Table Of Contents
Property
The Wave Garden
Style
Contemporary Sculptural
Location
Carlton, Victoria,
Australia
Year
2010
Photographer
Patrick Redmond
Design Notes

A show garden combining native plant garden design with flowing hardscape, delivering an award-winning landscape inspired by coastal movement and built under pressure.

Services & Products from this project

The Wave Garden – Gold & RHS Award, MIFGS 2010

Circular steel garden structure with organic perforations framing pathway in modern landscape design
Contemporary Sculptural
Published April 5, 2026
Special Thank you to:

Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (Event Host)

Property
The Wave Garden
Style
Contemporary Sculptural
Location
Carlton, Victoria,
Australia
Year
2010
Photographer
Patrick Redmond
Design Notes

A show garden combining native plant garden design with flowing hardscape, delivering an award-winning landscape inspired by coastal movement and built under pressure.

Awarded Gold and the Royal Horticultural Society Comeadow Award at the 2010 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, The Wave Garden explores the translation of natural movement into built form. Delivered within a 10-day build window in Carlton Gardens, the project demonstrates a refined approach to landscape design, where concept, execution, and performance align under pressure.

Drawing inspiration from the Australian coastline, the design uses flowing lines and organic geometry to shape the space, contrasting the rigid forms often found in residential environments. Curved decking and layered zones create a relaxed and immersive setting, reflecting a considered approach to outdoor living space design that encourages connection, rest, and experience.

Planting plays a central role in reinforcing the design intent. Australian natives are used in structured, repetitive groupings, creating rhythm and cohesion while supporting native plant garden design principles suited to long-term performance. This planting strategy was recognised with the prestigious Comeadow Award, highlighting both aesthetic and horticultural strength.

The result is a landscape that balances artistry and usability, delivered by an experienced landscape designer to create a space that feels calm, resolved, and deeply connected to its natural inspiration.

Behind the Build & Progress

Being on site at the show is a different kind of pressure. Everything is compressed. Tight timelines, constant movement, decisions happening in real time. You’re not just designing anymore, you’re on the tools, coordinating and adjusting as it all comes together. Here, walking the build and talking things through, it’s about making sure the intent holds under that fast paced pressure. Materials, levels, structure, it all has to land exactly as planned, even if conditions shift. That’s the reality of show gardens. Fast, intense, but incredibly rewarding when it all clicks and the space starts to speak for itself.

By: Paal Grant
Paal Grant is a regional Victorian landscape designer specialising in intelligent, low-maintenance acreage gardens that integrate architecture, climate and long-term performance across complex rural sites.

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