Local landscape designer Jules Moore wins gold

Kiwi athletes aren’t the only ones bringing home gold.

Landscape designer Jules Moore of Riverhead, and Whenuapai’s Touch of the Tropics Garden Centre, got a gold medal at the prestigious Singapore Garden Festival (August 3-11) at Singapore’s Suntec Stadium.

Jules, who featured in the May 2024 Kumeu Courier, won gold for her entry “Portals to Paradise” in the Best of Show, Fantasy Garden category.

It’s an eight-metre by eight-metre installation featuring more than 4000 plants, set within a majestic white cave, distinctively bone-like and containing numerous portals within its structure. The cave itself contained an active waterfall and a cosmic orb surrounded by two trees of life.

“Competing in this festival offered a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate innovative Kiwi garden design and promote our diverse horticultural practices,” says Jules. 

“The judging criteria had a strong focus on sustainability, creativity and community - all of which strongly align with the creative process I use when designing my inspirational gardens and landscapes.”

Jules brought her 10-strong design team from the Touch of the Tropics Garden Centre and spent just over a week, often working 16-hour days, to complete the installation.

“Portals to Paradise” also included bespoke lighting effects and a Kiwi-inspired soundtrack sung by Jules and son James.  

The biennial festival brings together top tier award-winning designers, florists, and horticulturists from 18 countries to compete in various competitions, all of which showcase the skills of leading floral and garden designers globally.

This year’s Singapore Garden Festival is one of the world’s biggest garden and flower shows with organisers estimating about 300,000 visitors.