Boots and all: Andy Ellis knows how to have fun without footy - he designs gardens

摘要

When andy ellis asks his Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder for time off in early July it won't be for the usual rugby reasons - a mid-season mental refresh or the birth of a child. Instead, the All Black and two-time Ellerslie Flower Show winner will beflying out with his great mate and collaborator Danny Kamo to the Singapore Garden Festival, where they will represent New Zealand against award-winning garden designers from around the world. And, make no mistake, it may not be test footy but the RugbyWorld Cup winner is approaching it with his habitual competitiveness. "There have been a lot of New Zealand designers go over but none have won a gold," he says. "We want to do that." Andy and Danny, of KamoMarsh Landscape Architects (kamomarsh.co.nz) in Christchurch, secured a shot at Singapore by virtue of winning a gold and the Supreme Award for Design Excellence at their second Ellerslie in 2010. The previous year, they'd scored a silver for their "Crate Escape" garden, a play on a bloke's dream backyard.