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Phillip Johnson returns to Melbourne Flower Show with ANZAC tribute

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Image Phillip Johnson’s winning Chelsea Flower Show 2013 entry.

Multi-award winning landscape design team, Phillip Johnson Landscapes, will return to this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden show (MIFGS) with an Anzac community tribute garden, produced in collaboration with Lynn Berry’s 5000 Poppies project.

The Anzac tribute garden commemorates 100 years of service and sacrifice by referencing the landscapes that were described in personal letters sent by Johnson’s great grandfather, Lieutenant Frederick Johnson, who sacrificed his life in the First World War.

In his letters, Lieutenant Johnson would write: “…I had a dream last night that I was home in Reedy creek again… Oh how lovely and green the grass was, and everything was so fresh and bright.  I could see trees and bushes that I remember so well.  How real everything was and how disappointing to find it a dream when I awoke…“ 

The centrepiece of Phillip Johnson’s garden is a reflective body of water that is reminiscent of the creeks and waterholes referenced by Frederick in his letters. 15,000 handcrafted poppies, donated by Lynn Berry’s volunteers across Australia will surround the waterhole in a vibrant red blanket.

Phillip Johnson Landscapes most recently won the prestigious ‘Best in Show’ medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2013, and is renowned for its sustainable landscape designs that integrate indigenous and native plants with natural materials, environmental construction practices, and integrated water management.

Their previous awards at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show include the ‘Best in Show’ award in 2009, two Gold awards in 2012 and 2009, two Sustainability awards in 2012 and 2011, a Silver award in 2012, and a Bronze award in 2011.

To see Phillip Johnson’s Anzac garden, visit the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, from Wednesday 25th March to Sunday 29th March, at the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

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