Episode: #7 14/10/2006
Presenter: Fiona Bruyn

Fiona loves visiting inspirational places where you can see just how good a garden can look using the huge range of products and ideas that are available.

A bag of pebbles or a plant sitting on a shelf in a shop can be pretty uninspiring; it is also a recipe for garden design disaster. It is easy to make mistakes by choosing a combination of products that don?t work together.

Floriade in Canberra can show you how it is done. The showcase gardens have been created by local landscapers, suppliers and community groups.

There are 16 displays in total and they show how different products can be used to create a look that works it not only looks good, but it is also practical.

Each of the gardens has an individual look but the common thread running through all of them is the water wise element.

Surely this has to apply to anyone looking at creating a garden for the future.

A couple of Fiona?s favourites also involve using recycled elements. Both the Great Southern Land and Bush Garden Gazebo show how you can create a beautiful space using what many people would call rubbish. 2nd hand materials like rusty corrugated iron and old timbers may not be everyone?s cup of tea but you wouldn't use anything else in this style of garden.

Drought tolerant native plants and exotics are also a key element to the success of the gardens. They show that regardless of our harsh environment a water wise garden is achievable.

Another garden, by Simply Living, shows how the common rainwater tank, an object you we will be seeing a lot more of in suburban gardens, can be used to not only provide water for our plants but can also be incorporated into a garden design as an attractive backdrop to plants and a sitting areas.

Weed busters also show us how both native and exotic plants, many of them commonly seen in gardens today, can escape into bushland and become a massive environmental problem.

They are at Floriade to give advice on how to use non invasive natives and exotics safely in your garden.

Fashion plays a big part in gardens today and just like styles of clothing, our preference for certain plants and flowers also changes from year to year.

At Floriade in Canberra the clever florists with an eye for fashion show you just how compatible plants and clothing can be. At the Interflora marquee you will find designer garments made using only flowers and other plant materials.

The theme this year is Carnivale so you can imagine the riot of colourful floral clothing fashion on show.

If you missed this year however, make sure you mark your calendar to catch next years!

www.floriadeaustralia.com

Visiting Floriade

Floriade runs from mid September to mid October every year and is presented in the splendid grounds of Commonwealth Park on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

• 16 September to 15 October 2006
• 15 September to 14 October 2007
• 13 September to 12 October 2008

• Monday to Friday 9.00am?5.00pm
• Weekends and Public Holidays 8.00am?6.00pm
• Last entry to the event 30 minutes before closing.

Entry to Floriade is free.

Floriade is presented by the ACT Government through Australian Capital Tourism.

Locked Bag 2001
Civic Square ACT 2608

Ph: 02 6205 0666
Fax: 02 6205 0629
Email: visitcanberra@act.gov.au