A small, intimate courtyard built to feel like a genuine backyard retreat — think cobblestone patio, a cedar spa wrapped in planting, and vertical slat cedar panels dividing the space into pockets. Feature trees like titoki, podocarpus, and citrus enclose the garden and soften the sightlines, while a low stone wall — lower at the centre, rising toward the edges — spills over with planting.
Casual seating sits tucked among the greenery, with sleeper steps, pebble pathways, and self-seeding gaps between the pavers letting the garden blur its own hard lines. It’s proof a small footprint can still feel like a whole world.
Tori Arundel
Tori Arundel brings a hands-on, detail-focused approach to garden design, with a knack for making the most of smaller, tighter spaces. Her work favours considered planting and thoughtful layout over scale — proof that a compact footprint can still pack in plenty of interest.
This year’s Small Landscape Garden is a great showcase of that philosophy in action.
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.
You can take a piece of it home.
Kings Plant Barn is the Official Plant Partner of the Garden Showcase – pop into your nearest store to find the citrus trees, natives, and colourful groundcovers featured in this garden, with expert advice from the team on how to grow them in your own backyard.
