BE INSPIRED

The Melbourne Convention Centre plays host on 21-22 September 2013 to six international landscape designers and commentators, plus three renowned Australians, including Paul Bangay. They will all come together to share ideals, innovation, reflections and insight, informed in most cases by a lifetime of passionate engagement in landscape and garden design. 

Some of the extraordinary talent on offer -

Learn from New Yorker, Ken Smith, of the opportunities to enhance nature through ‘unnatural’ environments with his presentations:

• Sky to Ground: a vertical transect through the contemporary urban landscape, covering a range of landscape projects adapted to high rise perches, roof gardens and other on-structure landscapes.
• Big, Little, Skip the Middle: exploring the range of scales and types of projects and design strategies that focus on big ideas and small details and how to avoid the problems of the ‘nebulous middle’.

Witness the enduring beauty and vitality of Mediterranean gardens and their suitability for the Australian landscape with acclaimed commentator, Louisa Jones from France:

• Gardens in Provence: why are they so successful? How do these landscapes encapsulate the good life model?
• Mediterranean Landscape Art: Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco and France – providing a sumptuous exploration of the fusion of art and landscape, inspired by generations of great gardeners, rich history and cultural diversity.

Experience the remarkable ‘other-worldly’ landscapes of Chilean landscape architect, Juan Grimm, and the stirring affinity with nature evoked by his gentle, sensitive melding of architecture and landscape.

• Finding the balance with nature: thirty years of designing projects,
• Extraordinary Landscapes of Chile: garden links between architecture and landscape,

In a rare public presentation, Paul Bangay, Australia’s most successful landscape designer, will reveal a personal journey and design philosophies culminating in the creation of his private sanctuary in rural Victoria.

• Stonefields: the vision and the making of a garden.

Other speakers include: Aniket Bhagwat from India, Raymond Jungles from South America, Toshio Watanabe from Japan and renowned Australian garden writer, Anne Latreille, with a profile of her brilliant expose of Australian landscape designers “Garden Voices”.

Add on activities at this year’s conference include a garden tour to iconic gardens such as “Karkalla”, Fiona Brockhoff’s coastal garden in Sorrento, the newly completed Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Burnley Roof Gardens (University of Melbourne) and the private rural garden of renowned landscape designer Rick Eckersley. Bookings are close to full so be quick to join this exclusive, professionally guided garden tour.  

The Speakers’ Dinner at the famous bohemian venue, The Savage Club, will be another highlight of this year’s conference. Don’t miss the unique opportunity to gather informally with speakers and delegates at this wonderful members only Melbourne institution. 

Post conference interactive workshops are also on offer on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th of September. Open to non-delegates, the 90 minute workshops are presented by experts in a variety of horticulture and design fields, including international speakers Ken Smith and Toshio Watanabe and Australians such as Michael McCoy, Andrew Laidlaw and Paul Thompson. Topics include plant composition, roof gardens, horticultural therapy, children’s gardens, landscape photography, Japanese gardens and more so make sure you visit our website for all the details and online registration. Monday classes are almost fully booked but Tuesday places still available!

For online registration and further information regarding speakers, garden tour, conference program and workshops visit the website or email warwick@bloomings.com.au  (Ph: 03 9804 8915 or Mob: 0438 18 801)