Something Borrowed

This garden exemplified how soft and hard landscaping elements can be effectively combined, and how a borrowed landscape of surrounding trees, staged by Tree and Shrub Growers of Victoria, showcased an eclectic plant palette comprising perennials, groundcovers, ferns, palms, trees and shrubs, both native and exotic. The plants were complemented by a variety of traditional hardscaping materials and structures, such as a pebble-filled gabion-style wall, feature boulders and dressed Cypress timber uprights. In contrast, a very modern material, Perspex, affixed to a steel platform, was used as flooring. On top of the see-through Perspex floor sat a leaf-shaped outdoor chair, custom made for the show using recycled materials. Through the floor you had a view of fish swimming in the pond underneath. The extensive plant palette was selected to showcase the vast variety of plants suitable for Australian gardens. The diverse mix of plants included exotics, such as tree aloes, cycads and various succulents and cacti, and natives, including acacias, grevilleas and leucadendron, demonstrating there is the right plant for every situation. won a bronze medal in the Show Garden category.