Arid Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

The Arid Garden, at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, is built on the site of the original 1940s arid garden and designed to display the incredible Robert and Ralph Field cacti and succulent collection. These plants were collected by Harry Blossfeld on his 1936-38 collecting trip through South America, and are of incredible botanical importance for their wild collected provenance and as the original source material for these species in Australia.

The original Arid Garden was in poor condition, suffering from theft and vandalism, and had been planned for in the Melbourne Gardens Master Plan. The project was designed by Andrew Laidlaw, with design development and documentation assistance from Andrea Proctor and Emma Herd.
The Arid Garden was opened to great acclaim in November 2020 and was made possible thanks to the generosity of a donor.

Project Summary

Lead Designer:
Andrew Laidlaw
Client:
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Year:
2020
Budget:
$1,000,000* from philanthropic source
Team and collaborators:
Mrs Joan Darling, major donor
Cacti and Succulent association, donor
Robert Field, plant collection donor
Andrew Laidlaw (lead designer) working with Andrea Proctor, Emma Herd and RBGV team
Warrandale Industries, landscape construction
Wirrawonga Consulting, engineering
SESL, horticultural soils
Royal Botanic Gardens, project management, planting and maintenance
*all budgets approximate

Features

  • Field cacti and succulent collection of known provenance, wild collected  material from South America (collected in the 1930s)
  • Display garden with raised beds and seating
  • Design draws on the unique cell patterns of cacti
  • Raised, high draining soil profile to support the collection
  • Seasonal, ephemeral displays of annual plants at edges
  • Reuses historic material from the original Arid Garden
  • Project from the Melbourne Gardens Master Plan 2020 - 2040
  • Winner of Master Landscapers 2021 Landscape of the Year - Commercial for Warrandale Industries
andrea proctor landscapes
 horticulture | landscape architecture | heritage   
www.andreaproctor.com.au        [email protected]      +61 411 037 886
we are grateful to laidlaw & laidlaw design for allowing us to share projects we completed together