About BAAG
Bulleen Art & Garden is a garden centre with a focus on the environment and creativity. You’ll find a plant nursery, art gallery, gift, pot and hardware shops and a huge landscape supplies yard. We have an extensive range of plants, including one of Melbourne’s biggest ranges of herbs, fruit and vegies. We also specialise in indigenous and low water use plants.
We believe that gardening is a positive contribution that everyone can make to the environment and their own community.
Staff have experience and expertise in gardening, the environment and the arts with strong connections to the local community. As a business, we take a leading role in inspiring new directions in gardening; developing a consideration for the environment; and stimulating interest in arts and craft.
Art and plant displays throughout the garden centre reflect the ethos of BAAG, our displays aim to inspire you back into the garden while demonstrating the versatility and advantages of environmentally conscious living.
BAAG’s Environmental initiatives
For over 20 years BAAG has taken proactive steps to try and limit its impact on the environment and encourage others to do the same. We are proudly a fully accredited SGA (Sustainable Gardening Australia) Certified Garden Centre.
BAAG is located along side the Yarra River in Melbourne’s north-east. The surrounding parklands act as magnificent backdrop to the nursery. BAAG is committed to helping to improve the local parks and has been actively revegetating the site in collaboration with Parks Victoria and the Friends of the Yarra Valley Parks for well over a decade.
Our environmental policy and environmental weed policy both reinforce BAAG’s dedication to sustainable gardening. The policies are provided to all staff and cover a range of issues from the sourcing and sale of products to the advice that we provide our customers.
Over the years we have been recognised for our efforts made towards improving the awareness of gardening sustainably and the advantages that doing such has on the environment that we live in.
BAAG in the Community
At Bulleen Art & Garden we’re proud to be a part of vibrant and diverse community. Our community activities focus on our areas of interest and expertise: the environment, gardening, the arts and children. Links with the local community have been built over a long period through a combination of involvement and support. We hope to further become a meeting place and resource for the community into the future.
A special area has been set aside to encourage childrens’ love of gardening as well as entertain them. There are friendly chooks (get your kids to check for eggs!) and worm farms.
There is also a special Kid’s Web site with loads of activities and fun stuff to help foster a love of gardening in the younger generation.
Some of the groups and events that we have been involved with recently include:
Friends of the Yarra Valley Parks
The Friends of the Yarra Valley Parks is a group whose primary aim is to involve the wider community in conservation issues and activities within the Yarra Valley Parklands. They believe that the Yarra Valley Parklands has the potential to become one of the great urban conservation parks. Their activities include plant propagation, planting and weed removal. www.yvfriends.org.au
This image was taken at one of our tree planting days back in 2007, on this occasion we had over 120 enthusiastic volunteers from the local community help us plant over 1,500 indigenous plants.
Bolin Bolin precinct and cultural landscape trail
The Bolin Bolin Cultural Landscape Precinct runs from Bulleen Park to Heide MOMA past the Bolin Bolin Billabong. It derives its identity from its environmental, arts and cultural heritage. Bulleen Art & Garden has been instrumental in setting up a steering committee, with representatives from Parks Victoria, the City of Manningham, Heide MOMA and Bulleen Art & Garden with input from others such as Melbourne Water, the Veneto Club and the Kulin Nation to give an identity to, promote, protect and enhance the precinct. For more information click here.
Local Government Events
Bulleen Art & Garden often works with local government and takes part in events organised by local government. It is located in the City of Manningham, and borders Banyule. It is also close to Darebin, Nillumbik and Booroondara.
Spring Outdoors is run by the Manningham, Banyule and Nillumbik each October to promote the environment and outdoor living. Bulleen Art & Garden takes part in this event each year.
Bulleen Art & Garden regularly has a colourful float in the Burgundy Street Traders parade and hosts workshops at the Kids Arty Farty Festival.
BAAG has been acknowledged for its commitment to the local community and has received a number of awards for its efforts.
If you would like to see some of the clippings from papers that we have collected over the years that have featured our garden centre please click here. We also have a few YouTube clips for you too watch. Grab some popcorn and enjoy!
