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14 December, 2006 
 Groundwork
 Thanks for your support this year
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Greetings!

Welcome to the final issue of Groundwork for 2006.

It’s been a great year for landscape design and outdoor living. More and more New Zealanders are discovering the joys of transforming their outdoor areas into personalized living spaces where they can feel truly relaxed, inspired and invigorated, and a steadily increasing number of Kiwis are using landscapedesign.co.nz to find the ideas and innovations they need for their projects.

Most of us are looking forward to gathering around a pinus radiata with piles of pressies beneath. But why a tree? There are several theories. One is that Martin Luther (c1500) was so taken by the beauty of an evergreen tree covered in snow that he took a fir tree indoors to share with his children. Others say Celtic druids and Norse pagans revered evergreen trees because they did not lose their leaves in winter. They decorated the trees with symbols of prosperity and charms for love and fertility. So the legacy for New Zealanders lives on with a pine tree, hay fever tablets, a bucket of water and the odd brick. But trying to make sense of the symbolism of the Barbie doll, Playstation, socks and undies, bottles of Lindauer, chocolate almonds, and simmering family tension can be as complicated and frustrating as your last Telecom bill.

 Hey, that's my design!
 Intellectual property issues in landscape design

copyrightsymbol Recently I received a letter from a very irate and frustrated landscape designer who feels that another designer plagiarised (‘ripped off’ in layman’s terms) one of his design features and used it in an exhibition garden at the Ellerslie Flower Show. I know exactly where he’s coming from, and in this industry there seems to be a very murky grey area when it comes to distinguishing between inspiration and plagiarism. It’s certainly a lot less strict than in other creative fields, such as architecture, art, literature, and music, where intellectual property is protected fiercely.

Should there be better protection for intellectual property in landscape design? Or is it better to leave it ‘free and easy’ and let people copy each other? After all, it would be pretty annoying if you couldn’t copy someone’s ideas for your garden - most gardeners get ideas from driving around town and seeing what other people have done with their gardens.

I encourage you to read the letter in our discussion forum and make up your own mind.

We’re really interested to get your feedback. Do you have an opinion?

Read the letter here 


 Summer lighting in your garden
 

garden lights Christmas is almost upon us and, with the social calendar starting to look cluttered, it’s an opportune time to install some festive lighting in your garden so you and your guests can make the most of these balmy summer evenings. My advice for garden lighting is very simple: keep it subtle.

There’s plenty you can do yourself without needing to enlist the help of an electrician or spend lots of money. One of my favourite lighting methods is candlelight. Citronella candles kill two birds with one stone (almost literally). Citronella candles help to keep biting insects at bay so you can enjoy your social occasion in peace. Of course, you need to take precautions when fire is involved, e.g. keep a bucket of water handy.

Find out more about garden lighting 


 Design Ideas and Advice
 Introducing Sandra Batley’s column

Sandra - Flourish You might remember from a few issues ago that we introduced our next-door neighbour at the Ellerslie Flower Show, landscape designer Sandra Batley. Sandra had a successful time at Ellerslie this year – she presented 4 gardens and came away with 2 gold awards and a bronze, taking her overall Ellerslie tally to one Supreme Design Award, 4 golds, and a bronze.

We’re pleased to announce that Sandra will now be contributing a regular column to landscapedesign.co.nz. Her first article is on the site this week and we’re sure you’ll enjoy reading her ideas and tips. Feel free to use our discussion forum to ask Sandra questions or add comments of your own.

Read Sandra's column here 


 Send us your video clips
 

The hottest Internet news story this year has been the phenomenal growth of YouTube, the free site where anyone can upload their home movies for public viewing. A few of the businesses listed on landscapedesign.co.nz are starting to use YouTube to add video clips to their listings. Here’s a short video from Rocform, a company that makes rock walls for water features and pools.

Video is catching on really quickly through sites like YouTube and we’re looking forward to putting more videos on the site in the New Year. If you’re a budding Tony Murrell or Peter Jackson, and you’ve got video clips you would like to share, simply visit YouTube and submit your clips. And then tell us about them!

Visit YouTube now 


 Website news
 New email link added

We've been steadily improving the site throughout the year and we're about to add the last new feature for 2006: a new, improved email link.

If you need to send an email to one of the companies listed in our directory, you can now simply click on the ‘email us’ link in their listing and a form will appear into which you can type your message.

 


 New paving design
 

Pacific sands paver It’s amazing what good-quality paving stones can do for your outdoor areas. Living Stone Pavers based in Taupo produces some outstanding designs and the company launched a new product line at the Auckland Homeshow in September - a paving stone design called Pacific Sands.
As its name suggests, this design looks like ripples in the sand at the beach. This photo shows a recently completed driveway in Auckland using Pacific Sands as a driveway flagstone. Alternatively, you can use it as a patio paver. The surface has been removed showing a beautiful natural aggregate exposed in the surface. The design is registered (design registration number 408012).

More information 


Well that's a wrap on 2006. Have a great Christmas, make the most of your holidays, and enjoy the great New Zealand summer (if it ever arrives!). We'll be back in the New Year with more landscaping and outdoor living know-how.

Sincerely,


Tim Durrant
landscapedesign.co.nz ltd

phone: 06-8771799
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