SEMKEN LANDSCAPING | MIFGS 2026

Semken Landscaping has been a powerhouse of the Australian landscape industry since 1987, growing from a small operation into one of the country’s most respected and accomplished landscaping companies. Their long history at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, supported by thousands of residential, commercial and public projects, has cemented their reputation for technical excellence, strong client relationships and award‑winning craftsmanship.

In 2024, founder Marty Semken was honoured with the prestigious Spirit of the Show Award, recognising his decades of contribution to MIFGS. The award celebrates individuals who embody loyalty to the Show, elevate the visitor experience through outstanding displays, engage positively with the Show community, and champion the value of participation. Marty’s leadership and passion have shaped not only Semken Landscaping’s culture, but the Show itself.

For many years, Warners has proudly collaborated with Semken Landscaping to bring these celebrated show gardens to life. Supplying high‑quality, garden‑ready plants across countless projects and displays, Warners has played a behind‑the‑scenes but essential role in Semken’s award‑winning success. This enduring partnership continues today, built on trust, shared standards of excellence, and a mutual commitment to showcasing the very best of Australian horticulture.

For this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, we are proud to support Semken Landscaping with plants across several major show gardens. Among them is “Love Blooms Here,” a romantic garden designed by Jason Hodges and built by Semken, which will host a real wedding during the Show. Inspired by timeless elegance and framed by the Royal Exhibition Building, the garden blends bluestone, soft seasonal florals, sculptural plantings and artistic elements to create a fairytale setting. Its story is deeply personal for the couple — Dean, a long‑time Semken team member, and Tayla — honouring the idea that love, like a garden, grows and flourishes over time.

Semken will also bring to life “Echoes of the Ancient Silk Road,” designed by Iftikhar Ahmed — a richly atmospheric landscape where history, architecture and nature intertwine. Alongside these feature gardens, Semken is once again partnering with Jamie Durie to construct his latest sustainability‑focused showpiece “A Creation With a Conscience,” a forward‑looking design that blends recycled materials, circular‑economy thinking and modern Australian living.

Collectively, these gardens highlight Semken Landscaping’s leadership at the forefront of landscape artistry and their enduring commitment to craftsmanship, innovation, and meaningful storytelling through plants.

We have included a selection of the featured plants below:

Osmanthus x burkwoodii
The glossy, dense, dark green foliage of this evergreen makes it the perfect choice as a hedging or screening plant. Its fragrant white flowers produced in spring attract insects and birds.

Magnolia x alba
An attractive evergreen tree that is extremely popular throughout South East Asia where it is said to bring good luck. From Spring to Autumn Magnolia x alba produces highly perfumed cream coloured flowers. The fragrance is magnificent, and for this reason it is used extensively in the perfume industry as an essential oil.

ECHOES OF THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD

Ficus carica 'Black Genoa' (Fig)
A fast growing, medium sized deciduous tree ‘Black Genoa’ produces an abundance of delicious dark red fleshed fruit with purple-green coloured skin in summer. Fantastic as a feature tree, or paired with other edibles. Is a staple of any Mediterranean style or edible garden. 

Punica granatum (Pomegranate)
Pomegranate is a deciduous, bushy shrub or small tree that has bright, glossy green leaves that turn a vibrant yellow in autumn. In late spring to early summer, it produces stunning trumpet-shaped flowers that are bright orange to red. These beautiful blooms are followed by large, round fruit that matures in late summer to autumn.

Tetrapanax papyrifer
'Rex' is a fast-growing, woody shrub that features large, deeply lobed green leaves with a dusty cream underside, each measuring up to 1m across.The plant produces small, creamy white flowers in late summer.

 A CREATION WITH A CONSCIENCE

Waterhousea floribunda 'Warners Select'
Warners have carefully selected the finest plants for propagation, resulting in this superior Lillypilly, that is bushier, and stronger. ‘Warners Select‘ is a graceful, medium to large Australian native tree with a naturally weeping, pendulous habit. It features glossy, dark green leaves that are lance-shaped and arranged densely along slender branches. In summer, it produces abundant clusters of small, fragrant white flowers, followed by decorative pink to red berries that attract birds. Its elegant, flowing form and dense foliage make it a striking specimen tree or screen.

Acmena smithii 'Warners Emerald'
A lush, medium-fast-growing Australian native, ‘Warners Emerald‘ features glossy, mid-green foliage complemented by attractive flushes of lime-green new growth. This psyllid-resistant cultivar has a dense, upright habit making it ideal for clipping and maintaining a formal appearance. Small, white flowers appear in summer but, it has been carefully selected for its minimal berry production making it perfect around paved areas.

Correa alba Ball
Correa alba is a compact evergreen shrub with slender, lance-shaped, grey-green leaves that provide a soft, textured backdrop. It produces small, bell-shaped, creamy-white flowers in late autumn to winter that hang delicately from the stems.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Semken Landscaping

Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

Render of 'Echoes of the Ancient Silk Road' MIFGS 2026