A retail garden has taken the Judge's Supreme Award at the 2007 Ellerslie International Garden Show for the first time.
Kerikeri palm company Palmco has beaten the exhibition gardens to the top award with its jungle of large and rare exotic palms, most worth thousands of dollars.
Convenor of judges, Jan Woodhouse said the award-winning garden, by designer Adam Shuter, had a real "wow" factor.
"The sinuous path draws you through and there's a sense of enticement, as you can't see the end, Woodhouse said.
"It is a lovely experience walking through as you are quite separated from the rest of the flower show. The attention to detail in the under-planting masses of sub-tropical species is very, very good."
As a retail garden, companies are able to focus on their products, although they are expected to meet the same high standards.
The win is also a bonus for the 70,000 expected visitors to the Ellerslie show, who will be able take the boardwalk and experience Palmco's exhibit, as opposed to exhibition gardens, which can only be looked into.
The garden also won a second Supreme award for construction.
It is beautifully constructed, with good use of natural materials for the boardwalk and the gazebo, said Woodhouse.
International Judge Claire Whitehouse believes the Ellerslie show demonstrates New Zealand's excellence in all aspects of design.
"I've been really impressed by the excellence of design across the whole show, such as the use of space for different exhibits and the degree of imagination."
Whitehouse believes New Zealanders have a level of creativity not seen in shows like Chelsea in England.
"There are too many regulations so it can stymie imagination. Here, people try out ideas."
Whitehouse cites the Supreme Award for Design Excellence by first-time exhibitor Denise Gray of Sentiments Flowers, for her Tornado.
It (the tornado) is an example of huge imagination, she says, scoring very highly on design criteria.
"It has an immediate impact as soon as you see it. The more you looked at it, the more you see and it adds to the story. It starts from the dark brooding flowers at the bottom, and then more and more flowers are caught up in this violent wind," she said.
The Supreme Award for National Lightening went to Plantet Earth and Fusion Landscape Design, by designers Julie Moore and Lynn Cairney.
Woodhouse described the moody journey through bush and beach as a "magical, multi-media experience with a variety of lightening effects and lovely detailing with ambience."
"It has all sorts of details that will take several visits to actually appreciate, yet it has a very strong emotional element."
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