DOWN to EARTH: Landscape designer Philip Smith's passion for native plants runs more than skin deep

摘要

Philip Smith doesn't just wear his love for New Zealand's indigenous flora on his sleeve - he's had it tattooed on his shoulder. The energetic Aucklander sports a sprig of distinctive native toatoa foliage across his left shoulder. The temperamental toatoa (Phyllodadus toatoa) has been Philip's horticultural crest since he launched garden design consultancy O2 Landscapes five years ago. "It's the perfect tree for urban gardens," he says of the unusual slow-growing conifer. "It's tricky to grow but it has class, form and a wonderful quality. It's quite irrational I suppose but I just love it."