About Us

Surround is a passionate, award-winning landscape architecture studio, specialising in the design of both urban and rural landscapes.

We view the design of landscapes as both a technical and aesthetic expression in problem-solving that carefully balances the overall needs of people while enhancing the natural and built environments as well as the ecological relationships inherent within a landscape.

Designing across a broad range of scales from intimate residential gardens to expansive rural and coastal sites; we bring our passion for contemporary design, sustainable practices and edible gardens to every project to create thriving and enduring landscapes. Our designs strive to empower people to engage with nature in a meaningful way to promote health and well-being. Whether that be relaxing in a tranquil setting, growing fresh organic produce or simply going for a walk through native plantings.

Based in beautiful, sunny Nelson, Surround creates landscapes throughout New Zealand.

Purpose

To create thriving and enduring landscapes that positively contribute to the natural environment and the well-being of the people that engage with them; making the world a better place, one landscape and garden at a time.

Approach

In approaching each project, we begin simply by listening and observing. Our designs then evolve through thoughtful consideration of our client's design brief, budget, architectural aesthetic and the wider landscape context to create enduring and enriched landscapes that inspire people to engage with them and the natural world.

We value the relationships that we develop with our clients and believe that a collaborative approach between the designer, the client and the contractor is essential to create a highly successful landscape.

Awards

2018 Landscapes of Distinction Awards _ Residential Landscape Design
Bronze Medal Winner _ Spencer Street

Jeremy Parlane

BLA (Bachelor of Landscape Architecture)

Director / Senior Landscape Architect

Jeremy is a passionate, award-winning landscape architect and has been in the New Zealand landscape industry for over 15 years. He is the principal landscape architect at Surround and has extensive experience designing residential, rural and commercial landscapes throughout New Zealand. With a wealth of plant knowledge behind him and a background in landscape construction, he also brings a practical element to the design table, that is essential when creating a successful landscape.
Growing up on the foothills of Auckland's Waitakere Ranges, he has a strong sense of New Zealand’s natural environment and belief in preserving and further enhancing New Zealand’s unique landscape environments. He is driven by contemporary design, enriching people’s lives through the creation of spaces and enhancing the wider environment they are a part of. He is a big proponent of incorporating edibles within his projects and implementing, organic, sustainable practices, wherever possible.

If he is not designing a landscape, or out amongst one, he enjoys watching and playing basketball, gardening and landscape / travel photography.

Client Testimonials

"Our brief to Surround Landscape Architecture was the creation of modern outdoor spaces. Often it was not apparent to us as to why Jeremy detailed the design a certain way until the design was built. I would consider Jeremy to be a landscape architect with the ability to visualise a conceptual idea and create a landscape to make the very best use of the space available."

Peter and Alison Worger – Milford

Surround created the garden design for our new build in north west Auckland. Jeremy was fantastic to deal with – he listened to how we wanted to use the garden, the types of plants we liked, the look we wanted to achieve and created a design that suits our family perfectly. His clear plans also gave us the confidence to do the planting ourselves. We would highly recommend Surround to anyone looking for a landscape architect for their home.

Victoria Wells and Daniel Rode - Huapai

"I engaged Surround Landscape Architecture to redo the landscaping of my newly purchased home at Muriwai Beach. I chose Surround because of their in-depth knowledge of the area and coastal planting, overall vision with strong attention to detail, ability to work within a budget, and understated professionalism. Jeremy listened to my goals and preferences and came up with a comprehensive planting plan that reflected his technical competence and local knowledge as well as an artistic sense for selecting and combining plants into an attractive cohesive tableau custom-made for its setting. I would happily recommend Surround Landscape Architecture to anyone wanting to add value and enjoyment to their property through landscaping."

Rick Mirkin - Muriwai Beach

"Jeremy initially met with us on site to go through the unique challenges of our lifestyle block. He also took the time to find out what we liked and what we did not want in the garden. We worked through the first draft of the landscape plan and made some changes. The revised version of the plan was exactly what we wanted. Jeremy put us in contact with landscape contractors who undertook both the hard and soft landscaping. All in all, a great experience. The professionalism, focus on getting what we wanted, and dedication of time to ensure the correct outcome made this a great and rewarding experience. I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Surround Landscape Architecture to anyone who wanted a beautiful garden."

Tim and Ann Hill – Wainui

"We're really pleased with the service we received from Surround Landscape Architecture. Jeremy was easy to work with, reliable, and very punctual. We especially appreciated that he was a great listener, even to some of our more off-beat ideas. In the end, he came up with a design that catered to our personal tastes but made practical sense as well. He gave us a very clear idea of how the process would proceed, and stuck by his word. We are incredibly happy with the resulting design."

Carol and John – Helensville

"We approached Surround Landscape Architecture to design a front garden entrance and car-pad to tie in with the existing front yard. It wasn't the easiest site to work with but Jeremy came up with a design that we really liked. He was friendly, approachable and has great skills. Highly recommended!"

Stephen Law – Remuera

"Surround Landscape Architecture has been instrumental in designing and implementing our landscaping desires. We wanted lots of different areas with as much edible garden as practical; the results have been fantastic! We are repeat customers and have recently hired Surround to design and further develop our rear garden with more edible garden ideas… highly recommended!"

Warren and Louise - Muriwai Beach