Grow Together – 2018 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

I was not planning on putting my hat in the ring for MIFGS in 2018. 

However, I was approached by the MIFGS organising committee in early February after an exhibitor had to suddenly pull out. I was asked to build a show garden with only 8 weeks to design, procure elements and build the display. 

Some called me crazy, some called me brave. Probably a bit of both. 

Either way, I did it and I’m so proud of what we accomplished.  

Given the short time frames, I didn’t have time to mess around so I stuck to what I do best; Australian Native gardens. 

My own family was the inspiration for this design and the finished product successfully united a collection of elements that fosters food, family and good times. The design represented how we spend time together, and how we grow together which is how I came to name the garden.

I broke the planting of the garden into sections; the veggie garden, wildflower ‘meadow’, and the fern gully surrounding the natural swimming pool. All the plants, except the veggies, were Natives - that was a non-negotiable. 

There are just too many plants to list on this page, but you can see the full plants and materials listing here.

Sustainability is important to me, so it was always going to be part of my decision-making process when choosing the materials. All of the materials in the design were sustainably sourced – either repurposed or from local sources. The pergola was spotted gum, the curved bench seating was made of second hand blackbutt timber, as was the dining table, and the cubby house used to be an apple crate! 

The rock I chose for the garden attracted polarising responses! 

I chose a simple, easy to find basalt (or honeycomb rock) and I loved listening to the public’s comments. Some people looked at it and loathed it, so I lost points with them. But others loved it and it reminded them of their parents or grandparents house when they were kids.

Personally, I really like it. 

It’s local, it’s subtle, it’s in abundance and it’s inexpensive. And it’s perfect for a Melbourne backyard. 

Thanks to my years working in nurseries around Melbourne I had some really great contacts to call on at such late notice. We were able to borrow three quarters of our plants from our very generous suppliers, all of which were returned safely, but I do now have a front yard full of ferns and wildflowers! 

Due to the strict budget, we borrowed as much as we could and limited purchases to an absolute minimum. This included the labour component too. We relied on the most generous volunteers to help us build this garden – family, friends and complete strangers that we met along the way. We picked up items free off Gumtree and family, the fence was supplied free from a fencing company who was replacing it anyhow and the furniture was all borrowed from some amazing companies who we happen to stumble on in our Google searches. We did actually go a little over the budget, but we were prepared for that to happen. A small price to pay for such an amazing opportunity!

I was so thrilled that our garden was featured on both Better Homes and Gardens, and The Garden Gurus between March and April. We have also received positive responses from many garden bloggers and other media articles since the show too. I attribute our garden being chosen for both TV shows to the fact that it was pitched at families, which is their audience, and it was a very ‘do-able’ design for most people. 

So, although we didn’t win an award this time round we still feel like winners!

You’re probably thinking, ‘so have you had much interest since the show?’. 

Short answer is yes, thankfully! 

It seems that we put our best foot forward and the people liked what we did! Fortunately for us, we were the only garden of our type – modern Australian Native family garden – which immediately spoke to those who are of the same ilk. Designing and building a garden is an emotional experience, and it takes people time to decide on who they will trust to deliver the goods. We anticipate that many of the people who loved our garden and are in the market will contact us when the time is right for them. Until then, we will continue delivering beautiful Australian Native gardens across Melbourne!