SERIES 36 | Episode 16
Garden Show Special
Costa checks out the smallest display gardens at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS): the balcony and border sections.
If the only garden space you have is a balcony, then you know it’s prime real estate.
At MIFGS, five entries showed their concepts for maximising a typical balcony space of 4.8m x 2.4m.
A great presentation idea is to grow plants in pots, with taller plants at the back and smaller plants placed in front, so the plants protect each other but create a lush effect with minimal footprint.
By mixing a pot or two of edibles among the ornamentals you can have both beauty and functionality.
Under-seat storage is essential to making the most of a small space. One design did this with coloured basket tucked away in sections under a long bench; another had a seat with a lid that could be lifted to reveal storage underneath.
Vertical space is another opportunity to grow plants, especially in a sheltered or south-facing wall, where you could grow epiphyte and ferns that love that sort of environment.
A challenge for many people with balconies is that you’re not allowed to disturb the finished surfaces. Costa found one display that used a false-floor system to enable a second layer of flooring to be placed over the existing level, leaving a void where pipes could be run for irrigation or wires for lighting. It also allows you to sink plants at a lower level, so the groundcovers trail out across at floor level. Renters can then pack it up and take it with them.
For the Border gardens challenge, designers are tasked with creating a statement space in just 2.4m x 2.4m – about the size of a nature strip or small courtyard garden.
Costa homes in on a display called ‘Death is Life’ by Gio Fitzpatrick and Meg Afauna, which uses native plants to create a wild, natural area that provides habitat for insects and birds.
He chats to other garden visitors to hear which gardens, plants or ideas they liked the most.
Filmed on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country | Carlton, Vic
Featured Balcony Gardens
Featured Border Garden
