STUDY DAY 2011 | THE GARDEN OF IDEAS 2 : CUT & DRIED: Arranging Australian plants with Richard Aitken

The history of gardening with Australian plants is but imperfectly known, yet there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the incorporation of this distinctive flora in Australian homes and gardens was widespread from early colonial times. The history of floral art using Australian plants is even less well understood, yet recent research presented here suggests that flower arranging was a significant step in the wider public appreciation of Australian flora.

Richard Aitken is a Melbourne-based architect, curator and historian. He has prepared conservation plans for many of Australia’s most significant historic gardens. His publications include The Garden of Ideas: four centuries of Australian Style (2010), Botanical Riches (2006), Seeds of Change (2006), Gardenesque (2004), and The Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens (2002).

THE GARDEN OF IDEAS: STUDY DAY 2 focusses on the historical use of plants in Australian interiors to coincide with FAIR HALL & GLAD PARLOUR: bringing the garden indoors