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NEWSLETTER Laurenson Landscape Design produces a quarterly email newsletter. This includes topical opinions and comments, landscaping and garden design special offers, planting suggestions, places and gardens to visit around New Zealand, upcoming events and design tips for your garden. Subscribe to our free newsletter Your personal information will not be sold, given away or shared with anyone else. View the latest newsletter To see earlier articles on the following subjects, please click the links below: · Garden visits · Garden design overseas · Sculpture · Plant of the month · Helpful hints · My garden transformation · Our landscaping projects · My favourite places · Book recommendations · Sustainable garden design · Landscape Contractors · Heart of Beach Haven project Auckland city from Little Shoal Bay Accredited member (Landscape Design) of The Landscape Industries Association of New Zealand (Landscaping New Zealand)			NEWS FROM LAURENSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN AUCKLAND LANDSCAPE GARDEN DESIGNERS October 2011 WYNYARD QUARTER What a wonderful spring we have had with the Rugby World Cup events. I haven't followed rugby for years, but have been following The World Cup avidly. What a great result for New Zealand! Auckland is buzzing with activity which is great to see. I love the new Wynyard Quarter on the waterfront - a great place to take the family. Playground in the Wynyard Quarter May 2011 HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE AUCKLAND PLAN The Auckland Council is keen to get feedback on the Auckland Plan discussion document and the key themes that are being considered. The Auckland Plan will be a bold 30-year vision and strategy for Auckland underpinned by the Mayor's vision of making it the world's most liveable city. You have until 4pm on the 31st May to give feedback. Online feedback can be made at www.theaucklandplan.govt.nz. February 2011 VISIT TO LIVING EARTH FACILITY Late last year the Landscape Industries Association Auckland branch was given a tour of Living Earth's production yard on Puketutu Island in the Manukau Harbour. Here, they process 45,000 tonnes of green waste each day! This waste comes from your garden bag collections, and from green waste delivered to the city's recycling stations. The waste is mounded into large windrows, and turned every 2 or 3 days, taking 90-120 days to break down into beautiful, fertile compost. The windrows reach a temperature of 55°C after 3 days. At this temperature, no seeds will survive. The piles are watered when necessary, as they will spontaneously combust if the temperature exceeds 85°C! Windrows of green waste at Living Earth Steam rising from the hot compost as it is turned Once the composting process has been completed, the compost is mixed with other mediums to make up Living Earth's range of garden products.  Living Earth's tips for making great compost: · Aim for an even mix of green (fresh) and brown (dead leaves, twigs) waste · Turn pile regularly November 2010 CHANGES IN THE GARDEN One of the delightful things about a garden is that it is forever changing, from season to season, from year to year, and from the effects of the climate and environment. This can, however, represent a challenge to both the designer and the garden owner, as a garden design, more than any other design work, represents but a moment in time. Most designers allow for the mature size of plants in their designs. Garden owners will often fill the gaps with other plants while waiting for the garden to mature. Plants will not always grow as expected, and may be damaged by storm or disease. And, of course, plants will keep growing, especially here in Auckland, so that the garden might quickly become overgrown. Sometimes, when an instant garden is required (and expense is no object!), the garden is already mature when it is completed. These gardens will become overgrown very quickly. Ian Henderson, programme leader of the Diploma of Landscape Design at UNITEC, is exploring how changes in the garden should be managed from a design perspective. Without input from the designer on a regular basis, the garden design can quickly lose its integrity. Should we as designers be offering an annual design check or 'warrant of fitness' to our clients, an opportunity to report on how changes in the garden should be managed? There are some very good garden managers working on the up-keep of gardens, but they do not always understand the design intention in the way that the designer does. I would be interested in your feedback on this issue. ON THE HOME FRONT My daughter got married on October 16^th. She looked lovely on a fabulous sunny day, and is thoroughly enjoying married life. With the bride and groom on their wedding day She and her husband are renting a small flat just beyond the city limits.
P: 09 483 5621 M: 021 480 562 E: robyn@LLDesign.co.nz © Copyright Laurenson Landscape Design 2011