13th August 2010
Multiple gold medal winner to return to Ellerslie International Flower Show
Ellerslie International Flower Show veteran Ben Hoyle was on the judging panel at this year’s Show – but he’s returning to exhibiting next year with a “purely indulgent” garden that he promises will be his most creative and daring yet.
Ben describes his latest creation, called Pure Indulgence, as “the fusion of all things sweet and horticultural treats…a magical journey in a truly dreamlike world”. He will exhibit in the Starlight Marquee in 2011.
“It is unconventional and it will be horticulturally challenging. This garden will also include a diverse and unique range of kinetic features and sculptures blended with audiovisual technology.
“I wanted to bring back the fun element of gardening and colourful plants. My design includes the use of plants that have cultivar names such as ‘cotton candy’ and ‘chocolate sauce’ so it’s all about indulgent, naughty foods. I think this garden will really appeal to a wide range of people, and especially kids,” he says.
The Wellington designer first exhibited at EIFS in 1998, where he won his first silver medal. Since then he has gone on to exhibit at Ellerslie a further six times, bringing his medal tally to seven, including three golds. In 2009, his gold-winning design also saw him win the Judges’ Supreme Award for landscape construction.
Last year, he joined the judging panel at the EIFS for the first time. “It was a great learning experience. Having a break from exhibiting means I’ve come back to it with even more enthusiasm,” he says.
Ben says exhibiting at the EIFS has boosted his profile and led to opportunities overseas. In 2008, he was selected to represent New Zealand at the Singapore Garden Festival. In October, he will again represent his country at the first Gardening World Cup, which will be held in Japan.
Ben says he loves returning to Ellerslie each year. “It’s really important to have a presence at home. If I was purely doing overseas shows, many New Zealanders would not know what I was doing. Ellerslie has helped me leap frog ahead in my career and I love exhibiting in Christchurch. Hagley Park is a fantastic venue – it’s a lovely established park and it’s so close to the CBD. And of course Christchurch is the Garden City, which makes exhibiting at the Show even more special.”
Photo caption: Ben Hoyle with his winning 2009 exhibition garden On the Dark Side of the Moon.
• Ellerslie International Flower Show is New Zealand’s premier week-long Garden Party in Christchurch’s North Hagley Park from 9 to 13 March 2011. 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
For further information contact:
Ellerslie International Flower Show Communications Advisor
Rachel Solotti
03 941 5220 or 027 236 9054
