A GARDENER from Mt Martha has made an unforgettable debut at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
Andrew Stark was awarded the prestigious Silver Gilt medal for his first-ever show garden, Urban Luxe, impressing judges and visitors alike with a modern take on a classic Italian design.
“This is my first show garden anywhere, so I’ve sort of come out of the blocks exploding. It’s pretty unreal,” he told The News.
A Mt Martha resident since 1975, Stark has been running Andrew Stark Gardens for 35 years. Known for his busy, booked-out business, he said the flower show was a chance to showcase what he could do on a larger stage.
“Always busy, always booked out for at least a year in advance so it was my time to stick my head up and say, right guys, here I am at the Flower Show and this is what I can do,” he said.
Stark said his garden blended classical Italian elements, like urns, imported pots, and clipped trees, with contemporary touches such as modern furniture and colour-blocked flowering plants. Measuring 18 by 14 meters, his show garden drew hundreds to Stark’s talks and thousands of visitors over the five-day show.
The project was a monumental effort, taking more than 14 months of planning and preparation.
“Thousands, thousands, thousands of hours,” he said.
“Every day working on it, every weekend working on it, and then the nine-day build.
He said between 10 and 15 people were working 12 to 16-hour days on the project with Stark personally putting in two days of 21 hours to “get it done”.
In an added thrill, Stark even edged out television personality Jamie Durie, whose garden The Future Garden received a silver for the same Show Garden category.
“I feel fabulous. I’ve looked up to Jamie for years and as this is my first show garden. I gave it everything, and the reward’s there for me.”
Taking out top prize was Matt York who claimed the esteemed City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best in Show with a garden inspired by Victoria’s southern coastline, We the Wild.
First published in the Mornington News – 31 March 2026
