Landscape design by Daniel Althaus, Althaus Landscape Designs
This project, aptly named ‘Mother Ocean’, was designed by Daniel Althaus of Althaus Landscape Design, who set out to create a space that would challenge conventional garden design and evoke a deeply personal experience for each visitor. The garden was a feature garden in the 2024 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.
Drawing inspiration from the fluidity and symbolism of ocean waves, Althaus intended for the garden reflect the beauty and power of nature’s constant cycles of change.
The Brief
The vision was to move beyond traditional landscape styles and embrace something bold, yet calming — a space that invites reflection and inspires creativity. The design blends large-scale elements with the soft, restorative presence of native plants, offering visitors a sense of both movement and tranquillity. The aim was to create an environment where each guest could interpret the space in their own way, much like experiencing the ocean’s vastness for the first time.
Considering the inspiration behind incorporating a wave into this garden, Daniel explains that one of his biggest inspirations is finding creative ways to bring different forms of nature to a garden. “For me, waves symbolise inevitable change. A wave will always crash, but often with an overwhelming beauty. They are powerful, yet calming.”
This garden has found a playful way to combine the power of a large-scale design with the calming nature of native plants.
The Transformation
The development of Mother Ocean was a bold departure from traditional landscaping, embracing a design that reimagines the relationship between art, structure and the natural environment. At the heart of the garden stands a 2-metre steel mesh wave — an impressive sculptural element that anchors the space. This living structure is adorned with a tapestry of mosses and ground covers.
To further enhance the design’s dynamic character, irregularly shaped Pietra Grigio paving was laid in one corner, offering a stark contrast to the flourishing greenery. This intentional juxtaposition underscores the tension between human design and the organic, untamed world.
A striking red steel path, coated in high-gloss enamel, weaves through the space, guiding visitors towards a flowing stream that symbolises the wave’s energy. Beneath the path, carefully placed natural rockwork softens the transition, blending man-made elements with nature’s raw beauty.
Surrounding the central wave, layers of native rainforest plants provide depth, texture and a sense of immersion. Hidden among the lush greenery, red steel posts rise from the ground, creating visual layers and serving a dual purpose: acting as focal points and functioning as misters to sustain plant health. These features add a multi-sensory dimension to the garden, transforming it into a space that not only captivates the eye but also engages the senses, inviting visitors to explore and connect with nature in new ways
The Result
The final result of Mother Ocean is a garden that redefines what an outdoor space can be — a living, breathing ecosystem that stimulates the senses while promoting environmental wellbeing. By blending bold structural elements with the delicate beauty of native plants, Daniel Althaus has created a space that is both visually captivating and ecologically meaningful.
This garden stands as a reminder of the evolving relationship between people and the natural world, encouraging visitors to see their own outdoor spaces as more than just decorative landscapes. Mother Ocean invites us to move beyond conventional design, fostering a deeper connection with nature and inspiring a new way of thinking about how we shape our environment.
In Daniel’s own words, “like riding a wave, the individual’s experience is unique to them. I hope seeing a wave within a garden design, potentially for the first time, Mother Ocean will evoke a very individual experience for visitors — leaving them inspired to venture away from traditional landscape designs, and explore limitless creativity in their own garden.“
Key Plant List:
Trees
- Cyathea cooperi (Rough tree fern)
- Dicksonia antartica (Soft tree fern)
Shrubs/ferns
- Lomandra sp. (Mat rush)
- Poa poiformis (Tussock grass)
- Blechnum nudum (Wishbone fern)
- Asplenium nidus (Birds nest fern)
Ground covers
- Dichondra repens & Dichondra repens parvulus
- Scleranthus biflorus (Cushion bush)
- Viola hederacea (Native violet)
- Thuidium sp. (Forest fern moss)
- Microseris sp. (Yam daisys)
- Selaginella australiensis (Spike moss)
