‘The Patriarch’s Garden’ by Mark Browning, Cycas Landscape Design

MIFGS madness has passed.  And we are settling back into real life.

It would not be right though, to let MIFGS go by with out detailing the beautiful gardens we were so privileged to be involved in. The first one being very special indeed, ‘The Patriarch’s Garden’ by Mark Browning from Cycas Landscape Design and Consultancy.

If you have been reading the Lump blog, you would know that we have worked with Mark for a number of years. And we have experienced many a show-time adventure with him. Mark is not only a great designer who shares a mutual appreciation of aesthetics with us when it comes to landscape design and sculpture. But he is also an astonishingly kind individual. His commitment to modern landscape design, incorporating locally sourced materials is steadfast. And his close nit team of sponsors and suppliers is revered as lovingly by him as his extended family openly embracing them all with hugs, kisses and “I love you’s”.

Chris and I and all of the crew at Lump thoroughly enjoy working with Mark and we look forward to the next adventure. Congratulations Mark. BEST IN SHOW! You cant beat that! Below is an article written by Laeta Crawford detailing Marks design and how Lump contributed to “The Patriarch’s Garden”.

Sculptural tribute to family

Husband-and-wife team Chris Vassallo and Timothea Jewell know all too well the value of family, and consequently were thrilled to be invited by renowned landscape designer Mark Browning to work on a tribute garden to Mark’s father, Graham, who passed away last year.

The resulting ‘The Patriarch’s Garden’, by Cycas Landscape Design, is a tribute to family, unity and the journey through life, with the main sculpture designed by Lump Sculpture Studio symbolising Mark’s father as the central figure within his extended family.

The sculpture, entitled Cocoon, stands 2.35m tall and is made up of hundreds of small, wish bone-shaped pieces individually welded together to make a finished and transparent cocoon shape.

The sculpture is located within a gorge and two spines of quarried bluestone radiate from it, with the spines representing Mark and his sister and their respective families.

Diagonally behind the sculpture is a conversation zone shaded by another Lump piece – a Wood Stack Screen used as a canopy – while a custom-made kidney-shaped viewing porthole by Lump is featured in the main wall structure of the garden.

Chris said the Cocoon sculpture in particular had been an incredibly emotional piece to work on.

“The importance of family is something that we can all relate to – it made me think about my own family and how the different branches together form one strong unit,” Chris said.

Chris and Tim have created one of Australia’s most successful metal design businesses – Lump Sculpture Studio – while raising a young family and balancing all of the associated challenges that come with it.

Tim said she and Chris were honoured to collaborate with Mark again on such a personal and precious tribute.

“We (Lump) have worked with Mark on many projects over the years, from our first outing at the 2007 Chelsea Flower Show to this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, and we feel very fortunate to not only enjoy a great friendship but also a mutual appreciation of design and aesthetics when it comes to our work,” Tim said.

“While we always love working with Mark, this garden has touched us deeply.

“It made us stop and appreciate what our family means to us and I really hope that visitors to this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show will also take time out to visit the garden and pay their own respects to family.”