Maria and Kosta’s Garden Makeover

Kosta and Maria Elfes were married on October 5, 2002. They went to Bali for their honeymoon and the bridesmaids, Maria's two sisters and two cousins, joined them a few days later. Tragically all the bridesmaids were killed in the bombing at the Sari Club.

Over the past few weeks, Maria and Kosta have worked with the Burke’s Backyard team to design and build their new garden, which features a fabulous entertaining area where they can get together and have some fun with their friends. Hopefully Maria and Kosta will spend many happy hours in the garden, and it will represent a new start for this courageous young couple.

On this week’s program, Don and the team put the finishing touches to the makeover.

Garden edging: Nigel installed garden edging to define the different areas and to keep loose pebbles out of the lawn when using the mower or whipper snipper. The edging chosen was H4 treated pine, which was carefully bent to follow the curves of the lawn. (Tip: if you have a really tight curve, make a series of shallow cuts into the timber to give a little more flex.)

Firewood feature wall: Don stacked some hardwood for the oven to form an ornamental wall. The idea came from Jim Fogarty’s award winning garden design for the 2003 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

New garage door: The bottom of the garage door was rotten, so Scott installed a new one. (Tip: if the existing door fits the jamb correctly, use it as a template when cutting your new door.)

Greek urn: A beautiful Greek-style urn (cost approx. $250) was used as a focal point to draw the eye and help set the tone for the whole garden.

Plants

Before planting, the garden areas were dug over and the existing soil was enriched with an organic garden mix. Don emphasised how important it is to keep your existing soil – the only exception to the rule would be if your soil was heavily infested with a persistent weed, such as onion weed or oxalis.

Don planted a row of gardenias (Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’) behind the bench seats. He chose gardenias because they are Maria’s favourite flowers, and ‘Florida’ because it is best of all the varieties. Many other stunning ornamentals were planted in the garden, including two beautiful purple-flowering bougainvilleas called ‘Purple Cascade’. However, both Maria and Kosta are professional chefs, and so this is very much a cook’s garden with the emphasis on herbs, fruit trees and other edible plants.

The selection included bay trees (Lauris nobilis), citrus trees (Citrus sinensis ‘Washington Navel’ and C. limon ‘Eureka’), feijoas or pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana ‘Duffy’), pomegranate (Punica granatum) and last but not least, olives (Olea europaea) because they’re a worldwide symbol of joy and peace, which is perfect for Kosta and Maria.

Lawn

Turf underlay (a sandy soil mix) was used to ensure the new lawn area would be perfectly level and well drained. The lawn variety chosen was a soft-leafed buffalo called ‘Sir Walter’, which does well in full sun, but will also tolerate shade.

Feminine touch

Tara added some feminine touches to Maria and Kosta’s garden. After helping Maria to plant up the herb garden, she arranged the new outdoor furniture and placed cushions on the Hebel benches. She drilled drainage holes in the bottom of some enamel kitchen canisters, then used the canisters as planters for geraniums (Pelargonium spp.). The potted geraniums were hung on the wall behind the outdoor dining area.

Celebration dinner

Once all the work was done and the makeover was complete, it was time to celebrate. The Mediterranean oven was fired up, and Maria and Kosta treated Don and the team to a traditional Greek meal of roast lamb and vegetables, garnished with herbs from the new garden.

Costs

Landscaping materials and turf Organic garden mix costs approx. $50 per cubic metre from landscape suppliers Turf underlay (80% coarse washed river sand and 20% black soil) costs approx. $45 per cubic metre from landscape suppliers ‘Sir Walter’ Buffalo costs approx. $7 per square metre from turf suppliers

Pizza oven

Maria and Kosta's Mediterranean Woodfired Oven was a gift from Burke's Backyard. Models range in price from $2595 - $3995. For details contact:

Mediterranean Woodfired Ovens
Unit 2, 216 Balcatta Road
Balcatta WA 6027
Phone: (08) 9402 3862
Fax: (08) 9403 3178
Email: lifestyle@woodfiredovens.com.au
Web: www.woodfiredovens.com.au

Plants

Gardenias (Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’) - $18.50 for 200mm (8") pots
Bougainvillea ‘Purple Cascade’ - $18.50 for 200mm (8") pots
Bay trees (Lauris nobilis) - $22 for 200mm (8") pots
Citrus trees - $65 for 300mm (12") pots
Olives (Olea europaea) - $350 for 500mm (20") pots
Feijoas (Feijoa sellowiana ‘Duffy’) - $132 for 45L bags
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) - $38.50 for 300mm (12") pots
Geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) - $18.50 for 200mm (8") pots
Herbs - $3 for 100mm (4") pots.

Further information

The Burke’s Backyard landscaping kit is in the July 2003 edition of the Burke’s Backyard Magazine, available at newsagents and supermarkets for $5.50.

Greek urn

Urn-shaped terracotta pots are available from garden centres, nurseries and pot shops nationally (the one used in our makeover cost around $250).

Copyright CTC Productions 2003