What a beautiful day it was for the first day of the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show!
Lots of people attended, eager to see some beautiful displays, get inspired, learn about gardening, and do some shopping.
The floristry display inside the Royal Exhibition Building had a large focus this year around fashion and elegance. Lots of bright colours caught the attention of many spectators.
Carlton Gardens looked absolutely magnificent, with all the displays freshly set up for the week. It was refreshing to see some new stands this year, rather than the same vendors. Interestingly, there seemed to be a big focus on smaller gardens with lots of displays featuring raised garden beds, vertical gardens, and compact varieties – in tune with many of today’s gardens and people’s busy lifestyles. Many products were made from recycled and sustainable materials, which was great to see.
Austraflora was thrilled to see a massive usage of natives this year, including our Banksia Birthday Candles dotted seemingly everywhere! Lots of Lomandra, Anigozanthos, Alyogyne and Ptilotus. Many landscape designers had utilised natives either as a sole theme, or mixed amongst others, and they seemed to get a very positive response from visitors. Layers of textures, heights and colour gave lots of interest and depth to the designs. There was quite a mix of modern and relaxed cottage type gardens, and great use of hard landscaping and art work – especially round shapes. Lots of circles featured almost everywhere, many designers ditching the sharp angular look of the past.
The Tree & Shrubbies display is always one of our favourites and this year did not disappoint. A “nature taking back humanity” theme, which explored the idea of plants taking over our urban world. It was great to see some of our much-loved Austraflora varieties planted – Banksia Birthday Candles, Lomandra Frosty Top, and Banksia Sentinel.
We also took the opportunity to catch up with the Austraflora Photography Competition winner for 2015, Bec Lundberg, who had won flights to Melbourne and accommodation, plus tickets to her first MIFGS. A fun and exciting day at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, with many wonderful gardens and lots of great ideas!
Tracey from Austraflora (right) meeting Bec Lundberg (left)