Series 35 | Episode 19
Every year Melbourne plays host to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), where over 100,000 enthusiasts visit over five days to celebrate their love of gardening, check out displays by florists, gardeners and landscapers and check out the latest products and plants.
Millie and Tammy went to see what was going on.
“Saltbush” by Fiona Brockhoff and Philip Withers
One of the medal-winning gardens is Saltbush, designed by Fiona Brockhoff and Philip Withers, which highlights Victoria's native flora, from coastal halophytes to inland shrubs.
One of the plants used here that is often overlooked in gardens and landscapes is the unassuming Coast Saltbush (Atriplex cinerea), another is the Coast Banksia.
Along the way, there will also be displays of Xanthoea australis, a plant rescued from a local quarry, as part of an overall effort towards a zero waste exhibit.
“New Nordic Notes” by Annika Zettermann and Kaisa Björne
Called “New Nordic Notes,” the garden brings a touch of Scandinavian nature to the show. Designers Annika Zettermann and Kaisa Björne both grew up in Sweden, so they used familiar Swedish materials and plants, including birch trees, a lush understory of wildflowers, and traditional Swedish heart motifs. They aimed to create a place where people could relax and contemplate nature.
“A Moment in Time” by Peter Donegan
Irish designer Peter Donegan uses a light aircraft hovering over the landscape in his design to tell a powerful story: that of a veteran trying to return home, or find a place to call home. Because the story is set in the 1980s, he used plants that were popular at the time, such as cypress and yarrow.
By leaving some imperfections in the garden, Peter wanted to convey the sense that all is not well in the gardener's life.
“Seiseitei II” by Koji Ninomiya
Tammy explores a Japanese-inspired garden designed by Koji Ninomiya, winner of five gold medals at the UK's acclaimed Chelsea Flower Show. His gardens are based on the principle that humans must coexist with nature, and that East and West must also coexist. To demonstrate this, he blends the simple, nature-based aesthetic of a Japanese garden with colorful roses and flowers that reflect a more British garden taste.
The show garden includes a water feature with rocks, a gravel Zen garden and a border with flowering shrubs and a variety of foliage.
“Alice Through the Looking Glass” Emmaline Bowman and Liam Riley
Millie will visit Through the Looking Glass, a garden designed by Emmaline Bowman and created by Liam Riley, which has won Best in Show and many other awards.
A former guest presenter on Gardening Australia, Emmaline has long advocated for using local plants to create wildlife-friendly gardens. If there's a European plant that people love, she says there's surely an Australian equivalent that's better suited to local insects and birds and less likely to be a weed problem. Her stunning wildflower-filled cottage garden-style designs include chocolate lilies, native tobacco plants, daisies, intricate water features and giant boulders. “It's all about the hidden ecosystem,” she says. “Everything that's under your feet creates a healthy ecosystem.” To better demonstrate this, the exhibit has a pond window and a soil layer window, revealing the layers, fungi and creatures beneath.
Featured plants
Coast Salt Bush
Atriplex cinerea
Coast Banksia
Banksia integrifolia
Austral Grass Tree
Xanthoea australis
River Birch
Birch “Dura Heat”
Anemone
Eriocapitella x hybrida cv.
strawberry
Fragaria ananassa 'Ruby Ann'
Cypress
Chamaecyparis cv.
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium 'Terracotta' *
*Check before you plant: this may be an environmental weed in your area
Filmed in: Wurundjeri Woy Wurrung Country | Carlton, Victoria
