CITY SLICKER
The Metropolis garden (above) was designed by Brent
Reid of Candeo Design to ignite a conversation about
greening our cities. Gigantic bluestone planters
represented the buildings of Melbourne’s CBD, while
the alcoves imitated the alleyways. White cedar trees
grow from the ‘rooftops’, underplanted withAcacia
‘Moptop’,Lomandra‘Lime Tuff’,Choisya ternataand
Hedera.For the ‘alleys’ below, Brent used shade-tolerant
species such asHosta‘Francee’,Philodendron‘Lickety-
Split’ andHydrangea quercifolia. “We wanted to show
what is possible in terms of planting in the heart of the
city,” says Brent, who went home with a silver award
and Best Use of Plant Life honours.PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE
“Sustainable gardens are the future of gardening,” says Ben Griek, a
landscape design student from Melbourne’s Holmesglen Institute of
TAFE, who presented this Go With The Flow design (left) as a showcase
for managing stormwater in the garden. Pivotal to his layout was a
roof garden of succulents, planted in ribbons of colour. Shown in detail
(right), the roof was planted with a range of sedum varieties, including
Sedum ‘Gold Mound’,S. ‘Blue Feather’ andS. ‘Dragon’s Blood’.Heavens above
Visitors to MIFGS were encouraged to think outside the square – and upwards. Roof gardens not only
improve general aesthetics, they can help with water harvesting, produce food and boost mental health.SKY ZONES
A successful rooftop garden starts
with checking the weight-bearing
tolerance of the roof. Also critical is
plant selection, as dictated by the
exposed location. “On a rooftop, hot
is hotter, cold is colder and wind is
windier,” says landscape designer
Brent Reid. Tick those boxes and the
sky’s the limit.
MIFGS HIGHLIGHTS
Roof gardens