More Flowers, more colour and plenty of inspiration for visitors to next month's Show

After last year’s Show was cancelled because of the February 22 earthquake, the 2012 Show promises to brighten the city’s landscape for five days from 7 to 11 March.

Residents will be wowed by gardens by young Royal Horticultural Society award-winning designer Tom Harfleet from London, Australian designers Rick Eckersley, Scott Leung and Myles Broad with their gold award-winning The Last Australian Garden from the 2010 Singapore Garden Festival and four future inner city Christchurch gardens by Ellerslie gold award winners and top New Zealand designers, Aucklanders Xanthe White and Tim Feather, Wellington’s Ben Hoyle and the Canterbury Horticultural Society.

There will be more than 40 gardens on display, in what will be one of the best shows to be seen in Christchurch, says Mayor Bob Parker.

“The selection of exhibition gardens is absolutely outstanding this year. There is everything from a courtyard garden which project engineer for the Upper Waitaki Hydroelectric power scheme Max Smith would have had at his home and a beautiful rose garden featuring the latest varietal releases to a contemporary design of the traditional glasshouse and a wonderful project aimed at getting young families to start growing their own vegie patch.”

Mr Parker says Christchurch will battle Napier, Auckland, Rotorua and Ashburton in the Zealandia National Flower Bed Competition where there will be two-metre high floral geysers and bubbling mud pools, art deco facades, Rangitoto Island and Auckland’s waterfront, salmon anglers on Canterbury’s best fishing rivers and a sunbathing penguin floating on an island.

“Dramatic and colourful, these gardens are guaranteed to stir up plenty of parochial rivalry between the cities and towns.”

Christchurch designer Dan Rutherford returns to create his third and most ambitious garden in the Christchurch International Airport Starlight Marquee working with international lighting expert Andrew Frazer who has created the lighting displays for many major theme parks throughout the world. Dan has won gold at the last two shows for his garden designs and stunning lighting displays.

Mr Parker says there is so much happening at this year’s Show and plenty of ideas for everyone to be inspired to get back into their garden.

 

Ticket refunds

Tickets for the 2011 cancelled flower show are not valid to use for the 2012 show. You need to apply for a refund, please click the link below to find out how.
How do I apply for a refund

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Ellerslie 2012 Highlights

The gold award-winning garden, The Last Australian Garden, at the Singapore Garden Festival by Australian designers Rick Eckersley, Scott Leung and Myles Broad from Eckersley Garden Architecture. See more

Ellerslie’s first conceptual garden by talented multi-award winning young British designer Tom Harfleet. See more

Gardens by four of New Zealand’s top designers and previous gold medal winners at Ellerslie – Aucklanders Xanthe White and Tim Feather, Wellington’s Ben Hoyle and the Canterbury Horticultural Society – whose challenge has been to design an inner city garden for future Christchurch. See more

The third and most ambitious garden in the Christchurch International Airport Starlight Marquee by multi-award winning Christchurch designer Dan Rutherford, working with international lighting expert Andrew Frazer who has created the lighting for major theme parks throughout the world. See more

The hotly contested Solid Energy Emerging Designers category with 10 young designers from Wellington, Wairarapa and Christchurch competing for the title of EIFS Student Designer of the Year. See more

The ever popular Floral Art Marquee with its Passion for Fashion themed displays and Young Florist of the Year competition. See more

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