The Master Landscaper & his Working Garden

Andrew Laidlaw was appointed as the Landscape Architect for the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1997. Under the leadership of Richard Barley and Phil Moors initially, and more recently Chris Cole, Andrew has been heavily involved in master planning and setting landscape direction for the Gardens ever since. Andrew has been the lead designer on the award-winning Children's Garden, the acclaimed Guilfoyle's Volcano, the lush Fern Gully, the innovative Arid Garden and more recently the Australian Drylands.

Andrew talks about his design principles and what inspires him to create such joy for all to explore in the Gardens, keeping faith with William Guilfoyle’s original plan but allowing visitors to enjoy a more immersive experience.