SHAPES AND SIZES

Mark works in a range of styles to suit the client,

architecture and broader landscape context

The Devil in the Detail

This Wellington south coast project used heavy duty macrocarpa to provide a robust design language and materiality that stands up to its environment.

The darkened exposed aggregate concrete provides a low cost paving surface which is broken up with the dynamic lines of inlaid treated pine to ensure a durability.

Close-up view of a corner of a deck, showing wooden planks fastened with screws, adjacent to a textured asphalt or concrete surface with wooden borders.
Close-up photo of tiled flooring with white and black tiles, the white tiles are smooth and the black tile has a pebble-like textured surface.
A wooden cross-shaped structure on a paved surface, possibly part of a construction or outdoor furniture.

I love working closely with the contractor to make the most of every detail, finish, texture and colour.

Two construction workers are working on a wooden structure by the ocean on a coastal hillside. One worker is wearing a high-visibility yellow vest and the other is wearing a hoodie. There are black toolboxes on the wooden structure, and the background features the sea with waves and a partly cloudy sky.

Low Maintenance at scale

‘In 25 years of practice, no-one has ever asked me for a HIGH maintenance garden.’

A young child riding a balance bike on a grassy field near a body of water with mountains in the background.

In this garden, I suggested concentrating maintenance-heavy elements like garden beds and vege gardens near the house. Everywhere else we used mown and unmown lawn and specimen trees to provide useable areas and to articulate space and lead the eye out to the view.

A scenic landscape featuring a grassy pathway leading toward distant hills and cliffs along the coastline under a cloudy sky.
A modern wooden house with a large glass door, situated on a grassy landscape overlooking the ocean and a cloudy sky.

Consistency

A terrace with table and benches, surrounded by green grass, bushes, and a timber fence. On the right side, there is a modern house with large windows and a balcony overlooking the yard. The sky is cloudy with some distant mountains visible.

On hilly urban terrain, space is the ultimate luxury. A little bit of lawn adds so much to the feel of a family garden.

View of a scenic outdoor patio area with a wooden table and chairs, a lawn, a concrete patio surface, and a timber fence, overlooking lush green hills and distant mountains.

Simplicity

Most of my clients don’t want to spend all weekend maintaining their garden, just a pleasant outlook with minimal effort.

For this exposed hilltop garden, we kept the planting minimal and relied on the hard landscape (paths, fencing etc) to provide the visual interest. We used simple, robust materials like poured concrete paving to ensure it stayed neat and tidy long-term.

Monochromatic bright green planting provides a fresh, calm and green contrast to the hard landscape.

A garden design with a concrete patio and a native planting bed bordered by timber fence, containing a lush green bush and grass with white flowers, overlooking a hilly, green landscape in the background.
Detail photo of different types of landscaping. A lush lawn bordered by concrete paving and a strip of small gray gravel, while the right side displays densely grown green plants, a different strip of gray gravel, and larger concrete paving.

Renovation and Renewal

A modern outdoor space featuring a wooden fence, concrete stairs, and a lush green hedge. There is a white railing on the stairs leading to a small garden area with grass.
An outdoor fire with timber rfetaining wall behind. Above the fireplace, there is a garden with neatly trimmed formal planting, with greenery in the background. Small animal figurines are placed to the right of the fireplace.

Carefully considered materials and details provide a contemporary response to a heritage house renovation.

A lush garden with green shrubs, plants, and a small round table with chairs, overlooking neighboring houses and a cityscape in the background.

Finding a balance between order and nature.

Soft, natural native planting design with white flowers and a small timber outdoor furniture.
Modern outdoor fireplace with a white concrete retaining walls and decorative stone statues on a lush green hedge background.

Heritage house renovation

A garden with dense green shrubs and a wooden fence in the background. There are two stone garden ornaments, one taller and one shorter, partially visible among the plants, illuminated by sunlight.

This heritage listed home required careful consideration to ensure the new garden matched the character of the renovated home.

White fence with three green bushes in front, in an outdoor space with neighboring buildings, one under construction, and a clear sky.

A new basement level under the house and most of the garden meant much of the planting had to be in raised planters.

A house exterior with beige horizontal siding, a white-framed window, and a black round outdoor light fixture. In front, there is a large rectangular planter with green herbs and plants, set on a tiled porch.

As much as possible of the existing garden was retained and adapted to the new spaces.

Two weathered stone statues of figures or icons nestled among dense green shrubbery, with the larger statue in the foreground and a smaller one behind it.
A modern outdoor patio area with a round glass table and black metal chairs, a built-in fireplace with a white exterior, lush green shrubs and trees, a closed brown patio umbrella, and a white fence enclosing the space.
Backyard garden with white wooden fencing, raised plant beds, potted plants, two stone sculptures, small tree, some bushes, and a white house with windows and a deck in the background.

Identifying and reflecting the unique character of every site

WITH YOU AT EVERY STEP

WITH YOU AT EVERY STEP

Photographs by Andy Spain and Mark Newdick in association with Local.