Gardens - MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW

The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (MIFGS) made a triumphant return to Carlton Gardens this year, following a two-year Covid-induced hiatus. And plant lovers turned out en masse to celebrate, with more than 100,000 people attending the five-day botanical extravaganza. As always, the biggest crowd-pleasers were the meticulously designed display gardens by a who's who of garden designers from around the country, including a guest appearance by 2022 Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott. On the following pages, we showcase some of the medal-winning designs...

- Elizabeth Wilson & Tammy Huynh

MIFGS 2022

Gold Medal and People’s Choice

An avenue of birch trees (Betula pendula) underplanted with Hydrangea paniculata ‘Sundae Fraise’ formed the central axis of the design while an arbour festooned in grapevines provided a viewing point of the garden. The purple-flowering shrub is Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’; in the background is the borrowed landscape of Melbourne’s Carlton Gardens.

PARADISE FOUND

A favourite with the judges and crowds alike, this plant-filled wonderland created by landscape designer Robert Boyle, in collaboration with Warners Nurseries, won a Gold Medal and the People’s Choice award.

WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR THIS GARDEN?

A celebration of plants! We designed it as four outdoor rooms, each showcasing a different planting style: traditional parkland, Mediterranean, urban woodland and a food garden. While each zone was distinct, there were elements that linked and unified the design. An avenue of birch trees (Betula pendula) underplanted with a sea of soft pink Hydrangea paniculata ‘Sundae Fraise’ connected the rooms, while a strategically positioned arbour festooned in grapevines provided a viewing point of the garden.

YOU NAMED THE GARDEN ‘MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE’. WHAT WERE THE IDEAS AT WORK?