Phillip Johnson - Connected : the sustainable landscapes of Phillip Johnson

Foreword

To marvel at Mother Nature is to be in awe of her snowy mountains, rainforests, raging rivers, endless seas, rocky deserts and sandy beaches. To be fascinated by the sweep of wonders on the wing, and creeping crawling insects; to be hooked by the wildlifebig and small; to walk blinded by the colours, and be struck dumb by the sounds of winds, waves and weather. To be captured by the perfumes of the evening, warmed by sunsoaked stones and chilled by twilight dew.

Our landscapes are extraordinary. Our souls are at their mercy. Our wellbeing tied to their very presence. Just a glimpse, just a glance, can change our moods. There can be few more compelling instincts than the urge to embrace a beautiful view. Its simply irresistible. The shiny falling apple which is the gravity of place. All of us, young or old, are drawn by a fundamental lure of the land, as natural as a Cootamundra bloom.

But just as seeing a beautiful landscape can take the breath away, being immersed in one can be a life-changing encounter. To touch it, to spend time in it, to share it with loved ones, to be moved by it, to let it gently elevate our spirits. The great outdoors remains lifes great canvas.

This is the world of Phillip Johnson. Nature doing what nature does best.

Our living landscapes are Phillips palette. And what an artist he is. The seemingly bottomless pit of passion and energy that is Phillip will engage you, inspire you, charm you and captivate you.

Phillips gardens are for gazing at and frombut most of all for experiencing and sharing. And you can be sure youll give yourself to a Phillip Johnson garden in ways you may never have imagined.

When Phillip with his partners, Wes Fleming and Dylan Brady and their team, combined their talents to scoop the pool at the 2013 Centenary Chelsea Flower Show in London, they achieved what no other Australians had done beforeBest in Show! They danced about in delight, hugging each other and wiping away tears of joy. On the other side of the world we did too.

The story of their Chelsea triumph is an epic. It is a story made for goose bumps and lumpy throats. Years of planning and dedication were essential. But Phillips design to transform a flat stretch of urban park in London into an intimate, multi-levelled, multi-layered slice of the Australian landscape was an inspiration. So detailed was the design that Her Majesty when visiting asked Phillip (not her Philip!) about the frogs in the gardenin fact, what our beaming Queen had heard was Phillips pre-recorded frog sounds placed sweetly and discreetly in the garden. This is where Phillip excelstransforming outdoor spaces into places of love and other muses.

Every garden has its reason. But each is of and from nature. Water circling in play with the clarity of rain. Plants selected for their very essence. Rocks and logs placed as if they had always been there. Each garden in context but each a place where all seems as one.

The detail in Phillips landscapes and gardens is exquisite. It is beautifully balanced to sustain itself. And to build a much bigger whole that is a living piece of our natural heritage.

Phillips home state is Victoria. Our Indigenous heritage combines with the achievements of the free settlers who came from all corners of the world, largely from the 1850s onwards, with a firm eye on the future.

The civic legacy they have left us is remarkable: our parliamentary precinct, town halls, court houses, churches and stately homes. It is at the core of our states identity, as is Victorias worldwide reputation for magnificent gardens. Victoria will always be Australias Garden State.

The energetic, youthful and multicultural spirit of our forebears is with us all every day. There is nothing that cant be done here if we put our minds to the task. Phillip has that spirit in abundance. And it shows. Its fresh and brave and intoxicating.

I met Phillip many years ago at the wonderful International Flower and Garden Show in Melbournes World Heritage-listed Exhibition Buildings set in the beautiful Carlton Gardens. He was accepting, with typical pent-up emotion, a well-earned award. Some years later, as Premier of Victoria, I had the pleasure of ensuring that Phillips team had the backing they needed for their mission at Chelsea. Their win, their excitement, was something we could all share. The creative talent in our state was again being appreciated across the world. In Phillips work you may not find what you expect or what youve found before. You wont find topiary. You wont find trimmed hedges. Or giant pots. Or lawns to showcase a budding creative mower. You wont find obedient roses and camellias all in a row. And you wont find cast-iron gazebos or paved paths. But you will know truly beautiful gardens. Youll experience the transformations. And you will find places where children and birds choose to be and choose to explore.

Could we want for more? And what a continuing legacy that is for all Australians.

Phillip Johnson does magicin the garden!

Ted Baillieu

Premier of Victoria

20102013

Contents

Introduction

I grew up in Glen Waverley, Victoria, in the heart of suburbia. My dad loved working outdoors, and from a very young age I used to work alongside him. I just wanted to be outside, helping him potter in the garden. My gran and pa on my fathers side lived in a California bungalow in Caulfield South. The front of the garden was very traditionally English, with hydrangeas and birches, and they also had a beautiful jacaranda tree. Every time I visited, I would walk up the western side of the garden through a fernery. The paths were made of crushed-up shell grit my gran collected from the beach, and I still recall the texture and the sound of walking on that shell surface. It was so tactile, and it crunched under our feet. There was a little area where we could dig. I could move rocks around and make little ponds and creeks. The exterior of my pas shed was covered in electric-blue morning glory, and we used to go in and see all his tools hanging up. My pa never threw anything out. I learnt about re-using and being self-sufficient from him. I learnt that everything can be used!