday 1 September. Published by Canterbury University Press, the book is the second from the two authors and follows their popular Living with Natives: New Zealanders talk about their love of native plants, produced in 2008.

Professor Spellerberg, a Lincoln University staff member since 1994, is also Director of the campus-based Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation. Michele Frey, originally from Lincoln, Canterbury, graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Resource Studies degree in 2003 and a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Management in 2005.

Native by Design features personal narratives from the landscape architects and designers highlighting some of New Zealand’s most beautiful outdoor environments. The Lincoln University graduates contributing to the book are Philip Blakely, Erik Ellis, Mike Farrow, Danny Kamo, Matthew Lester, John Marsh, Paul Quinlan, Dennis Scott, Jo Sutherland, Alan Titchener, and Robert Watson, all of whom work in the landscape and design profession.

Together with the other contributors they share their vision and passion for working with native New Zealand plants and provide expert advice on the use of such plants.

Christchurch photographer and CPIT staff member John Maillard complements the text by lavishly illustrating the various locations mentioned by the contributors.

In a foreword, recently retired Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand says that Native by Design “beautifully extols the virtues of New Zealand’s native flora” with designs that “show New Zealand vegetation at its best and in a variety of settings, from commercial and industrial frontages to public and private parks and urban and rural gardens”.

Professor Spellerberg and Ms Frey say the aim of the book is to raise the profile of New Zealand’s native plants, as well as encourage people to make a place for native flora in their gardens. They believe it will offer inspiration not only to home gardeners but professional landscape architects and gardeners as well.

The book is the third in a series on New Zealand’s native plants published by Canterbury University Press which began with Going Native written by Professor Spellerberg and a Lincoln University botanist and colleague the late Dr David Given.

Native by Design has been published with the support of Resene Paints Limited, The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, Interface Carpets (NZ), Kiwi Flora Plant Nursery and Opus International Consultants Ltd. The launch is on Thursday 1 September between 5.30-7.00pm, at the Resene ColourShop Tower Junction, 8-9 Whiteleigh Avenue, Tower Junction, Christchurch. Royalties from sales of the book will go to New Zealand native plant projects