Update : We're off to Brekky!!

i have a 7 am date with the premier's breakfast which means....... we're getting a medal! i don't have any idea of what, but will post as soon as I know! Good grief! We may just have done it!

The finish line

The shed adorned with flowers

the Tunnel...

Famous people in the coastal garden

Paula losing it!

The fairy garden treasure ropes

It was looking like a disastrous day with fewer hands on deck and so much finishing to do. Any MIFGS veteran will agree that finishing takes a whole day once you think you've finished the garden. When I arrived this morning we still had 3 garden beds to complete due to another shortage of plants. The dromana toppings path hadn't been completed as we'd had to order more, and the flowers were only just beginning to go up in the shed. We were a day behind with just hours to go!

Anthony and I decided the only thing to do was just get on with it as quickly as we could. by 10am I was worried and started calling friends to come in and help. It seemed so unfair that all this organisation still came down to the wire like this. Mike from Swinburne then arrived on the site with the news that 16 students and Mim were on their way and would be with us in minutes. I've never been so pleased to see anyone in my life. In no time I had them pulling together in teams doing mulching and detailing, while the stronger guys started doing the rubbish cleanup. Everything needed to be moved off site now and quickly as the parks guys decided they wanted to mow! i wonder who put in the urgent grass lopping request and which team they were on.

Within an hour people seemed to emerge from everywhere armed with brooms and buckets, ready to line up for a job. It was like a band of fairies just lifting the load and sharing it. When Anthony and I stopped for lunch, we managed to find 2 pages of things left to do, with 3 hours to go. We set the deadline of 2pm for everyone to be off site so we could review, check and think straight. Sandra rounded up floristry help and the back wall began to heave with fresh flowers. The wine barrels took on a whole new look with gorgeous snaking centrepieces and cherry red perspex tops. The dromana toppings arrived and a frenzy of activity had it flying around into place.

In one of my garden bed checks, I found a big area of plants in a heap, leaving a hole in the planting. It was as if someone had fallen into the garden bed. Then I realised this bed was around an old elm tree, housing a possum family who now couldn't get up to their home without a major logistics exercise. Sometime tomorrow I'll have t give them a route up the tree or this will be an ongoing problem every morning...

So, Bill and Sue arrived from Austraflora and the Lovely Sue set about hanging teacups on the sales tanks and taking photos. Amidst the bedlam Johanna Griggs and the Better Homes and gardens team came through to do some filming in preparation for Friday's show. Jason from the show has been constructing his own garden this year but they still take a look at what's around. 2 pm arrived and i blew the whistle, getting everyone to leave us to gather ourselves for a final check. An enormous amount had been achieved, and while there were some things I'd have done again if I'd had time, I was pretty happy with how it was looking. We all did a final check and altered some things, tidied and swept, stuffed a few extra plants in and picked up a few leaves. At 5 to 3 the organisers came down the road calling for everyone to leave - judging had begun.

We made it. My team pulled it off, and we actually made it. PHEW! Now for a celebratory beer and to get cleaned up. It's been a hot dusty day with so much grime in layers that's it's hard to tell who is who. Phil's team patted us on the back as we did them - all a very fair contest for the top prize and now we wait to see who gets a breakfast invitation with the Premier tomorrow. i think it's Gold awards and special awards like Waterwise, Best in Show and so on that get to go to brekky, so it would mean we'd done very well if we go to brekky.

i head to a friend's beauty place for much needed attention and relaxation therapy. it's been well earned! Hard to believe this chapter is closing and I can think about something else for a while!

1 day to go

Utterly exhausted. So much to do. Many less people on the ground to help tomorrow and when every person is needed to put in 110% a little encouragement and practical help goes such a long way. It's deadlines like this where you really see what people are made of. I'm so proud of my team - the Arbour guys have been putting in hard physical 12 - 15 hour days for 11 days now, way over what they are paid for. The Swinburne guys have been right there every day with busloads of students, interested staff helpers and bucketloads of enthusiasm, all in the name of good relationships with industry. Kris, my wonderful assistant and star plantswoman has dropped everything to do long days just for the experience. We've all asked other small business people to give up their time and hence money to contribute on the chance that some publicity may come their way, and even better, some more work out of it. Gary from Bentsticks must have put hundreds of hours into the fairy grotto - a pure masterpiece that will draw every child into this garden. Gerry from FormBoss has given some 40 metres of steel edging, fabricated with brackets which takes time in the factory. It all represents time and money. Yarra Burn gave 15 wine barrels that could have been sold for cash that could be much needed in this economy. Mark from Transrock sent an enormous amount of rock for our walls for free without hesitation - very generous for such a small company. All small businesses who rely on relationships with people to grow.

