Northland student named Student Designer of the Year

Northland student Katie Hilford has been named Ellerslie International Flower Show Student Designer of the Year presented by Yates.

Katie, a student at NorthTec, won the inaugural title with her small courtyard garden (pictured above) for a townhouse using sustainable home and garden practices. Her design maximised the small space with a focus on culinary sustainability and re-use of the natural environment.

Lead Judge Penny Cliffin said two Gold medals were awarded in the competition, one to Katie and the second to Pete Hodge from Christchurch’s CPIT.

“Both gardens displayed a high level of innovative and creativity, with extremely good three-dimensional thinking, great use of materials and the creation of a fun children’s environments.”

She said Katie was named Student Designer of the Year presented by Yates because of her “risk taking and level of innovation”.

“Katie pushed the boundaries; we have not seen a garden like it – multi-level and interactive with great use of new technology.”

The Convenor of Judges Robert Hillier said the two Gold award-winning gardens were outstanding. “The use of space was brilliant; the overall design of Katie’s The Labyrinth was super.”

Katie’s garden emphasises the ability to create functional and intimate spaces which are closely linked but also separated to allow areas for entertaining, fruit and vegetable growing, relaxing and most importantly an area for children’s play. An adobe pizza oven, fruit and vegetable garden and won farm/compost are all part of the design which rises three levels.

Pete Hodge from CPIT’s garden provides a space that can be manipulated to create a variety of interactive environments to entertain, educate and inspire imaginative interaction.

The raised platform becomes a fortress rampart, upper level of Barbie’s mansion or puppet theatre; the deck becomes an outside kitchen, a stage for evening family charades, a shaded seating area or a pirate’s ship; the slatted screen can be the palace walls, a surface on which to screen outdoor movies or an art gallery; and the storage space to tidy away toys and garden tools can be a dungeon or grocery store.


Awards:

Gold Katie Hilford, Northtec
Pete Hodge, CPIT

Merit H’lana Gilmore, Weltec
Louise Hamilton, Lincoln University

Ellerslie International Flower Show is New Zealand’s premier week-long Garden Party in Christchurch’s North Hagley Park from 10 to 14 March 2010. The Show celebrates Christchurch’s Garden City heritage and the best of national and international garden design. Check out the website for further information www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz