Our Projects
A collection of garden design, planting, garden care and botanical work from New Zealand and Japan.
Explore projects shaped by plants, place and the changing seasons.
Garden Design
Redcliffs Private Garden (NZ)
Constructed by K's Landscape Construction
After
A modern outdoor living space designed as an extension of the home, with screening to provide shelter from the easterly winds and create a comfortable place to relax.
Before
Rolleston Private Garden (NZ)
Constructed by K's Landscape Construction
After
A simple Japanese-inspired garden designed for viewing from the living area. A water basin forms the focal point, with sasanqua camellias and Japanese maple providing seasonal beauty throughout the year.
Before
Vicarage Garden, St Saviour's at Holy Trinity (NZ)
After
Designed and planted as a naturalistic garden using predominantly New Zealand grasses, complemented by perennials selected for seasonal interest and evolving colour themes throughout the year.
BeforeOtaki Herb Garden (Outdoor garden)
大多喜有用植物苑
After
A part of the landscape design team, I contributed to the design of this garden celebrating useful plants and their connection to everyday life. The planting is arranged around the seasons and 24 solar terms, creating a journey of seasonal change as visitors move through the garden. As a young garden, it will continue to develop and mature over time.
Under ConstructionWigram Styling for Home Sale
After
To prepare the property for sale, I suggested container planting to enhance its presentation, along with practical advice on which areas of the garden were worth improving, considering both impact and cost.
The property sold successfully, and I was very pleased to have played a small part in preparing the garden for its new chapter.
Before
FLOWER GARDEN, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse (Japan)
Entrance Garden (Japan)
Designed to resolve the site's level change with a simple and welcoming entry sequence. The planting was kept natural and restrained, creating a calm streetscape that complements the architecture.
Private garden (NZ)
Cafeteria Interior Planting (Japan)
Interior planting design for a cafeteria within a private learning centre. Large feature plants were carefully selected to complement the scale of the space and soften the interior environment.
Garden Care
Thoughtful care that helps gardens grow, change and develop beautifully over time.
How plants are cared for can make a real difference to the way a garden looks and feels. From roses, perennials and shrubs to seasonal container planting, I tailor each visit to the plants and the way you want your garden to look and grow.
This includes thoughtful pruning to keep plants healthy and in proportion, while considering seasonal growth, flowering and fruiting — so plants are pruned at the right time rather than simply cut back.
Our Projects
WORKSHOP
Sharing practical and creative ways to learn about and enjoy plants.
From beginner-friendly Kokedama workshops through KOU – Touch of Joy to more in-depth botanical workshops and demonstrations by Bright Side Garden, each experience offers a different way to explore plants, creativity and Japanese plant culture.
Creative Works
KUSA BONSAI
A Small Landscape in a Container
Kusabonsai is a Japanese way of expressing a small piece of nature through plants in a container. Traditionally connected with bonsai, it uses grasses, flowers, ferns and other seasonal plants to evoke a much larger landscape within a very small space.
Rather than focusing on a particular plant or following strict rules, Kusabonsai is about composition, space, seasonality, and the way we see nature.
My Kusa bonsai
I create Kusa bonsai as small, living landscapes — compositions that change with the seasons and reveal the individual character of each plant.
A tiny pot can suggest something much larger: a meadow, a woodland edge, a rocky landscape, or simply a fleeting moment in nature.
Living in New Zealand has also given me a new way to explore this Japanese approach, using plants and materials that respond to the landscape and climate here.
For me, Kusa bonsai is a way of bringing a small fragment of nature into everyday life.
