Melbourne was in full bloom this week as Australia’s biggest, and most beautiful, annual garden design fair the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show crowned some of the country’s most breathtaking horticultural landscapes.

The iris-istible festival, which lasted for five days from Wednesday, March 29 to Sunday, April 2, gathered plant and flower enthusiasts from across the country to the Carlton Gardens for a week of informative discussions, interactive classes, and of course, the highly anticipated horticultural design winners.

Charlie Albone from Inspired Exteriors was presented with the City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best in Show for his Show Garden titled The Container Garden. This garden, which pays tribute to outdoor living and showcases two repurposed shipping containers and a rooftop terrace, received a Gold Show Garden Award and the Horticultural Media Association Award for its exceptional use of plant life.

The Bam Stone Garden, created by the renowned landscape architect Peter Donegan from Ireland, and Aurum, designed by Scott Wynd from MINT Pool & Landscape Design, shared the first-place Gold Show Garden Award. While Wynd’s design received the Mark Bence Construction Award and the Innovative Design Award presented by Peugeot.

Nadia Cole from Platylobium Landscape Design won the Silver Glit Show Garden Award for her creation named Consciousness.

Meanwhile, the competitions also saw a four-way tie for the Silver Show Garden Award, which included Villa Di Lusso by Renee Reiter from Invidia Landscapes, Lunaria Pods by Inge Jabara from Inge Jabara Landscapes, Mindset by Joel Barnett from InStyle Gardens, and Composition by Christian Jenkins from Christian Jenkins Landscape Design. Another design called Alone, Together by Matt York from Budling Design received the Bronze Show Garden Award.

Elliot Summers and Alistair Kirkpatrick from Stratis Landscape Architects won the top prize for the Boutique Garden Award with their fire-inspired design called Karrikin Garden, which showcased the finest small space horticultural design.

Rebecca Mitchell from Little Footprint Studios took first place in the Ryman Healthcare Balcony Garden Award with her design titled Escape to the Balcony. Lastly, Rachael Saulle’s design Seijaku for Calibre Gardens earned first place in the Border Garden Award.

Which garden was your favourite?