Meet the 2026 Lecturers: Learn From the People Shaping Garden Design
With the 2026 Garden Design Diploma intake now underway and classes commencing in March, LCGD has confirmed the lecturer team who will be teaching across the program this year.
Who you learn from shapes how you think, how you design and how confidently you step into a career in garden design.
A Major Opportunity for LCGD Students and Alumni
LCGD Australia is delighted to announce a significant and rare opportunity for our student and alumni community: the chance to design the new Welcome Garden Area within the heritage listed Kyneton Botanic Gardens.
This initiative is a collaboration between Macedon Ranges Shire Council and the Friends of Kyneton Botanic Gardens, with LCGD invited to contribute concepts for the redevelopment of this important public landscape. The selected design will be constructed on site, becoming a permanent feature of one of Victoria’s most historically significant botanic gardens.
Andrew Fisher Tomlin Named One of Hort Week’s People of the Year
Andrew Fisher Tomlin, Director of LCGD and leading educator in garden design and landscape design, has been recognised in Hort Week’s People of the Year. Discover how his teaching, planting design expertise and global influence continue to shape the future of garden design education.
2026 Border Garden Competition
The 2026 Border Garden Competition at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show has officially launched. If you’re an emerging designer ready to test your ideas on a major stage, you’ll find all key dates and entry details in the full article.
Celebrating the Class of 2025
We’re celebrating the London College of Garden Design Melbourne Class of 2025 — designers who turned curiosity into creativity and possibility into purpose. From first sketches to final portfolios, their journey reflects the imagination, skill and dedication shaping the future of garden and landscape design.
Andrew Fisher Tomlin on The Modern Professional Planting Designer
LCGD Director Andrew Fisher Tomlin has released his latest book, The Modern Professional Planting Designer — already a bestseller. We sat down with Andrew to talk about what inspired it, the global shift towards plant-led design, and why Australia’s landscapes play such a vital role in shaping the future of planting design.
Graduate Showcase: Emily Rubira at Parliament House for NGIV
When LCGD Melbourne graduate Emily Rubira of Rubira by Design was commissioned by the Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) to create the Victorian Horticulture Showcase Garden at Parliament House, it marked a defining moment in her career, and a celebration of Victorian-grown plants at one of the state’s most iconic venues.
Inside Stonefields: An Unforgettable Learning Experience for Students
Each year, our second-year students are invited to experience something truly special – a private tour of Stonefields, the renowned country garden of celebrated designer Paul Bangay OAM.
Applications now open for 2026
Last year we experienced unprecedented demand for places on our Garden Design Program, so we are already receiving applications to study with us from next year.
Graduate Spotlight: Jane Gilpin Published in the UK’s Garden Design Journal
We’re thrilled to celebrate LCGD Melbourne graduate Jane Gilpin, whose work has been featured in the Garden Design Journal, the official publication of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD) in the UK.
Cranbourne Botanic Gardens Field Trip
One of the highlights of our first-year program is the annual visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, a place where Australian landscape design, horticulture and ecological principles converge in the most breathtaking way.
Lighting the Landscape: Students learn from Gardens at Night
As part of our ongoing commitment to connecting students with leading professionals, LCGD hosted a special learning session with Gardens at Night™, Australia’s foremost experts in architectural and garden lighting.
Students joined the Malvern showroom experience either in person or online from across Australia and New Zealand, gaining behind-the-scenes insight into how lighting transforms a garden’s structure, texture, and atmosphere.
LCGD Graduates Win Gold at MIFGS
Congratulations to LCGD Graduates Zoe Rush of Hive Landscape (Toowoomba) and Emily Rubira of Rubira by Design (Yarra Valley), who joined forces to create States of Green — an award-winning garden at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS).
Blending Queensland’s lush tropical textures with Victoria’s grounded planting style, the garden celebrated connection, calm and place, earning the duo both the Award of Excellence and a Gold Medal in the Achievable Gardens category.
Student Achievement: Kate James Wins Border Garden Competition
We’re celebrating another standout year at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, where LCGD Melbourne second-year student Kate James of Terre Verte Landscape Design took out First Place in the Border Garden Competition.
Her design, The Ancient Colours Garden, is a masterclass in creativity and storytelling — exploring the incredible pigments found in nature. The painted panels within her garden were dyed using the very plants she grows, showcasing a deep connection between horticulture, artistry and sustainability.
Described as one of the most talked-about gardens at the show, Kate’s work exemplifies the imagination and innovation emerging from our students each year.