Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

People & Places

Burke’s Backyard visited the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, where over 300 exhibitors from the floristry, landscape and horticulture industries have gathered together to showcase the latest in design and creative ideas. Don met Victorian Premier Steve Bracks, who officially launched the 2003 event. The show has attracted around 820,000 local and international visitors since it first opened in 1996.

Visitors to the show will see landscaped display gardens, wonderful floral arrangements, sculptures, hundreds of great stalls and plenty of live entertainment. They can also find out what's new in garden products, recent plant releases and gardening books. Show highlights include:

Landscape Display Gardens

Many of Australia's leading designers have constructed inspirational display gardens as part of the show. They include:

Jim Fogarty

Jim showed Don his award winning design in which he combines rustic features, such as a firewood wall, with an architectural finish. Plantings include Chinese elms (Ulmus parvifolia ‘Churchyard’), hostas (‘Gold Standard’, ‘Francee’, ‘Mr Big’ and ‘Fragrant Blue’), heucheras (‘Amber Waves’), sedums (‘Gold Morn’) and heucherellas (‘Day Glo Pink’ and ‘Kimona’). Don loved the design, describing it as "elegant, simple and comfy". Jim’s design for Larkman Nurseries won both the City of Melbourne Award of Excellence and the Royal Horticultural Society Comeadow Award.

Jamie Durie

Jamie (landscape designer with Patio and host of Backyard Blitz) created a large-scale civic/commercial landscape with huge prefabricated concrete walls, massive beams and established trees. Jamie conducts daily information sessions (10.30 and 12.30) on site and elaborates on elements of his design and the plants chosen for the display.

Fleming’s Student Design Competition 2003

The Don Fleming Student Award is sponsored by Fleming's Nurseries in Victoria and showcases the talents of landscape design and horticulture students from Australia and New Zealand. This year's finalists were Natalie Fidge (Gold Medal Winner), Mike Pentecost, Andrew Robertson and Ben Meade. Natalie’s dynamic design features bold, strong lines, rows of planting contrasting in colour, texture and height, and a stepped water feature. Ben’s design included a new narrow liquidambar (Liquidambar ‘Oakville Highlight’) which is not yet available.

For more information contact Fleming's Nurseries on (03) 9756 6105, or visit their website: www.flemings.com.au

Plants

Exotic Foliage: stunning low pots with carpets of contrasting foliage in green (Sagina subulata), gold (Sagina subulata 'Aurea') and silver (Raoulia australis) are on display. There are other curious and interesting plants, including the lantern plant (Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii), with its unusual red capsules. Exotic Foliage is not a nursery and stock is only available from the stall at the show.

Collectors Corner: Jeno Kapitany showed Don his fabulous display of unusual plants, including bromeliads, orchids, cacti, bonsai and carnivorous plants. Visit the stall at MIFGS, or the nursery:

Collectors Corner
810 Springvale Rd
Braeside, Victoria
(Part of the Gardenworld complex)
Phone: (03) 9798 5845
Garden Art

The Association of Sculptors of Victoria is displaying a range of works in the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. They include large and small sculptures made from materials ranging from stone, fabricated metal and ceramics. For more information contact the Association on (03) 9853 9610 or visit their website: www.sculptorsvictoria.asn.au

Dinosaur

A huge Styracosaurus caught Don's eye. It costs $12,000 and would be a marvellous conversation piece for the garden! For more information phone Ferworld: (03) 9551 1285.

Pink Flamingoes and other metal creatures from:

My Piece of Africa
Phone: (02) 8824 4488 or (0417) 652 582
Web: www.mypieceofafrica.gpoint.com.au

Live entertainers

Steve Waddell's CREOLE BELLS
Dixieland Jazz
Phone: (03) 9885 5566 or (03) 9886 9556 or 0419 359 463
Email: stevewaddell@iprimus.com.au

The giant butterflies were from:
Festivfactory
3 Dimensional Entertainment
Phone: (03) 5427 3436 or (0418) 984 667
Web: www.festive.com.au

The band with the men on stilts were:
Wildfire
Phone: (03) 9722 9852
Also featured on the show:

Copper car & Mudbrick Pizza Oven

Grant Saltmarsh
Earth Art Landscapes
Kyneton, Victoria
Phone: (0419) 103 957

Mudbrick Pizza Oven approx $6,000

The gate discussed at this display is by David Wroblewski, who can be contacted via Grant Saltmarsh.

Chiminea & BBQ attachment:
Aussie Heatwave Fireplaces Pty Ltd
119 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East, Victoria
Toll free no: 1800 331 336 or phone: (03) 9813 0455
Web: www.aussieheatwave.com.au

Chimineas from $895
BBQ attachments: Grill $150, Roasting Hood $100

Big swinging garden umbrella:
UltraShade Australia
Phone: (07) 3265 7288
Web: www.spec-net.com.au/company/ultrashd.htm
Melbourne distributor:
Greg Jones
Phone: (03) 9879 6055
Web: www.gregjones.com.au

$2,195 for 4m dimension
$2,385 for 4.3m dimension

Copper water feature
Urban Ponds
Phone: (03) 5979 7590
Web: www.urbanponds.com.au

Further information

Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne. (Enter via the Exhibition Building forecourt adjacent to the Museum of Victoria or via the Victoria Street gate.)
Weekend opening hours:

Saturday 5 April, 9am - 9pm
Sunday 6 April, 9am - 6pm

Admission costs:

Adult $17.50; Concession $14; Children $5 (kids under 5 free); Family Ticket $40 (2 adults, 2 children)

Tickets:

Show tickets available for pre purchase from RACV Ticketing, call 13 28 86 & Group Bookings on (03) 8792 4153.

Website: www.melbflowershow.com.au

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Disclaimer: Burke's Backyard and Backyard Blitz do not accept payment to promote products. All recommendations are genuine. Details on the fact sheets are accurate at the time of publishing, however prices and contact information are not updated and may change.