Garden Showcase

Our annual Garden Showcase recognises and celebrates the wonderful gardens and gardeners across our city. It is open to residents, community groups, businesses and schools that want to share the story of their garden. In 2022, for the first time, the community helped to choose the winning entries, voting for their favourite gardens from an online gallery of shortlisted photographs and garden descriptions. Thank you to the over 400 people that voted. The winners received a voucher and a professional photo shoot of their garden. View the photos of their impressive gardens below.

Congratulations to all winners and entrants!

Gardening together

Category description: For communal or shared gardens that show how gardening together can build social connection.

Winning Entry: Oaklands Estate Kindergarten, Marion

This wonderful garden was planted specifically with young children and their families in mind. The garden has trees, shrubs, and plants that shade, feed and entice children and their families to learn about the world around them. It includes a vegetable garden, fruit trees, nature play spaces and a biodiversity garden. The kindergarten encourages passers-by as well as families to pick fruit from the peach, lemon, and mandarin trees in the front garden.

Edible garden

Category description: For productive gardens growing herbs, fruit or vegetables.

Winning Entry: The Wild Patch, Seacombe Heights

Originally a bare grass front lawn, the owners of this home garden converted it into an edible garden. They are endeavouring to be as organic as possible and apply permaculture principles as best they can. They have also set up a community library and give away their excess produce to our neighbours. They are aiming to grow their own vegetables to reduce their carbon footprint. They are currently growing olives, limes, apricots, asparagus, strawberries, capsicum, tomatoes, basil, chillies, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, silver beet, kale, cucumber, green beans and loads of parsley!

Outdoor garden

Category description: For attractive residential gardens that show originality or creativity and consideration for the environment.

Winning Entry: Paradise, Hallett Cove

Emma and her son have diligently nurtured their rental garden into a wonderland paradise of colour and delight. They have transformed their barren wasteland of weeds by transplanting potted plants and cuttings into the ground which have thrived and created a lush oasis. She wanted to create an attractive and relatively low-cost coastal garden to enjoy with her son.

Verge garden

Category description: For attractive verge gardens that have been designed with the environment in mind.

Winning Entry: Butterfly Garden, Marion

The plantings in this garden were inspired by Errin's long-lived interest in butterflies, specifically local Adelaide species. She approached the Marion Council a few years ago for permission to plant on the verge and sourced some Australian natives to start off. Since then, her love for the garden has grown and the family have researched native butterflies in their area, planting specifically so they have host plants to complete their life cycle.

Young gardener (under 12)

Category description: For children under 12 years old who show enthusiasm or commitment to gardening.

Winning Entry: Misha, Age 10, Hallett Cove

Misha has recently planted butterfly-attracting flower seeds among the Double Delight roses in her front garden. Misha prepared the soil for the seeds, planted the seeds, and regularly waters the garden. Butterflies remind Misha of her late Granny and bring joy when she sees them in the garden.

Wildlife-friendly garden

Category description: For gardens that support native wildlife such as birds, bees, butterflies, reptiles, frogs or bats!

Winning Entry: Wandilla Street Native Garden, Seaview Downs

This garden is made up of Australian native plants with a mixture of local and interstate provenance and garden art. The owners have been developing it for over 10 years. The garden includes a paved area with seating to allow passive reflection within nature and provides immense enjoyment. They are attempting to introduce a garden for birds and insects to thrive in the metropolitan area.