Ex Schoolteacher Bill Holden, changed direction over 20 years ago to develop further his passion for the Landscape. He studied Landscape Design at Unitec Auckland, and has operated since as a design and build contractor, project manager, and now as a Residential Design Consultant. He has also designed and had built a number of houses in the Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty regions. His major achievements include several Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in the New Zealand Landscape Awards (his most recent, attained in 2008), Gold and Silver Awards at the Ellerslie Flower Show and his house design which won the Supreme Award for the Master Builders Regional Awards in Rotorua in 2003. He has been a long time active member of the Landscape Industries Association of New Zealand (recently rebranded 'Landscaping New Zealand') and is currently National President. He is currently involved in developing several sites in Rotorua, where he has designed both house and garden to demonstrate his passion and philosophy. Bill has a preference for highly sustainable landscapes, using mostly Native plants and local hard materials specific to the region. He will occasionally use exotics to introduce a splash of colour and the ‘settlement factor’ as he calls it. Bill does not believe in being shackled to your garden in order to enjoy it. He tends to focus on plants which are as self sustaining (low maintenance) as possible. This means he uses plants more for texture and structure rather than colour. As a young man, he was strongly influenced by his father who was a keen rock gardener. He has mastered the use of this material not only to create exceptional rock gardens, but also for terracing sloping areas avoiding the need for unsightly retaining walls. Bill offers an on-site consultation and sketch plan for a set fee. For this service, the client will get the full benefit of his 20 years experience in the industry as both an award winning designer and contractor. This usually includes tips on how to solve construction problems with tricky areas, and planting suggestions. This may be all you need, otherwise, it can be the first stage of more accurate plans...