Diggers Club Gardens - Heronswood

With my big brother Stew in Melbourne for a week, we did a garden visiting blitz. I'm now a member of Diggers club and we went to all three of the Victorian Diggers Gardens. Starting with Heronswood, in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. I was greeted with a swathe of my favourite flowers, Cosmos, before we even got in the gate. It just got better and better after that. Starting with a great nursery and shop and leading into the fabulous grounds and then onto the veggie patch. If you've never been it's well worth putting on your list of places to go. We spent so much time in the garden we missed the cafe but the views over the bay are enough to tempt me back. Not to mention the endless photo opportunities. They even have a training room so I might look into the possibility of running a photography workshop there. Let me know if you might be interested. 

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

A dangerous day of being stimulated and inspired that could lead to you ripping up your whole yard to implement some seriously cool landscaping and garden ideas. 

And I've discovered I'm a new fan of Dahlia's. 

Show of Hands Photography Exhibition

If you're in Melbourne, and you weren't one of the 180 people who joined in the festivities of opening night last week, then get yourself out to Manningham Art Gallery in the next couple of weeks. The "Show of Hands" exhibition is a veritable smorgasbord of photography styles. There are 11 mini narratives to immerse yourself in, so there's something for everyone. There's also a floor talk on April 22 where you can speak to some of the contributing photographers.

Here are a few highlights from opening night. 

Photos taken on the night by Paul Johnstone Photography

Photography Exhibition

Prints are being delivered to Manningham Art Gallery tomorrow. 
Here's one of the images that will be exhibited. 

Fine Art Ink Jet Print on Canson Rag Paper. 60 x 42cm

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Have you seen the time lapse on the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Shows website? Mesmerising! http://melbflowershow.com.au/
I'll be heading there next week when my big brother comes to visit. He's an award winning gardener from Toowoomba so we'll be visiting lots of other gardens too. 

There's an interesting story about how this day with the crutches and the flowers in the hair  (taken at last years flower and garden show) ended up being the start of the inspiration for my current work about to be exhibited. I'll get back to tell you about it soon but I've just looked at the clock and it's 2am. I better get some zzz's. 

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers - Photography

Do you love flowers and nature and parks and gardens? Do you wish you could take better photographs of all the things you love? Well, I've got just the thing for you!

Come away to Toowoomba, the Garden City, at the best time of year (Spring!) for a festival of flowers, fun and fantastic photographic opportunities. If you've never been to the Carnival of Flowers you really have been missing out. Come with me and my brother to show you around the best of our home town and teach you how to take better photos. Opportunities are chosen to provide a wide range of situations to inspire and challenge you photographically. You'll receive tips and support all along the way.  As well as the wonderful parks and gardens, we'll try our hand at photographing fireworks, the night carnival, the street parade and much, much more. We'll stay in historic accommodation and travel around with ease in a mini bus just for us. We'll have a small group (maximum 10) so there's lots of time for one on one guidance with your photography. 

You can find out more about the Carnival here and more about our tour here. 

The new Toowoomba Airport has direct flights from many locations including Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns. We can pick you up from the airport or bus station.

I'd love to talk to you about this great get-a-way and answer all your questions. Drop me an email or give me a call on 0417 768 318. I hope you can join us!

Here's a photo of my brother and I on Mt Kosciusko in 2015. Stew is an award winning gardener who can answer your horticultural questions, especially when it comes to growing vegies (he has a blog here). He will also double as our bus driver and teller of bad jokes.