Which suppliers do Melbourne’s leading landscape designers recommended?
August 30th, 2024
8 min read
By Andrew Whyte
Have you ever wondered how Melbourne’s leading landscape designers choose the supplies they need to create a stunning garden for you? Which pavers do they prefer? Which plant nursery do they buy from? Which pool company do they swear by?
With over 30 years of experience designing beautiful gardens all over Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, we’ve learnt a lot about who really are the best of the best in their respective fields - suppliers who we can trust and depend on to provide us with all the fabulous elements that go into making our gardens so wonderful.
So we thought we’d share the ingredients that go into our “secret sauce” with you.
Each one of our preferred suppliers in this article is tried and tested over many years of experience working with us. Each has been carefully chosen to be put on this list.
We can attest to the quality of their products and their service. They are all highly knowledgeable in their field and very willing to share that knowledge with you.
When we are designing a garden for you, our valued clients, we obviously don’t want to use a supplier who delivers products to us that fail easily or don’t perform as they should. That would cause great upset to our customers as ultimately a poor choice of supplier reflects badly on us.
So here you will find the preferred suppliers we would use if we were creating a garden for ourselves.
(Note: If you are working on a DIY project, we strongly urge you to check these companies out. You can access all of them, except for Warner’s Nursery which is strictly trade only.)
Concrete Swimming Pools – Laguna Pools
When our client’s brief includes a concrete swimming pool there is one place we turn to probably more often than anyone else and that is Laguna Pools.
Having created in excess of 800 pools all over Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula they have an outstanding track record of quality work, design and service. Their “can-do” attitude is backed by very high levels of technical skill and expertise, meaning they don’t just think they can take on challenges, they know they can pull them off. We’ve seen it time after time.
In 2024 they were again voted Australia’s top Concrete Pool builder. If you have a unique idea for a pool or just want the very best pool you can buy, Laguna will bring it to life with flair and expertise.
Fibreglass pools - Leisure Pools
There can be many reasons why a client may prefer a fibreglass pool over a concrete one. Budget can be one factor but there can be a whole host of other reasons why fibreglass could be a better option.
When the choice is fibreglass the pool company we turn to most is Leisure Pools. They have been manufacturing high-quality fibreglass pools since 2000 and have become one of Melbourne’s leading pool companies. They offer an outstanding range of designs and styles, with one sure to be exactly what you are looking for. And no matter how tricky the site access is, they will deliver your pool whether by road, sea or even air.
Fibreglass pools have a number of unique benefits and Leisure Pools know how to get the very best from them.
Pool Fencing - Blue Croc
Pool fencing has evolved considerably over the years, driven understandably by safety concerns. (Who would not want to save young children from drowning?)
When we design a garden with a pool, we will most often specify a Blue Croc Pool Fence to go around it. They are outstanding at creating high-quality, custom-made pool fencing solutions that integrate seamlessly with our landscape designs. Whether your preference is for frameless glass, aluminium or steel they will work with you every step of the way to design a pool fence that meets all the safety regulations. And looks stunning with your pool.
A funny name for a pool fencing company we know but their work is not to be laughed at.
www.bluecrocmanufacturing.com.au
Outdoor kitchens – Limetree Alfresco
Outdoor kitchens have been all the rage for years now. We barely get a design brief these days that does not include one. (Unless their garden has really restricted space!)
When we do, our preference is to specify a kitchen from Limetree Alfresco. Beautiful yet hardy, their kitchens are designed and built from materials, surfaces and finishes that will withstand the elements year after year. They are Water Resistant, and UV Resistant and designed to be compliant with all building regulations. With a Limetree Alfresco kitchen, you don’t need to be concerned whether your outdoor kitchen will be under shelter or not.
As they say, once you have used one of their outdoor kitchens, you may never want to use your indoor kitchen again.
Outdoor dining - Louvre House
The popularity of outdoor kitchens in Australia is matched by our love of alfresco dining areas. The only issue for many families has been whether to have a completely open alfresco dining area or one that was permanently covered.
Today louvred systems give you the best of both worlds. They can be open to the sky, but whenever it gets too wet, or even too hot, they can be easily closed for protection. When our clients ask for alfresco dining in their landscape design, we often turn to Louvre House for a solution.
There is simply no better supplier of high-quality louvred systems. They offer a superior design and build quality that we know our clients will enjoy and rely on for years to come.
Anything in stone – Eco Outdoor
When it comes to choosing anything in stone, we are big fans of Eco Outdoors. Whether it’s for pavers, wall products or even furniture made of stone, Eco Outdoors are most often our first choice.
As they say themselves, they just love stone. They know it, they understand it, they’ve worked with it since they first began selling natural stone pebbles out the back of a ute way back in 2001. Today they operate a much more sophisticated business with a showroom that lets you touch, see and feel life-size versions of all their products. (Forget those small token sample sizes)
Eco Outdoor understand, know and love working with natural stone. They understand its textures, its quirks and nuances. They have great relationships with quarries all over the world which means we can depend on them to supply to us whatever our clients need or designers want any time of the year.
Another lover of stone - Yarrabee
Yarrabee are another lover of stone that we love to work with. They share our passion for the natural elegance that stone paving brings to any garden setting.
Our designers love specifying their products and our clients rave about them when they see the finished garden. They offer a stunning range of limestone, slate, sandstone & travertine stone products. All are sourced from either their own quarry here in Victoria or one of their quarries in far-flung parts of the world.
Yarrabee bring beautiful stone from Turkey, India, Spain, Egypt, Oman, Italy and Greece back here to Melbourne so you can enjoy it in your own backyard.
