Chris Larkin is a member of the Australian Plants Society and she has an interest in garden design with Australian plants. Her presentation is titled, ‘Designing a Garden for Life’.
Kate introduced the guest speaker, Chris Larkin, who spoke on ‘Gardens for Life’.
Chris is a member of the Australian Plant Society and a Leader of the Society for the Dandenong foothills area. In her presentation, Chris talked of her passion and journey, incrementally developing and redesigning her one acre garden over at least 33 years.
Chris has used native and indigenous plants and explained how she had provided habitat and life for wildlife, soil, small critters and plants. Chris promoted redesigning space for functionality, beauty and wellbeing and she explained many very practical tips for soft and hard design of our gardens.
Chris talked of the importance of layers and shade in our garden, the need for some repetition and diversity of plants, the importance of the curve for a relaxed setting and the need to take advantage of views, including making peep holes in our gardens. She also suggested the need for seats, water, rocks, logs and space although not necessarily in the form of grass.
When choosing plants, the speaker explained her priorities in considering first the plant form needed, then the suitability of the plant for the particular site and thirdly the colour. She explained her view that our survival depended on the natural world and that by developing gardens for wildlife, we would be supporting the natural world in our gardens through the provision of diversity, healthy air, ‘nature bathing’, connection to country, positive responses, problem solving and creativity. Chris summarised her talk emphasising that garden design is not a destination but a journey and that elements of hard and soft design of the landscape, as well as rules around good design, can be used to achieve wellbeing for all life.
