Home garden inspiration: These stunning ‘achievable gardens’ from the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show are perfect inspo for your next yard project

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS) has wowed crowds once again with the incredible gardens and floral arrangements entered in the competition categories for 2025.

But one section stands out for those at home looking to makeover or just revamp an area of their front yard, backyard or courtyard.

The Challenger Achievable Garden category is for students and educational institutions to show off their skills to design with gardens we could easily see in our own home.

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States of Green

The 2025 excellence and gold awards went to the States of Green garden from London College of Garden Designs’ Zoe Rush and Emily Rubira.

Inspired by both tropical Queensland and Melbourne’s sophisticated style, the centrepiece of the garden is the arched sitting plinth which is a space for reflection.

Plants featured include tree ferns and indigenous plants like Midgem berry, both of which you can see while strolling along a Coldstream pebble footpath.

And if you look closely you can see a handcrafted steel wombat in the foliage to provide some whimsy and a nod to our native wildlife.

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Alfia Australis

Meaning “it is well down under”, Morayo Adeyemi’s Alafia Australis garden, also awarded gold at MIFGS, aims to be a healing garden that links Australian and West African traditions.

The hero feature is a pavilion wall made of rammed earth with raised garden beds wrapping around it.

Inside the pavilion is an outdoor kitchen and workshop space designed with newly arrived West Africans in mind.

Plants include ornamental and edible varieties found in both Australia and West Africa.

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Bush Bathing

This might be the most relaxing space to take a bath and that’s exactly what Katie Fraser had in mind when she designed this garden, which took home silver at MIFGS.

Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) the nature surrounding the bath aims to provide relaxation as you soak your cares away.

Tea trees planted in a Fibonacci sequence surround the bath in a nod to the growth pattern of shells and plants.

The mostly edible plants can be enjoyed as you sit back and relax in the outdoor tub.

Mi Casa Es Tu

Transport yourself to Mexico with this garden, awarded silver at MIFGS, inspired by designer Mia Zielinski’s travels there in 2018.

The house proud culture, bright colours and sacred connection to nature are all incorporated in this garden, which has a bright pink wall focal point.

Plants in the garden are native to Mexico and Australia and there is a mix of drought-tolerant varieties and seasonal flowers.

It features a sunken courtyard that evokes all sorts of emotions while gazing upon the space.

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Mediterranean Musings

Inspired by Melbourne’s proud history of Mediterranean cultures, this garden, which was awarded silver at MIFGS, incorporates earthy tones and colours in the stonework, wood, plant boxes and plants.

Plants used are heat tolerant in consideration of gardens adapting to temperatures getting warmer.

Adam Clements found this style of garden achievable for Melbourne because of its similar climate to the Mediterranean.

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Evergreen Escape

Designed for entertaining friends and family in a nature-filled space, this garden can be used in any season thanks to the fire pit by the floating bench.

The spotted gum hardwood bench is attached to a raised garden bed which sits alongside a barbecue bench capped with bluestone pavers.

The name of the garden comes from the evergreen plants used in the space, which create a tranquil oasis.

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show is on now and runs until Sunday March 30, 2025 at the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

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