Anthony has this saying that he uses often when we are out walking  " always turn around and look back " and in this case his reference is that the view is not always in front of you, don't miss what is behind you.  You can imagine that when we are doing that beautiful walk from Waihi beach to Orokawa that he is always turning around to admire the view .... LOL which we do get to see the on our return!

Taking Anthony's point a bit further, it's always a good thing in life to look back and see ones own achievements and it has been great to share ours over the past few weeks from that first bungalow to Pete's cottage through to the villa which then became our home.

There have also been a few business achievements along the way and the first that comes to mind was in conjunction with Anthony when creating an exhibit for the Waikato Home and Garden show. Anthony designed a courtyard garden display for a space that was 5 x 5 metres and together with Wairere (of course the plants) and my brother David who built the set.

We were ecstatic to take first equal with another designer at the Waikato H & G show and then had to find our own way to take the same display to, in those days, the  Ellerslie Flower Show.

The design and set was recreated in Auckland and no amount of effort was spared to get it up to a very high standard. The classic courtyard design and attention to detail enabled Anthony to take home a gold award for his design and execution.  An English judge commented to Anthony at the time that if it was displayed at Chelsea flower show that it would have done very well!!!
        

The following year Anthony and Wairere again collaborated to create a newly designed courtyard but this time something considerably more contemporary as he felt that it was important to showcase that as a garden designer you can create many styles.  Again David built the set and the plants were sourced and provided by Wairere and the same attention to detail was carried out in the creation of the design. Anthony was awarded silver for his contemporary Courtyard.

Harry, Anthony and myself  have always had a philosophy that we must always try to exceed expectation in all that we carry out as two small business and this must attribute to our continued development as an independent Garden Centre and Design Studio. 

Over the years we have also periodically entered the Waikato business awards. We have found that this can stimulate your thinking when looking into your business and what you have already achieved but also provides a platform on which to move forward. The process allows for refreshing old ideas and creating new idea and new goals to aim for.  In the early days as a small business we achieved the award for Best small business under one $1 million turnover, In another year an award for retail excellence and more lately runner up in  best small business. 

Our accountant always had a saying for me that if you don't make a plan then you will achieve zero..

We may not have had a formally written business plan over the years but there has always certainly been that plan in our heads which has taken us forward. In creating that perfect outdoor space I have always said that you don't build a house with out a plan so why would you create a garden and outdoor living without one.
                

Climbers are fascinating plants in that they have adapted their leaves or leaf stems in order to climb and find the light. In my view they are not really shade lovers at all but rather clever plants that have evolved to find a niche, way up there in the sun. Mostly climbers like to have their roots in the cool or shaded area which all stands to reason if you think about it.

This suits us in the garden as we have fences and walls not to mention trees or other shrubs through which we can grow  a climber.  An interesting point about the genus of Clematis is that they belong to the same family (Ranunculaceae) as Helleborus /winter roses  and that pesky weed in the garden the common buttercup. Now who would have thought that; but when you look at the flowers.... well you can see the same sort of structures going on here!

The hybrid clematis are pretty stunning with their huge flowers and these look pretty amazing growing through a rose being used to support them in there bid to get to the top and those xtra large flowers, bursting out all the way up, look fabulous. I know that often in the English books you will see hybrid clematis growing through tripods made of birch or in very well designed obelisks with a combination of a large shrub rose and these queens of the clematis world.

 

Then there are the montana species and their many cultivars and these are in a whole different league from the fancy hybrids in that they are way more vigorous but what they lack in size they sure make up for in performance. A large vine of  a montana cultivar in full flower is a sight to behold. I seem to recall the montana ruebens and spoonerii beinng the white form but now there seems to be quite   a few cool ones.

some of these newbies that we have in currently are

Ross Star deep pink blooms with darker edges 

Pied Piper, antique white with dark pink edges