Taranaki Garden Spectacular Guest Speaker events selling out

Media Release 18 October, 2011

Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular Guest Speaker events selling fast

Tickets for key events in this year’s Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular are selling fast two weeks out from the start of the event on October 28.

International floral art demonstrator Heather Hammond has been particularly popular for her “Floral Field of Dreams” demonstration; Heather will be bringing a unique event that combines not only inspiring floral pieces but music and lighting to the TSB Theatre Royal on Thursday, November 3.

British landscape designer Neil Ross is also proving popular for his two shows. “Box Balls, Balustrades and Beyond” at the TSB Showplace on Saturday, October 29, will see Neil share his experiences re-developing a medieval manor in Bath and creating a stunning tropical glass house alongside new ideas, anecdotes and treads he has picked up from the UK’s cutting edge garden shows such as Chelsea and Hampton Court. Meanwhile, “Cheating with Confidence” in the Oakley Garden on Sunday, October 30, is Neil’s take on how to bend the traditional rules of gardening and get away with it!

Hammond and Ross are among 11 guest speaker events in this year’s 10-day event running from October 28 to November 6, says the Garden Spectacular event manager, Lisa Haskell.

“We have a magic mix of guest speakers as part of the Newstalk ZB Garden Speaker Series this year including international, national and local speakers—all experts in their own fields,” says Lisa.

Visitors can also pre purchase tickets to five “Music and Wine in Gardens” events featuring this year. The five festival gardens are spread around the region and have again proven popular as well as free guided walks through the gardens of Pukekura Park, Tupare and Tikorangi.

“In addition to our diverse events programme, there are 49 premier gardens opening their garden gates for the Spectacular including Gardens of Significance, National Significance and International Significance as rated by the New Zealand Gardens Trust,” explains Lisa.

“Located right around the mountain, visitors will be able to discover high quality rose gardens, inner city potager gardens, native flora gardens, historic and park-like gardens, English cottage and country gardens and those with an art and sculpture focus.”

Opening the Garden Spectacular will be the unveiling of a large Trompe L’Oeil artwork by US-based artist John Pugh on Thursday, October 27.

Pugh is world-renowned for the trompe l’oeil technique he uses, that literally means “trick of the eye”. It is a surreal art form he has perfected to create award-winning works around the globe.

His works create a 3D impression of photographic clarity giving the illusion of something that is not there! With a distinct Taranaki garden theme, John’s blank canvas will be an inner-city New Plymouth wall bordering the Huatoki Plaza. The ‘Painted Garden’ is bought to the festival with the support of the TSB Community Trust.

Managed by the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust, the Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular is now in its 24th year and last year attracted approximately 52,000 garden visits during the 10-day Festival.

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