34 days to go..

The sand dune in the coastal garden will be contained within a wall of old corrugated iron and held up with eucalyptus branches we've found up at the nursery, topped with timber somehow yet to be decided... This retaining wall is going to be created on a steep slope, so the bases of the timber uprights have to be adjustable if we pre-fabricate this wall. Show experience flags potential problems like this and it's just so important to think every section through carefully. Building this wall on site could take a day or more - time we don't have when we're building a garden so large. Stewart has come up with an idea for adjustable legs on the wall uprights that will take a bit of organising during pre-fabrication, but will mean the installation goes quickly. Then we can fill it up with sand and put up the flagpole!


A free form flagpole above the car seat at our 2006 show garden

I like flagpoles, but I also like to make them in a child like manner. Whimsy in a garden makes us feel less serious about life. There has to be somewhere in our lives where we can let go of all the things that worry us, to give us somewhere to recharge. The flagpole will be made from beautiful curvy branches whipped together in a teepee with something yet to be decided. It will claim ownership of that spot in the sand by whoever wants to imagine themselves down the beach amongst this garden, pondering where to paddle the boat to next and what catch might be slung on the coals when they get back.



What's happened to gardens that they are so personality free?

37 days to go

Coastal gardens can be a challenge, but understanding how conditions affect a plant can make it easier. Learning about this and other garden challenges will be something you can actively participate in with our garden 'Imagine'. The purpose of our whopper shed is to host all of you! 12 months ago while this show garden was being conceptualised, the plant growers and I talked about how great it would be if people could walk through this entire, huge garden display. So often at the garden show excited gardeners are kept at a safe distance from the display. It alows inspiration but not education. We wanted to change this, so the idea of a venue built into the garden that would host forums with experts in native plant growing, designers & gardeners was born. The logistical challenges this causes are huge! Suddenly we have to make enormous paths through the whole site, yet try to keep it intimate like your own garden would be. We also have sloping ground and have to make it safe for people of all ages and mobility levels, without putting any concrete on the ground, digging holes or using star pickets. Everything sort of 'floats' above a hessian cover on top of the lawn. That's not so bad if no-one walks on it, but we're expecting hundreds on our site at any one time and can't tell them to spread themselves out evenly over the path so it doesn't tip or flip!

Granite toppings path in a coastal garden

I'm not ever keen on being told I can't do something, so it's wonderful to be working with people who can think outside the square on this one! What better place to find them but at a university committed to breaking the mold in the landscaping arena. Stewart, Mike and Mim have sat with me on many afternoons now, working through every detail and gradually coming up with viable solutions. Now we have to make them happen within a tight budget, but we're nearly there!

We will have our forums, you will learn so much from us all and many others we're gathering together as I write. The best bit is that you can do all that while resting up at our cafe, enjoying the BBQ and coffee with an inspiring garden surrounding you! I don't know what we'll do if you don't want to leave though.. Well, I guess you'll be the experts in your street on native plants and how to use them in your garden if you hang around for a few days!

Back to our path dilemna..

217 square metres of paths wind their way through 3 display gardens, a sales area, cafe and up to our shed. you can build a family house on a block of land smaller than that! 217 m2 means that if I design a path that's 100mm deep, it's just enough to cover the plywood base we'll use to protect the lawn from all that foot traffic. We'll have to sweep and tidy every morning to keep it al in th eright spot, but it should work. Still, 217 m2 at 100mm deep means we have 21.7 cubic metres of granite toppings to move. We have to get deliveries tipped off the road so other exhibitors can get their deliveries too, so 2 large truckloads have to be dumped somewhere that we are probably going to want to get to the minute it disappears under the new mountain. 1 cubic metre takes around 10 - 12 wheelbarrow loads to shift it, so 21.7cubic metres = 261 wheelbarrow loads! If we have 6 energetic young landscapers on this task, they each get 43 or so loads each, just to get it in the area we want. then they have to level it out, pack it down a little and fill in the gaps. Hmmm.

We're going to keep thinking about the paths.