Yet more stone love – Better Exteriors
We are blessed to have a 3rd option for stone paving products in Melbourne. And that is Better Exteriors.
Not necessarily our 3rd choice because they offer first-class stone and natural stone cladding products including paving and pool coping. With both natural and manufactured stone offerings, you will find Better Exteriors products are seen in many prestige properties throughout Melbourne, including many designed by us.
We especially find their Filetti and Crazy Paving to be of outstanding quality and value. We have no hesitation in recommending them to you.
Outdoor lighting – Lighting Options
When it comes to lighting for gardens, around pools etc, we have a strong preference for Lighting Options in Mornington.
In business since 2000, the team at Lighting Options are highly experienced in providing all sorts of creative lighting solutions for both residential and commercial applications. Pool lighting, deck lighting, garden lighting, they know it all and have wonderful solutions. They are a family-based business with a great team that provide outstanding personal service.
Naturally, we tend to deal mostly with their exterior products but they also have an excellent range of internal lighting solutions which we have also sourced.
Thinking of water - Water Features Direct
Every year, water features continue to grow in popularity as a garden accessory for many of our clients.
There is just something wonderful, soothing and refreshing about having water flowing, bubbling or falling in your garden, on your deck, or even inside your home. When we are looking for innovative water features for our clients, we turn to Water Features Direct. They simply have the most outstanding range from Tower Water Features to Water Walls, Architectural Bowls, and Swimming Pool Accessories.
Their knowledge and expertise is second to none and they can recommend a range of alternatives if you’re unsure of exactly what you want.
www.waterfeaturesdirect.com.au
Garden Pots – The Balcony Garden
For pots of all shapes and sizes, we actually have two preferred suppliers. Our first is the Balcony Garden, who offer a truly exceptional range of pots and planters in every conceivable shape, size and style. They began their business handmaking pots, which they still do to this day.
They offer some truly unique feature-style pots, many of enormous size for both outside your home and indoors. They use environmentally friendly materials wherever they can and are renowned for shipping more pots, especially large ones, than any other company in Australia. A tribute to their outstanding quality range.
The Balcony Garden is definitely a favourite among interior designers, architects, stylists and landscape designers like us.
Garden Pots – Kellock Pots
By no means second to anyone, Kellock Pots and Planters also have an extraordinary range of pots planters in many different styles and materials - from cement, terracotta and glazed ceramic to lightweight polyresins.
They offer a fantastic range of very large but lightweight pots as well as other large pots and urns in more traditional glazed and unglazed materials. You will also discover they have particular expertise in modular vertical garden systems.
Kellock have been in business since 1995 and we always believe longevity is a sign of reassurance. When you’ve been doing your thing that long and succeeding you must be very good at it. And they are.
Garden sculptures – Lump studios
Metalwork in gardens is continuing to grow in popularity and when clients ask us for something “sculptural” in their garden we know who to turn to.
Lump Studios say they design and fabricate sculptures, outdoor features and urban art. This actually covers quite a range of options from sculptures and metal screens to cladding, wall hangings, custom letterboxes, fire pits, etc
They love to collaborate with designers, architects and landscape designers to bring to life original visions and unique garden features.
Lump studios will bring to life almost anything you can imagine you wish to be created in metal for your garden.
Metal garden art – Entanglements
Entanglements are also outstanding in the way they work with metal for our clients’ gardens.
They are Award-Winning Artisan Metal Art Designs who offer original designs and meticulous craftsmanship. Their range incorporates metal wall art, sculpture & screens, fire pits, planters and furniture, as well as customised security door screens and letterboxes. They love to work with many different types of metal in a variety of finishes.
You can be sure they will create something truly unique and memorable for your garden.
Metal structures – PO Box Designs
When we want something less sculptural and more structural but still made of metal for a client’s garden, we talk to PO Box Designs.
They offer simple solutions for complex spaces and this is truly their forte. They will shape your space in ways you probably never imagined possible. With Arbor Beams, Pergolas, Bench Seating, Screening, Gates & Fences and even pool fencing. All are custom-designed to your individual tastes and needs and crafted in high-quality materials that will last for decades to come.
They can also offer you custom-made planter boxes which will be unlike anything you can get “off-the-shelf”.
Plants – Warners Nursery
We are lucky to be landscapers as this allows us access to one of Melbourne’s truly greatest nurseries – Warners. (Unfortunately, they do not sell to private individuals, as they are a wholesale nursery).
However, that will not stop us from singing their praises. Warners have been doing things the “Warners Way” since 1914 and are now in their 4th generation of growing and nurturing wonderful plants of every kind. They have a passion for being part of growing gardens, not just plants and take pride in offering premium quality plants, trees and shrubs with exceptional service.
We choose them and mention them here because we want you to know just how good they are so that if you do happen to choose Whyte Gardens to design and create your garden, you know we will plant your garden with the very best quality plants, grown with love and care by Warners.
So there you have it, the secrets behind our success! We are very happy to recommend any of these suppliers to you for any of your own projects. But equally we want you to know, if you have chosen to work with us, that we are very careful and considered about who we choose to work with to supply your garden with the very best materials, products and features.
If you’d like to discuss any aspect of this articles or need recommendations on other suppliers, please feel free to contact us here
Alternatively if you’d like to discuss a garden design project with us, please feel free to book in a free consultation with one of our designers. It’s completely without obligation. Book here
You might also find one of following articles helpful:
Helpful advice for choosing a landscape designer in Melbourne or the Mornington Peninsula
10 Things you should Know when engaging a Landscaper
