Native by Design: Landscape design with New Zealand plants

These personal narratives showcase some of our country’s most beautiful outdoor environments, from private gardens to public recreation land, urban and industrial spaces, even farmland.

Editors Ian Spellerberg and Michele Frey, and photographer John Maillard were the same team behind the 2008 publication Living with Natives: New Zealanders talk about their love of native plants.Once again, John’s stunning photographs capture the uniqueness and splendour of each location, from Kaeo in the Far North to Queenstown in the south.

Contributors include Dennis Scott, Alan Titchener, Xanthe White and many other landscape architects and garden designers who spend their lives transforming featureless blocks of land into welcoming spaces, evoking the special character of New Zealand. In this book they communicate their vision and passion, their experiences – good and bad, and the things they have learned the hard way. Let their experience help guide you in creating a native haven in your own back yard.

'Native by Design is a snapshot in time and cross-section of gardens and landscapes … with the text by the 20 designers … providing intelligent insight.' Peter Goodwin, Otago Daily Times

Ian Spellerberg is Emeritus Professor of Nature Conservation at Lincoln University. He is the Patron for the Te Ara Kakariki Greenway Canterbury Trust. That Trust has received several awards and has organised the planting of thousands of native trees across the Canterbury Plains. Lately he has been helping to manage native plantings in a local reserve.

Michele Frey is a Principal Environmental Consultant based in Napier and has a number of governance roles on organisations. She is involved in strategic planning, and has a particular interest in the parks, recreation and tourism industry. She works for a range of public and private organisations.

John Maillard is the programme leader of Photography and Multimedia at CPIT Christchurch. He has been a photographer in Africa, the US, New Zealand and Britain for over two decades. His specialisation in documenting landscapes and people has taken him on assignments around the world.