Local designer takes out top honour at flower show

Landscape architect Nathan Burkett has won the gold medal at the Melbourne international Flower and garden show. 25th March 2015. The Age Fairfaxmedia News Picture by JOE ARMAO Photo: Joe Armao

A local landscape architect has won gold at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Nathan Burkett, of Wonga Park, took out one of four top awards for landscape and floral design at the 20th annual show on Wednesday for his entry, "Equilibrium". He also walked away with the Mark Bence Construction Award.

Burkett's unique garden features dramatic Ficus Hillii hedging, a custom-designed fire pit and a cantilevered arbor that wraps around the perimeter.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show event director Greg Hooton said Burkett's winning design was a standout entry. "Nathan's use of plants, his finish from a construction point of view was exceptional, and it just all came together in a really great presentation of an outdoor living area," he said.

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Equilibrium is centred around two "living pergolas" - five-year-old deciduous Plane Trees grown horizontally to mimic an organic roof. Burkett said the specially grown trees were symbolic of the overall design, which celebrates a "return to using greenery and plantings as the true hero of the space".

"We have used an abundance of greenery and plantings in the garden to create structure and symmetry, which in turn allows us to deliver an architectural aesthetic in a soft, welcoming setting," he said."This garden has a lot of subtlety in the finer detail, you almost have to first step back to take it all in and then step forward to appreciate the smaller touches."

The design awards marked the first day of the five-day international garden show that is expected to draw more than 110,000 horticultural enthusiasts to Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

Event manager Kathleen Rushford said the standard of entries this year was outstanding. "We are so impressed with the calibre of designs in both the Great Hall of Flowers and Show Garden Avenue this year," she said.

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Local designer takes out top honour at flower show