Tropical Lagoon Garden Burke’s Backyard viewers often write in and ask for tips and ideas on landscaping effectively around a swimming pool. In our segment Don looked at a wonderful example of a pool garden in Balmoral, Queensland. It was designed by Phillip...
Tugurium Stephen Ryan and Craig Lidgerwood showed Don around ‘Tugurium’, their cool climate garden at Macedon in Victoria. Many Victorian’s know Stephen as a gardening author and broadcaster, as well as a nursery owner. He is the proprietor of...
War of the Roses Gardens are often restful places where people can relax, take a break from the stresses of everyday life and be at one with nature. However, when Don visited the Melbourne home of Joanne and Mark Hosie, he found that the peace and quiet was disrupted...
Sue Tapping dreamed of having a waterfall in the garden, so Wayne, her husband, spent 10 months building a magnificent water feature in their backyard. It is constructed on three levels, with water cascading down in stages from top to bottom. Wayne built the pools...
Rob Piller wrote to tell us about the novel way his father, Henk, has covered his inground pool to provide more usable space in the backyard. Rob, the youngest of Henk and Wilma Piller’s children, left home in 1985. Henk has been maintaining the pool ever since,...
The work of renowned Australian landscape designer, Paul Bangay, has often been shown on Burke’s Backyard. For this week’s program, Don travelled 70 kms north-west of Melbourne to Woodend, where Paul is creating his own country garden. The 1.2ha (3 acre)...
Red and Gold Makeover In this fun makeover, Don demonstrated how to use colourful foliage plants to complement the colours on a house. The roof of the little cottage was red, and the walls were painted a yellowish colour. The front garden (actually a huge...
Pat Buchanan was inspired by the Moroccan garden of artist Jacques Majorelle. Her garden features lush foliage and strong structural elements, cleverly planted to disguise the unattractive fences and the limited space in the courtyard. Most of the plants are survivors...
The front entrance of this country style house really needed a lift. Don added a new balustrade to the verandah, painted the concrete and steps, and planted the garden bed with fragrant gardenias and cheerful pansies. The result is a warm, welcoming entrance for...
Ross and Rosemary Haywood’s inspirational garden, ‘Girrawheen’, has been developed over a 20-year period. When Ross and Rosemary first purchased the property, it consisted of a small house surrounded by gum trees. They removed most of the trees,...