Moore’s garden, called ‘Ocean’s Edge,’ earned a gold medal and Best Feature Garden recognition for her presentation at the prestigious Shenzhen Greater Bay Area Flower Show, one of Asia’s largest garden showcases.
The 160sq m design, assembled on-site in Shenzhen, featured hundreds of purple flax, lupins and succulents and included details created to look like an ‘oyster platter’, fish hook, kina and paua details.
“‘Ocean’s Edge’ is reminiscent of the New Zealand coastline and the bounty that comes from the sea,” explains Moore. “We have such a profound connection to the coast, and I think every New Zealander is touched by it in some way – walking along the beach, building sandcastles, fishing off the rocks, or going yachting, surfing or swimming.”
The ‘Ocean’s Edge’ garden by Jules Moore, featuring an ‘oyster platter. The garden also featured an accompanying soundtrack recorded using both traditional Māori and Chinese instruments, along with whale song and vocals by Jules and her son.
Collaborating with co-designer and daughter Alayna Bradbury and son James Moore, along with her colleague Ru Zhang who accompanied her to China, the creators brought to life the seaside scene that also features the legend of Maui – represented by a galvanised steel hook, paua slab steppers and some 2,500 plants surrounding a mammoth conch shell centrepiece.
“I chose a conch because of its spiral interior, symbolising the connection between the sea and the inner ear, and the way we listen to the ocean through a shell,” she says.
The design expert was one of just seven global masters selected to take part in the competition, which which sees attendance from hundreds of thousands of visitors over eleven-days.
Jules Moore’s garden earned a gold medal and Best Feature Garden recognition. Photo / Supplied
Moore owns JM Landscape Design and Touch of the Tropics Garden Centre in Auckland’s Whenuapai, and has has extensive experience designing show gardens for events and competition, including winning gold for a stunning ‘portal garden’ at Singapore Garden Festival in 2024.
She was invited to represent New Zealand at this year’s Shenzhen expo after submitting a portfolio of previous gold medal wins spanning her 45-year career.
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