Paddington Courtyard For those many people living in rental accommodation a garden may seem an impossibility yet one inner-city tenant has found the perfect solution. ‘Burke’s Backyard’ recently went behind the courtyard walls to see what can be done...
Most backyards have an old patch of lawn around the house, worn by years of constant human and pet traffic. Many home-owners solve the problem with a concrete path, but what about a more visually exciting alternative? Roger Apte demonstrated how to lay a stepping...
We took that classic backyard disaster area, the disused driveway on the side of the house, and transformed it into a tropical jungle fantasy garden complete with ponds, a waterfall, colourful plants, a boardwalk and a suspension bridge. The progression of this...
At the front of Rainbow Ridge Nursery (see ‘New books’ this week) is an unusual hedge. Rather than just a straight row of plants this hedge appears to be plaited together or knotted as if made with a knotted cord. The design is based on a traditional...
Rosemary Hedge Qantas Amazing Australia Rosemary is a classic Mediterranean plant requiring little rain through summer and surviving hot conditions. It is also tolerant of alkaline or limestone soils. Rosemary can be grown as an informal shrub or can be clipped...
The front entrance of a home needs to be attractive, welcoming and create the right spirit for anyone who visits your home. An attractive path is one aspect of the entrance to a home that will help create a warm welcome. Granite paving Granite is a long...
This vibrant garden gives a contemporary image to an inner-suburban Victorian style home. There is a traditional structure to the garden reminiscent of Versailles but it is composed of brightly coloured materials, pebbles and columns. The simple plantings and hard...
There’s nothing quite like a water feature in the garden because it always looks wonderful. Whether it’s a large water lily pond like Monet’s garden at Giverny, a Chinese network of water features or fountains and waterfalls in an Australian garden,...
There are a number of ways colour can be used in the garden to create special effects. This can be achieved in a number of different methods using both foliage colour and flowers in a creative way. Another element is the use of glazed ceramics in the garden....
Bonsai is the art of illusion. The aim is to recreate nature on a small scale, that is growing and training a small tree in relatively few years to give the impression of a full-sized tree hundreds of years old. Pruning a bonsai On ‘Burke’s Backyard’...