Garden design is changing rapidly in Australia. After hundreds of years of basically copying the English cottage and formal styles, Australians are now coming to grips with designs and planting schemes that are more suited to our climate, light levels and soils....
Designer Jim Fogarty faced several challenges when called in to make over a small narrow courtyard. As well as doing away with the lawn and creating some usable space, the owners instructed Jim to screen the large block of flats next door, and to do something with the...
Landscape Arthitect, Judy van Gelderen was given a very detailed brief by the owners of a small, flat and uninteresting block of land in Canberra. They wanted to incorporate fourteen different ‘spaces’ or characters, including Japanese, Australian, an English rose...
Williamstown Garden Gina and Ian McVicar searched for a long time for a house to serve as both a home and a business base. Then one day they saw an old fisherman’s cottage made of bluestone, and fell in love with it immediately. Even though the house had...
Don looked at a very good design solution to the problem of a tiny garden. As well as the small size, there were other constraints. Large windows from the kitchen and dining room of the house face onto courtyard areas. A focal point was needed to create visual...
Imagine walking into your bathroom and instantly being transported to Bali! That’s what happened to actress Arkie Whiteley after a tiny courtyard 3.1m x 1.9m (10.2′ x 2.6′) adjoining her bathroom was madeover. When we first saw the walled garden it...
Pond Courtyard A water feature in the garden can be a focal point. Whether it’s something fun like a simple pond with frogs spurting water out of their mouths or whether it’s more formal in the form of a wall fountain spouting into a sandstone edged pond...
Don looked at a rooftop garden designed by Phillip O’Malley in a modern multicultural style. The garden, on top of a six storey older style building, has wonderful views of Brisbane. Originally the terrace featured dark, heavy brick walls and a multitude of...
Jennifer Leone and her children Lana and Paul gave the Burke’s Backyard team a guided tour of their backyard, which consists of five acres of established trees, formal manicured gardens and magnificent floral displays. The property is surrounded by a high brick...
Imagine a backyard waist deep in wandering jew and fishbone ferns, with a 10 metre drop to boot! A landscaping challenge, don’t you think? Well, Burke’s Backyard recently visited such a garden, and discovered that an amazing transformation had taken place....