It's an interesting observation that when the pressure is on, the small businesses keep on giving and never give up, yet the small thing from the much larger businesses that makes all the difference - encouragement and thanks, recognition for effort over and above what was agreed - is just so hard to come by.

Why is it that transactions between little businesses are so easy and uncomplicated do you think? Why do little businesses just keep on getting up after being kicked again and again, just to see an agreement through to the end?
Integrity. It's a belief that professional integrity is just so important. It may be less profitable than being a constant taker, but regrets are fewer for us when we need to call on friends. I wish us all luck for tomorrow, that we get it finished, that we know we've done our best and that we're proud of what we've done. Well done my team, I'm very proud to have you all as my friends.

2 days to go : can't remember how many days we've been at this now...

Exhaustion hit hard today and with all the construction guys having a much needed day off, it was hard not to panic when another truckload of plants were delivered this morning. The light at the end of the tunnel was snuffed out promptly as paths filled up with plants and bedlam ensued all over again. My goal today was to finish the planting in the calm of a construction free day, but after looking at the plants for an hour with no progress, I headed for strong coffee and then just waited for the delivery of the fairy grotto. It was great to see it in place and imagine the sheer delight the kids are going to have in this garden...

The florist girls, Sandra and Jude, arrived this morning but couldn't start the back wall of the shed yet. They need more holes made in the tin and it requires an angle grinder that i don't have a license to drive. Schedules were rearranged and a priority list done as yet more creative solutions came to the fore. I left mid afternoon with eyes firmly on my bed and my mind on a quick solution for a table in our heart garden. I don't even want to think about tomorrow and have no energy to download photos tonight.

I hope tomorrow goes to plan. I so hope tomorrow goes to plan...

4 days to go : BUILD DAY 8

While there's so much that's been achieved today it's selfishly the fabulous massage from Phil Johnson's on site masseur that has given me the most relief. I am so very grateful for his caring camaraderie on a day where my back just didn't want me out of bed.

We have no photos today - it was dark when I left today and I just plain forgot. The picture would be spectacular though, perhaps giving too much away at this late stage of the build. You really must come and see it for yourself because this truly talented, committed team has created something that may just change how you live your life. There really is something for everyone in this garden.

The stonewallers were on site today, creating the heart shaped drystone walls for the last time. All that practise enabled the best to come out today; the final piece of the puzzle. Absolutely beautiful work boys! The Arbour boys delivered a magnificent sales hut out of a 3 metre diameter rainwater tank today, the bench a work of art in itself and created with such care and artistry. Craig put together the first of the twig fences,while Dan slogged through the sand dune retaining wall finishing. Stewart had a lovely surprise with the red corrugated tin wall at the back of the shed - closer inspection will reveal all and delight! Once again the Swinburne team of lecturers gave it their all with their students and we worked like a well oiled team.

Now for sleep! Short but sweet!

5 days to go : BUILD DAY 7

Swinburne university students descended in hoards this morning, along with the teachers I have come to know well during the planning of this epic adventure. I'm totally impressed with all of them as they throw themselves into the spirit of creating the vision we've all embraced.

It's a challenge to keep out of each other's way so we're all grateful for the size of the site.

The BBQ draws a crowd

The Arbour boys had the roof finished this morning - beautifully trimmed in an arc at the front by Stewart with a very noisy grinder. The possums must be very tired by now I think. Today's teams included Sandra and Mim on the shed pergola. While Rohan was up at the nursery frantically collecting twigs that had been left behind on this morning's truck run, Mim and Sandra played around with twigs and dried leaves woven into the wire frame Anthony had created. After much discussion and considered review of the first panel, we decided to ditch the idea and let the beautiful shed just shine on its own. If anyone needs kindling I believe Rohan can help you out there! (sorry!)

Mim and Sandra working on the pergola

Meanwhile, the horticulture team worked on the kid's tunnel. Acacia 'Lime magik' is now tied together into a low, narrow tunnel that will absolutely delight any children who come to the show - that's if there's any room left around all of us looking for some light hearted fun.. The planting around the tunnel proved to be a difficult mix to get just right, but a few committed students and then just one, stuck with it till I finally declared it was done. We were creating a loose foliage picture and it's easy to create a mess of nothingness if the combination isn't quite right! Phew! onto the next area tomorrow..

