A Triumph at the 2025 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

We are thrilled to extend our congratulations to MLSA Members Distinctive Gardens, Desert Flower Landscaping, Yergan Landscape and SA Grown by Heynes Wholesale Nursery, for their outstanding achievement at the 2025 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Rob Cooper of Distinctive Gardens was honoured with the prestigious City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best in Show for his garden, ‘ə’skāp.’ Designed as a space to help visitors slow down and reconnect with themselves, ‘ə’skāp’ featured a lush, vibrant, predominantly Australian native garden that felt both welcoming and intriguing. The garden invited you to immerse yourself in its beauty, blending modern style with natural elements to create a harmonious balance between structure and flow.

Key features of ‘ə’skāp’ included a sleek, vine-covered structure that offers shade and a soft touch, along with natural stone seating and a fireplace that fosters gathering and conversation. A calming reflection pond cooled the garden and mirrored the foliage and sky above, while floating entrance stairs and walkways created the feeling of walking through the garden and over water. The careful selection of grasses, chosen for their height, textures, and colours, allows the foliage to flutter gently in the breeze, creating a lush, layered atmosphere throughout the garden.

Rob credited this remarkable achievement to the incredible collaboration of his dedicated team. Malcolm Berce, owner of Desert Flower Landscaping and his team have been instrumental planning and building this show garden. Desert Flower landscaping is also responsible for the stunning freeform natural stonework in the firepit area. Malcolm’s expertise in working with natural stone has been invaluable in bringing this beautiful feature to life.  An amazing relationship was formed building, showcasing the garden together to the public and packing it down.

Jason Schulz, owner of Yergan Landscape, whose expertise has created the detailed working drawings and developed the structure from initial concept to the beautiful pavilion built today. They have helped make this complex project possible and were key members in the construction phase.

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, ‘ə’skāp’ has a purpose: once the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show came to a close, the team have chosen to gift the structure to the Little Heroes Foundation.

The pavilion will be auctioned at their annual gala ball to raise vital funds for childhood dementia research—a cause that the entire team is proud to support.

Rob also attributed the incredible sponsors who help made ‘ə’skāp’ possible: Heynes Wholesale Nursery, Apex Steel, Tumbled Natural Stone, Underwood Builders, City Crane Trucks, Waterpro, Jeffries Soils, Newton Sand and Metal, Tynte Flowers, Mapei, Just Rocks, and Instyle Outdoors.

MLSA applaud the ‘ə’skāp’ team for their remarkable contributions to the Show and for their commitment to excellence in landscape design. Their achievement is a testament to the creativity and passion that defines our Master Landscapers community.

About MIFGS

This year's Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show has officially concluded, welcoming over 115,000 visitors over five days—the highest attendance in more than two decades.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, the Show was a breathtaking display of garden design, floral artistry, and innovation, featuring more than 1,850 businesses from across Australia and showcasing over 150,000 plants. It was a vibrant celebration of nature, creativity, and community spirit.

This year's Show emphasized the profound connection between green spaces and well-being. Themes of mental health and wellness were intricately woven throughout the program, highlighting tranquil sensory gardens, meditative installations, and nature-based education for children. The concept of “dirt therapy” resonated deeply with both visitors and designers alike, with new research showing that over 60% of Australians experience reduced anxiety and enhanced mood while gardening.

At the heart of the Show were the magnificent Show Gardens, collectively valued at over $2 million.