WONDERLAND

For his gold medal-winning ‘I See Wild’ garden at this year’s Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, landscape designer Phillip Withers combined art and whimsy with sculptural hardscaping and garden beds of hardy succulents and cacti, flowering natives and fragrant herbs. At its centre is a raised circular platform with firepit and natural seats, both made of Bamstone bluestone. “I wanted to create a feeling that you are floating and at one with nature,” says the Melbourne-based designer, who strives for a sense of timelessness in his work. Geometric patterns within the paving work draw the eye through the landscape, as does an installation of hand-painted totem poles, a collaboration between Phillip and design brands Pop & Scott and Castle + Cubby. For more information, call (03) 9077 5989 or visit phillipwithers.com