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,...
In the Garden
Solve a problem, find a plant or look for a design inspiration
Woodend Country Garden
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)...
Modern Native Garden in Perth
Garden designer, Lisa Isherwood, is passionate about Australian native plants. Although Lisa thinks the natural bush garden has its place, she encourages her clients to use natives in a more contemporary context, with lots of colour and drama for bold effect....
New Split-Level Garden
Landscape designer, Jim Fogarty, transformed a steep, sloping backyard with no useable space into a beautiful and functional entertaining area. His design includes a formal pond, with an arbour surrounded by a rose garden. The planting is elegant and romantic, in...
Phil and Brenda’s Balinese Garden
Phil and Brenda Wynn have been to Bali six times, starting with their first visit in 1995. They fell in love with the lifestyle, culture and the lush, tropical gardens of Bali, so much so that they decided to come home and transform their Newcastle backyard into a...
Foliage Courtyard
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...
Front Entrance Makeover
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...
Girrawheen Garden
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,...
Granny Goes Groovy
Don looked at a modern interpretation of an historic garden that might have been seen around a house built in the late 1890s. The design is a collaboration between Interior Designer, Christian Lyon, and Landscape Designer, Jo Taylor. ‘Granny Goes Groovy’...
Hodge Native Garden
Regular viewers of Burke’s Backyard may remember the garden belonging to Merve and Olwyn Hodge, at Logan Reserve in Brisbane. This is one of the very best native gardens in the country, and it will open under Australia’s Open Garden Scheme this weekend....
