[BITList] Aussies wanna clean up at Chelsea

[John Feltham]

Aussies eye glory at Chelsea Flower Show

LIAM FITZGIBBON

May 9, 2013 3:14am


THE designer of the Australian garden at the this month's prestigious Chelsea Flower Show has promised the nation's most impressive entry yet.


Instead, showgoers are being promised the biggest and boldest Australian display yet when the event begins on May 21.

"This is completely different to anything ever showcased here at Chelsea," Phillip Johnson, the designer of the garden, told AAP.

"We're going for it. We're trying to achieve the highest award Australia's never won, the Best in Show."

The ambitious $2 million display will combine several elements of Australian nature, with a strong focus on sustainability.

It is the ninth, and final, entry since 2004 for the Victorian team backed by Fleming's Nurseries.

Fleming's director Wes Fleming has promised his family this will be his last year but he's hoping to go out with a bang - and the top prize that has eluded him over the years.

Award-winning landscape designer Johnson was selected to lead a team of 18 unpaid volunteers, with the project partially funded by sponsorships and donations.

The garden is quickly taking shape with 10 days remaining and has already attracted plenty of hype.

Event organisers at the Royal Horticultural Society were so taken by Mr Johnson's design, they allocated the Australian team its largest and most prominent position within the showgrounds yet.

The Queen is also on board, having requested the Flemings' garden be included in her tour of the show.

"So there's a little bit of pressure on myself and the team but it's an amazing journey," Johnson said.

The design features a lush desert gorge with huge boulders, a native wildflower meadow and a natural billabong and waterfalls using recycled water from nearby buildings.

The piece de resistance is the "waratah studio", which towers over the garden and features a viewing area designed specifically for the Queen's eye height.

It promises to be spectacular but Johnson says it's also a little rough around the edges, which might ruffle a few feathers among traditionalists.

"It's organic, it's free-formed, it's got really hard-core environmental messaging," Mr Johnson said.

"We're not going to be polishing the leaves, we're not going to be pruning the dead fern throngs because that's what occurs in nature."

"There will be people that will not like it but I have had some extraordinary feedback."

The Australians will be competing against 14 other designs, including a garden supported by Prince Harry.

The show celebrates its centenary this year, with tickets selling out in record time.

"The Chelsea is regarded as the Olympics of horticulture, landscape design and landscape architecture," Mr Johnson said.

"It's also a brilliant opportunity for us to showcase our sustainable messaging to the world."