Lille Fro Garden - 'Zero Degrees'

We are very excited to have won Gold for our MIFGS garden this year - a top honour for all that have worked tirelessly over the 2 months leading up to the show, and in particular throughout the 9 nine days of set up.

We were honoured to be asked by Lille Fro Australia to design a garden for them at this years show.

Lille Fro is a not for profit organization who raise funds to build greenhouses for villages and nomadic tribes in the cold climate desert in far north India. These greenhouses help improve the livelihood and wellbeing of the people, making it possible to grow vegetables most of the year round. This in turn improves their health and nutrition, as well as providing education. Excess produce can be sold at markets providing income to educate their children, purchase other provisions, thus creating a sustainable, basic lifestyle.The garden is centred around a mudbrick greenhouse – typical of those built for villages and indigenous communities in the cold climate desert in far north India. The mudbrick design features solid walls on three sides of the greenhouse, acting as heat banks and doors to provide ventilation and access. A sloping polyurethane roof – supported by bamboo poles - is angled to capture maximum sunlight and warmth.

Visitors to the display are transported to the Himalayan region through a photographic backdrop, and invited to walk the stony path to better view the greenhouse and the nourishing vegetables that grow within – all suited to a high altitude climate including tomatoes, leeks, spinach, carrots and lettuce.

Along with Prue Metcalfe Gardens & Design, many businesses have donated their time and materials to help make this garden come to fruition. Many thanks go to PMP Contracting for building the mudbrick greenhouse, Simon McCurdy Landscapes for constructing the landscape, Magnify Media for producing magnificent mountain backdrops, and Speedy Seedlings for supplying the flawless vegetables.