Jules Moore's award-winning garden display, Ocean's Edge, used 2500 plants.
New Zealand landscape designer Jules Moore has again achieved international recognition.
Moore has been designing gardens and installations for more than 45 years and owns JM Landscapes and Touch of the Tropics Garden Centre in Auckland’s Whenuapai.
She has just returned from China after winning gold and Best Feature Garden at the Shenzhen Greater Bay Area Flower Show, which attracts more than 2 million visitors.
Moore was invited to represent New Zealand after submitting a portfolio of previous gold medal wins spanning her career, and was one of only seven global masters selected.
Her design, “Ocean Edge”, features kina made from bamboo and beads, a platter of oysters crafted from plaster and chicken wire, and a huge conch shell and bamboo centrepiece.
“I chose the conch because of its spiral interior, symbolising the connection between the sea and the inner ear, and the way we listen to the ocean through a shell,” she said.
“It is reminiscent of New Zealand’s coastline and the bounty that comes from the sea.
“We have such a profound connection to the coast, and I think every New Zealander is touched by it in some way, whether it is walking along the beach, building sandcastles, fishing off the rocks or going surfing, swimming, kayaking or yachting.”
A week before Christmas, Moore was notified she had been chosen as one of the seven designers.
In January, she made a quick trip to China to implement parts of the design to be made before her arrival and check out the trees she was also going to include in her design.
Five days before she arrived in China, construction had begun on her 160sq m design.
Once Moore arrived with her colleague Ru Zhang, she had 15 days to complete her design – the pressure was on.
She knew her challenge was to bring to life a seaside scene featuring the legend of Māui, represented by a galvanised steel hook, pāua slab steppers and some 2500 plants that would surround the shell.
Her first and biggest hurdle was getting the galvanised Māui hook through customs before it could be welded onsite by Chinese tradesmen.
Unfortunately, a truck with a loader crane that had been organised to lift the basic shell into place had not arrived.
On top of that, because of the language barrier and interpretation, the shell that had been manufactured before Moore’s arrival was larger than the measurements she had supplied and was not the shape she had envisioned.
Not to be deterred, a good bit of Kiwi ingenuity and brute strength – along with some bamboo poles – helped reshape the shell and move it into place.
Then it was on to visiting nurseries for plant selection, such as purple flax, lupins and succulents.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the 30 women from local provinces who came and assisted with planting and helping in general,” Moore said.
“They were beautiful souls.”
New Zealand’s waves are represented using an elaborate curved pipe and water system, as well as recycled blue glass and tiny white pebbles.
When it came to designing the kina, they were lacking the wow factor.
So, a quick trip to a local haberdashery store and buying nearly all of its decorated bead stock solved the problem.
Threaded on to wire, the beads were the perfect finish to the woven kina.
The oyster platter also caused a challenge with Moore having to get her fingers deep in plaster, twisting and reshaping chicken wire until the plate of oysters was perfect.
It was then hand-painted and adorned with pearls.
“Oysters are both a cornerstone of New Zealand’s coastal identity and a prized delicacy in Chinese cuisine,” Moore said.
“The platter pays tribute to the closeness of our two countries, particularly around our trade ties.”
For the slab steppers, Grouse Signage and Design printed pāua-looking pieces from vinyl, which were laid with resin poured on top. The effect was better than Moore had thought possible.
Moore faced long days, including one that ran to 17 hours, searing heat, fluctuating stress levels and the challenge of language barriers.
Despite this, she said that if she were lucky enough to be asked to submit a design again, she’d be there in a heartbeat.
The finished design is instantly recognisable as a New Zealand one.
The panel of judges from across China was particularly impressed by the garden’s soundtrack, recorded with traditional Māori and Chinese instruments, as well as whale song and vocals by Moore and her son James.
Moore also acknowledged the work of her daughter, Alayna Bradbury, who co-designed the project, undertaking much of the rendering work.
“I loved the people, especially my 30 ladies that assisted, I loved the challenge, and I loved the finished project,” Moore said.
“Kiwis are particularly passionate about their environment – we might leave our footprints on the sand, but we also leave our fingerprints in nature.”
And as for the finished design, it will be deconstructed and reappear in another park for more visitors to appreciate.