The award-winning garden Ocean’s Edge was proudly featured among a small collection of internationally designed gardens at the 2026 Shenzhen Greater Bay Area Flower Show.
Landscape design by Jules Moore
Auckland-based landscape designer, Jules Moore, has taken out gold and Best Feature Garden at the Shenzhen Greater Bay Area Flower Show, where a small group of international designers were invited to build gardens on site.
Her installation, Ocean’s Edge – which had 2.1 million visitors – draws on the familiarity of the New Zealand coastline. “We have such a profound connection to the coast,” she says. “Walking the beach, fishing off the rocks, swimming – it’s something most New Zealanders recognise in their own way.”
That idea is carried through a series of crafted elements. Kina made from bamboo and beads sit alongside an oyster platter, shaped by hand from plaster and chicken wire. Visitors pass through a large conch shell, which anchors the space. “I chose the conch for its spiral interior,” Moore says, “that connection between the sea and the inner ear – the way we listen to the ocean through a shell.”
Around it, planting reflects coastal colour and texture, with flax, lupins and succulents sourced locally in China and assembled on site.
The build came together over a short timeframe, with much resolved in the moment. Some elements were fabricated with local makers, including Māui’s hook in galvanised steel, while others required improvisation – a last-minute search for the right beads to complete the kina, or hand-finishing the oyster forms.
There are subtle references threaded through the garden. A paua-inspired motif speaks to the imprint people leave on the landscape. “We might leave footprints in the sand,” she says, “but we also leave our fingerprints in nature.”
As guests journey through, kōauau (a traditional Māori flute) and conch shell instruments accompany them, joined by harmonies singing “Haere mai ki Aotearoa,” along with coastal soundscapes. Together, these elements celebrate the pride of a people shaped and embraced by the ocean.
Moore worked on the project with her daughter Alayna Bradbury, son James Moore and collaborator Ru Zhang. The show ran through March, with designers from China, the United States, England and South Africa.
The garden is now being dismantled, but may not be finished yet. Discussions are underway about where it might land next.