The Arbour boys were working on the sand dune wall today, blending it into a run of sticks in the sand that will become our treasure posts. These are my way of honouring the collected fascinations of children and engaging them back into the garden. Shells, seed pods, cones and twigs have been collected and painted, then tied together in ropes by Anthony's wife Paula and a band of local children. They will adorn posts throughout the garden as treasures at a spot in time.

The coastal garden needed a seat, the subject of much discussion and brainstorming with Stewart over the last couple of months. I believe a really relaxed coastal garden has many elements that are created with found objects, quite different to what can be found in shops. i spotted a torturous log on the ground this morning that Stewart hadn't mentioned recently and thought it might be time to find out where he planned to use it. Turns out this was his treasure, one he hoped I hadn't noticed that could slink back into the Ute when it was all over.

Within half an hour it had potential as a rocking bench seat with an arm on one side. 4 long branches later and a few screws... All it needs now is some comfy pillows at the end! This man is an artist with a chainsaw! I love it!

The rocking bench gets a test drive

Our fabulous teams of students achieved so much today, so a very tired bunch of people went home feeling like we broke the back of it today. What a great feeling to have caught up! Tomorrow Ben's team of stone walling students will create the heart garden walls, a beautiful reflection of the lovely granite walls going up across from us on Phil Johnson's site. Australian gardens herald the entrance to the show gardens this year and it really is a stunning sight for sore eyes!

Today's team - what a bunch!

6 days to go: BUILD DAY 6

We're halfway there but if this was a mountain, we'd be keenly looking for the way down right now. There's some crumpled looking bodies arriving in the mornings, mine included, needing many shots of caffeine before any reasonable decisions are made. I think in athlete's terms this is hitting the wall. We're all using muscles over and over again that continue to be shocked from the day before's insults, yet we're starting to see it come alive and are immensely proud at the same time. It really is a marathon.

Gorgeous plants everywhere starting to come together

Our site is heaving from deliveries of plants, mulch, sand, rock, timber... it goes on and on. We try to locate each one in the place we will use it, but seem to be relocating things constantly anyway. Kris and I are racing to get plants in position so we can get more room for more of them in the holding area. It's amazing how many disappear into each little area. All credit to the guys at the nurseries growing these though - it's been spread across 3 but the absolute bulk of it has been grown at Humphris Nursery in Mooroolbark. Kris and I worked on a planting plan to approximate numbers with no real conviction that it would work out like that. We organised the deliveries to be placed on trolleys designated for each area, but have found that we are mixing it all up anyway. Some things are working as we imagined and others just aren't. Somehow though, the amazing dispatch and nursery teams at Humphris have positively jumped into action with every frantic call for something different to be delivered 2 hours ago. This isn't easy to achieve I know, it's not easy to rustle up trucks at a moment's notice when stores all over Australia need their deliveries as well. I hope when every member of the huge Humphris team visit their stand and see how exquisitely beautiful their plants look in this setting, they'll forget the agony of the last little while and just feel really proud of themselves. Kate has taken on an enormous job in the Humphris office, slipping in to manage the administration side of this whole display and the mountain of paperwork it creates. I remember my first year at the show and the wall of forms that looked like wallpaper with red deadlines all over them. A daunting start to every day until it was over. Without these magnificent plants we don't have a garden though, and because of them, we have something really special. thanks team Humphris!

The Arbour elf

Today's build started with rain and more rain, but luckily it cleared quickly and they guys could get on with putting up the beam that arrived today, then finish the roof of the shed. Stewart got to play with his blowtorch to age it quickly - having way too much fun with the fire extinguisher close by. We had his team of students with us this morning, and they were great helping me move the massive trees that arrived yesterday. The flooring is at a grinding halt while more fence palings were sourced, so we got them going on the framework for the sales tanks. Each cut down rainwater tank will be packed with either plants or flowers for sale, so we're building a false bottom for them to sit on.

Meanwhile, the Arbour team were up on the roof with Stewart finishing off the sheeting. It looks so amazing from the hill behind the heritage listed parterre garden - the photo shows the wave shape and the stunning colours of the tin. Later today they got going on the retaining wall for the sand dune - part of the coastal garden area. I'm looking forward to filling the sand dune up tomorrow and getting the horticulture student team working on the planting of it. It's going to look fantastic with the gorgeous yellow beached boat at the end. We're aiming to have the sand dune done and the family garden done tomorrow - a big day again, but we all need to tick some things off! The BBQ has arrived, I'll find a salad and get some music organised - morale is everything as people get tired and the best way to boost it is have some fun!

The shed from the back with parterre in front.