Michael Looker of the Royal Botanical Gardens Melbourne drew up the planting plans for restoring Ballarat's historic gardens at Hymettus in 1985 for Heritage Victoria. This was done as it was the only known intact Victorian era working-mans exhibition garden in Australia with surviving layout and original documentation and photographs. Restoration of the garden was aided by an Australian Bicentenary grant.Plans for the restoration of Hymettus' front flower garden using old photographs of its exhibition gardens first opened to the public in 1917 and drawn up by the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens for Australia's Bi-centenary 1988.historic gardens, ballarat, hymettus, royal botanical gardens, melbourne, lumley, looker, heritage victoria, exhibition garden.

Refer to Jones Flower Farm NP4498The Jones house at the flower farm in Mt Pleasant Road Nunawading. Overgrown garden at front of house.jones flower farm, mt pleasant road nunawading

Flower shows or Horticultural exhibitions were a popular form of entertainment and scientific pastime in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and were widely reported on and followed. Ballarat was a major centre for nurseries and prided itself as a garden city promoting many shows at all levels including grand national exhibitions. Exhibitors ranged from professional hybridists, nurserymen and florists to amateur growers. This award represents the cottage or amateur class in flower shows and was awarded at St Andrew's Jubilee Exhibition and Flower Show. It is one of many in the Taffe family collection won by members of the family between 1899 and 2004. The collection covers three generations of amateur growers and showers across three different centuries.This collection also highlights one of the interactions between members of different religious faith communities in Ballarat in the early twentieth century as this Roman Catholic family were exhibiting at Church of England and Presbyterian functions as well as other shows across the community. An example of the popularity and social significance of flower shows in the early twentieth century. Such items also demonstrate social cohesion and the spirit of interfaith relations before the First World War. It also highlights the importance of gardening in the early twentieth century, the excellence of the gardens at Hymettus in Ballarat and the spirit of self reliance of Australians.Class B, No 14. 57, Six varieties of pansies, Miss Taaffest andrew's, jubilee, jubilee exhibition and flower show, ballarat, pansies miss taaffe, taffe, baxter & stubbs., roman catholic, church of england, presbyterian, interfaith.

Page with 6 photographs. (1-4) MIFGS display and the winning garden designs of Fiona Webber and Jaz Rhodes (students). (5) Tree Planting by Vice Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, John Rayner and Andrew Smith (6) Drinks in Gardens for the launch of the Burnley 125 events.mifgs, display, garden designs, fiona webber, jaz rhodes, students, tree planting, vice chancellor, melbourne international flower and garden show, professor glyn davis, john rayner, andrew smith, 125 celebrations