About Verder Gardens
Verder Gardens is a Melbourne-based garden design and horticultural studio founded by Ziggy Maor, with a deep interest in plants and the making of gardens.
We design plant-focused gardens where planting, space, proportion and natural materials are considered in relation to the architecture and wider landscape, creating gardens that are composed yet natural in character and closely connected to their place.
My approach is grounded in more than fifteen years of horticultural experience developing and caring for gardens, including those designed by some of Melbourne’s leading landscape designers. Working in gardens has shaped my understanding of plants and how gardens develop over time.
My interest in plants and landscapes takes me to gardens and natural environments in Australia and abroad, with particular inspiration from the Australian bush and coastline and from observing plants growing in their natural settings.
For my Grandmother, Alice
My love of plants and gardens began with my grandmother, Alice. To me, her garden was the most beautiful in the village where I grew up.
I spent countless hours there with her, pruning, collecting Anemone seeds in old jam jars and learning to observe and care for plants.
The name Verder comes from her family name, Bishopverder, while Rudbeckia, her favourite flower, is reflected in the Verder Gardens identity.
Verder Gardens is dedicated to her.