New Zealand landscape designer Jules Moore has won gold and Best Feature Garden at China’s prestigious Shenzhen Greater Bay Area Flower Show.
Moore, who owns JM Landscape Design and Touch of the Tropics Garden Centre in Auckland’s Whenuapai, was invited to represent New Zealand at the expo after submitting a portfolio of gold medal wins spanning her 45-year career.
She was one of seven global masters selected for the competition.
Connection with the sea
Her work ‘Ocean’s edge’ is reminiscent of the New Zealand coastline and the bounty that comes from the sea.
“We have such a profound connection to the coast,” says Moore. “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.”
Collaborating with co-designer and daughter Alayna Bradbury, son James Moore and colleague Ru Zhang, who accompanied her to China, Moore brought to life a seaside scene inspired by the legend of Māui – featuring a galvanised steel hook, pāua slab steepers 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,” says Moore.
Pay tribute to both countries
The 160 square metre design, assembled on-site in Shenzhen, features hundreds of purple flax, lupins and succulents, all sourced in China to represent the colours of the Kiwi coast.
Maui’s hook was transported through customs then welded onsite by Chinese craftspeople – and New Zealand’s waves were represented using an elaborate curved pipe and water system, recycled blue glass and tiny white pebbles.
“It’s definitely brought some challenges,” says Moore of the construction of her piece. “It’s interesting to communicate my exact vision and design in a short build timeframe. When creating my kina, we had to make a last minute trip to a haberdashery store for the right type of decorative beads, then thread them with wire to create the stunning look we were ultimately after.”
An oyster platter was sculpted from scratch using plaster and chicken before being handpainted and finished with pearls.
“Oysters are both a cornerstone of New Zealand’s coastal identity and a prized delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The platter pays tribute to the closeness of our two countries, particularly around our trade ties,” says Moore.
Gaining attention in Asia
The panel of judges from across China was particularly impressed with the garden’s soundtrack, recorded using both traditional Māori and Chinese instruments, along with whale song and vocals by Moore and her son.
They also commented on the garden’s paua fingerprint motif, which Moore included as a way of referencing human connection to nature. “Kiwis are particularly passionate about their environment – we might leave our footprints on the sand but we also leave our fingerprints in nature.”
The exhibition, which took place through March 2026, featured designers from England, the United States, China and South Africa. “It’s a highly competitive international field so I’m very proud of my win,” she says.
The designer also took out gold for New Zealand in Singapore in 2024, the Supreme Winner award at the 2018 New Zealand International Flower and Garden Show, and a gold and People’s Choice awards at the Ellerslie Flower Show in 2005 and 2007. But Moore says she’s not a household name in New Zealand. “I think only people in specific garden circles would know me, although I’m definitely gaining a lot of attention in Asia.”
Moore has since travelled home to New Zealand but is already fielding enquiries about a return to China. “The garden is being disassembled now for relocation, but there are murmurs that Ocean’s Edge will be given a second life in coming months.”
