This week we are interviewing Stuart Stevenson - local landscape designer.  It is amazing how you can can add value to your home by creating more usable outdoor space.  Stuart can be contacted on www.stewartstevenson.co.nz

What is your personal style in regard to landscaping? 

Each design is suited to the individual client and site, concentrating on the spatial arrangement of the site and integrating the architecture with the surrounding landscape.  It is important for the landscape to work with the buildings and features already created onsite. Planting looks at building layers, textures and colours of the foliage providing subtle changes of season.

What is a trend within landscaping you have noticed making an appearance?

There is a trend towards very low maintenance planting schemes, gardens are forever evolving, this should be embraced.

What is the best creepers or vines to plant to cover a fence or block wall?

• Star jasmine is a great wall cover that is hardy and provide white flowers and fragrance, although can bush out from the wall.  Consider how much space you can allow it to do so, as it can also be trained along wires and into shapes and patterns
• Ficus creeper will grow tightly against the wall, trim on a regular basis to retain this look, will give a solid impression without seasonal change, a great backdrop
• Ivy can be used for large visual seasonal change, the change of colour and then dropping of it leaves, some varieties can be quite invasive so choose carefully.

What plants work well on the beach or harbour front where there is a lot of sand?

Choosing plants for beach frontages must be carefully considered.  Wind and sea spray will narrow varieties down, but soil can be changed by digging out the sand and importing a soil mix, which can be designed specific to plants and site, eg water retention values and nutrient content.

Best trees to grow against a fence that will not shade but create privacy from the neighbours?

All trees need to be considered with both pros and cons, when talking about shade, do you want it solid or dappled light, how high above the fence do you want it to go? 

One inexpensive feature to add to your landscaping plan to create a ‘wow’ factor.

The first consideration is to have a designer plan your project, this will save you time and money in the long run, even consider the landscape as early as your architect is designing your home, and there are many areas where the collaboration between the landscaper and architect will discover a new way to approach these areas working together.