LCGD Melbourne

For years, Sarah McLauchlan had a successful career, a busy family life and more than enough on her plate.

She’d trained as a physiotherapist, run a jewellery business and spent close to a decade running a commercial demolition company.

But there was one thing she kept coming back to.

Gardens.

Not because she planned a career in them. Not because she had a five-year strategy. Simply because it was the thing she loved.

Eventually, she decided to stop wondering “what if?” and enrolled to study garden design.

While still a student, she won the Open Gardens Victoria Design Competition and exhibited her award-winning garden, Nature’s Pantry, at the Melbourne Flower & Garden Show

Today, Sarah runs Sarah McLauchlan Gardens on the Mid North Coast of NSW, with a thriving design practice, a full client schedule and work featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Pip Magazine, The Weekly Times and Focus Magazine.

What stands out most about Sarah’s story isn’t just where she ended up.

It’s the reminder that it’s never too late to pursue something you truly love.

This is the first story in a series celebrating the many different paths people take into garden design.

You can read Sarah’s full story via the link in our bio - and we’d love to hear yours!

Have you changed careers? Or is there something you’ve always dreamed of doing?

Images of Nature’s Pantry by Josephine’s Landscape Photography

Last week, our first-year students spent the day at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne exploring one of Australia’s most significant contemporary landscapes.

While many attended in person, students from across Australia and New Zealand joined the day live online, allowing the entire cohort to share the experience in real time.

Site visits like these are an important part of the program, giving students the opportunity to study planting, materials, landform and landscape composition in a way that’s difficult to replicate in a classroom.

A huge thank you to the team at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne for another valuable day of learning.

We’ve been talking a lot about AI lately.

Not because we think it’s replacing designers, but because so many people are asking about it.

One thing we’ve noticed since publishing our article on AI and garden design is just how many conversations it has started. The technology itself is fascinating, but most people aren’t really talking about the technology. They’re talking about creativity, experience, judgement and the future of design.

Which got us thinking. What part of design do you think AI will never replace?

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

You can read the full article https://www.lcgd.com.au/news/ai-and-garden-design

AI can generate a garden image in seconds.

It can suggest plants, produce concepts and create visualisations faster than ever before.

So where does that leave garden designers?

Perhaps in a stronger position than many people think.

The more we use AI, the more obvious it becomes that great garden design has never been about producing drawings alone. It’s about understanding people, understanding place and imagining possibilities that don’t yet exist.

AI is a powerful tool. But it remains just that: a tool.

As Brent Reid explains in our latest article, there is no substitute for the human touch. Or human creativity.

The future isn’t AI or designers.

It’s AI and designers.

Read the full article https://www.lcgd.com.au/news/ai-and-garden-design

There aren’t many garden design students who get invited through the gates of Stonefields.

Or spend a day walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne discussing design decisions in real time with a practising designer.

In June, that’s exactly where our students will be.

First year students will visit Royal Botanic Cranbourne to study one of Australia’s most important contemporary landscapes. Second year students will head to Stonefields, Paul Bangay’s extraordinary private garden, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes learning experience.

For students joining online from across Australia and New Zealand, Brent Reid lectures live via video throughout the day so they experience the same conversations and learning alongside the Melbourne cohort.

It’s one thing to learn about great gardens. It’s another to stand inside them and understand why they work.

Our thanks to for his ongoing support of tomorrow’s garden designers and for generously opening the gates of Stonefields to our students each year.

Continuing our celebration of the wider community at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Congratulations to three more LCGD graduates and collaborators whose gardens were recognised on one of the world’s most celebrated horticultural stages.

John Howlett
Flood Re: Contain the Rain Garden
GOLD

Susie Kennedy and Kate Henning
Tales from the Riverbank
GOLD

Sally-Ann Rees, Kate Campbell and William Murray of
The Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden
SILVER GILT

From balcony gardens and container gardens through to plant-focused exhibits, these projects continue to show the breadth of ideas, creativity and storytelling that landscape design can bring to Chelsea.

From all of us at LCGD Australia, congratulations to our UK peers and everyone involved in bringing these remarkable gardens to life.

SILVER GILT + RHS Environmental Innovation Award

Congratulations to graduate and Alex Michaelis for The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Created with and supported by .giving.back the garden draws inspiration from the landscapes and culture of Morecambe Bay while exploring the power of landscape to create opportunity, connection and long-term community impact.

Developed in collaboration with young adults from Morecambe, the project focuses on creativity, practical skills and pathways into the green industries, particularly for young people who are often overlooked.

What makes the project even more meaningful is its life beyond Chelsea. Following the show, the garden will move permanently to Eden Project Morecambe, where it will become part of a new community garden designed for learning, gathering and stewardship.

A thoughtful and deeply purposeful project that demonstrates how garden design can extend far beyond aesthetics alone.

From LCGD Australia, we’re proud to celebrate the achievements of our wider LCGD community on one of the world’s most celebrated horticultural stages. 👏 👏

GOLD + RHS Chelsea Small Garden of the Year 🥇

A huge congratulations to graduates Joe and Laura Carey of for : Flourish in the City at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The garden celebrates the City of London through a rich layering of materials, history and planting. Portland stone, copper, oyster shells collected from London restaurants and even the same cut of stone used at Buckingham Palace all help ground the garden deeply in place.

Hidden rivers flowing beneath the capital informed the design, while the planting reflects the importance of green spaces within urban life. Places that allow people and cities alike to flourish.

From LCGD Australia, we’re incredibly proud to see our wider LCGD community recognised on one of the world’s most celebrated horticultural stages.

Congratulations Joe and Laura on an extraordinary achievement!