Design Down Under

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show sits on the global stage as an important event on the gardening calendar, so we went along to see what it was all about.

The weather played its part and the show was launched on a beautiful sunny day in Melbourne. As you walk into the grounds, you are struck by the size of it all, set in the pristine gardens under age-old trees. The excitement is palpable and you are surrounded by beauty in this happy place. The handy map sent us directly to one of the highlights of the show, the designer gardens.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN SHOW GARDENS

Australia’s top landscapers gather at the Melbourne Flower Show to build and present show gardens of impeccable standard. Each has a unique vision of what a show garden should interpret and what modern design is all about. The overall feeling you get from these gardens is that these designers are attuned to modern day living – especially outdoors living. Garden design takes note of the scarcity of water in plant selection while expertly combining vegetation for colour and texture. The array and use of hard landscaping materials like paving, stone, wood and glass was incredible, and produced gardens with amazing texture and form. All used some form of water feature in their designs to add a touch of tranquillity and drama.

1. The garden that won the Best on Show accolade at this year’s show featured a beautifully constructed Romanesque arch reminiscent of centuries-old aqueducts, with a combination of Mediterranean and Australian plants chosen for their biodiversity and dry climate properties. By using modern techniques, the designer blurred the lines between the ancient and the modern in this perfectly built and planted urban garden.

2 This garden was designed to improve mental health. This seems to be a trend, as many show gardens we have seen recently are focused on wellness and gardening for health. The garden is inspired by nature in the selection of materials, such as the sandstone pavers (interestingly set at an angle), and the choice of plants.