Every garden in this year’s Auckland Garden Showcase tells its own story. Created by some of Auckland’s leading landscape designers, each display offers a unique vision for outdoor living – from peaceful retreats and family-friendly spaces to contemporary entertaining areas, lush planting and clever solutions for gardens of every size.
No two gardens are the same, so take your time exploring each one. Browse the gardens below to discover the inspiration behind every design, meet the designers, and explore the products and ideas that bring each garden to life.
Bartleet Landscape Studio
A garden zone built around water, at a scale that suits smaller sections. Two raised decks connect via timber boardwalks to a central pool and a curved corten-edged raised garden, with a second raised pool platform tucked alongside.
Native planting does the heavy lifting throughout — pōhutukawa, nīkau, and native tree ferns in varying heights sit among mass-planted native grasses, with pebble and screen elements framing the space and creating a few quiet viewpoints along the way.
Val Puxty Landscape Design
Jill Rice - Get Outside Ltd
A garden about connection. Woven fabric panels represent the different cultures that make up Aotearoa, opening into a sheltered “whare” space at its heart. A boulder representing a “mauri stone” trickles water into a rill and pond. Kids dig in the sand pit, crawl through the ponga tunnel, and mix potions at the carved slab table, taking them back to nature. An orchard and vege patch ring the outside — a nod to the joy every culture finds in growing their own kai
Nick Robinson Landscape Architecture
A garden built around stillness. At its heart sits a circular reflecting pool, ringed by raised natural stepping stones and timber boardwalks that spiral you in toward the water.
Flowering kōwhai specimens anchor the corners, with low native and spring-flowering planting mounded gently between the paths — a calm, contemplative counterpoint to the busier zones of the Showcase.
Tori Arundel
A compact, beautifully considered space that proves size isn’t everything. Every element earns its place, with layered planting and thoughtful detailing packed into a smaller footprint.
A great example of what’s possible in a modest backyard — inspiration for anyone working with a tighter section.
Mel Robinson
‘Reflection Garden’ – threads of all the connections that Mel has made over her career. In landscape architecture ‘genius locii’ refers to what is already there and what has gone before, and in her 20th year of design, this central courtyard garden reflects on the one hand, the structure, curation and organisation delivered in her studio practice.
Completing the ‘reflection’ circle – whispers of the stories of her extensive travels and time spent living throughout Asia, the Pacific and South America and how this has shaped the way she sees the world and the traditions and relationships that are formed in our landscapes.
Parrot Landscaping
A contemporary celebration of Aotearoa’s natural landscape, designed to invite visitors to slow down and take in their surroundings. Timber decking creates a winding central pathway, framed by layered native planting, silver ferns and native trees.
Wavy timber gateways, integrated lighting and a striking ponga vertical garden create a sense of discovery, while a built-in timber bench offers a quiet place to pause and reflect.
Parrot Landscaping
A romantic take on the classic English garden, reimagined with New Zealand native and climate-adapted planting. A circular layout creates a structured yet soft garden filled with pastel roses, lavender, salvias, gauras and ornamental grasses.
A white pergola marks the entrance, while curved garden beds, crazy paving and white iron seating create an inviting space for quiet contemplation.
Parrot Landscaping
A calm and considered garden inspired by Asian landscapes, where water, foliage and natural materials work together to create a sense of balance. A central water feature forms the focal point, surrounded by stone, ferns and layered greenery.
Black pots filled with bamboo, Japanese maples, topiary, native trees and silver fern create a natural privacy screen, while river stone pathways and timber seating encourage visitors to slow down and enjoy the space.
Parrot Landscaping
A bold and energetic garden inspired by the rugged landscapes of South Africa and the vegetation of Aotearoa. Layered planting, large rocks and a mix of palms, flax, grasses and agaves create a natural, rustic setting filled with texture and colour.
At the heart of the garden, a central fire pit creates a warm gathering point. Red, orange and yellow flowers add energy, while river stone, timber elements and sculptural planting complete the relaxed outdoor setting.
Mitre 10
Showcasing the best in outdoor living design, this contemporary garden combines premium landscaping with practical products and materials to create a space made for entertaining, relaxing and everyday enjoyment.
Featuring stylish decking, privacy solutions, feature planting and versatile outdoor zones, it’s a showcase of ideas homeowners can take home and recreate in their own backyard.
North Shore-based, with over 20 years of combined experience. Parrot is the team bringing the entire Garden Showcase to life this year — turning ordinary backyards into thoughtfully planned, built-to-last outdoor spaces.
From paving and retaining walls to planting and water features, no project is too big or too complex — which is exactly why they’re building this year’s showcase from the ground up.
