Singapore Garden Festival 2006 - 'One Country'
Australia is One Country. A multi-cultural country, whose geography is as diverse as its population. A country surrounded by oceans, fringed with forests, and at its heart is the famous Australian Outback where desert sands and rich plant and animal life have survived millions of years of harsh conditions.
This show garden, One Country, aims to depict Australian design in a contemporary garden setting showing the strong influences of this diverse country.
The oceans and rivers are represented by the cascading water feature that provides a calming feel to the garden, and a modern version of the billabong, a pool of water separated from a main river source.
Forests are depicted in the boundary walls. A rusted steel panel wall symbolises the density of a Eucalypt forest and the after effects of bushfire. The back wall is inspired by lime green/ yellow fungal growth commonly found on bark of Eucalypt trees in cool, wet parts of Australia. The back wall, using a pattern influenced by Australian fabrics, becomes a modern feature in the garden.
The outback is represented in the garden area, covered in the red sands of outback Australia.
Plantings digress from the forest areas, to the water source which provides life, and to the drier middle regions where planting becomes sparse in dry desert conditions. Plants include many Australian species, with some exotic plants that tolerate similar conditions. An Australian tree of note is the Wollemi Pine, a rare tree recently discovered in a remote gorge in NSW, Australia.
The central feature of the garden is the round entertainment room. At its centre is the feature light inspired by the Banksia Flower, with its green core and bands of orange and black stamen. Curved benches with Australian fabrics provide a comfortable place to entertain in this modern Australian garden.
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