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The bird of paradise, Strelitzia reginae, is a wonderful landscaping plant. It has silvery grey, paddle shaped leaves with a spiky look about them, and beautiful blue and orange flowers which look just like the crests of exotic birds. There can be a bit of a problem...
Cliff Garden John and Beth Craggs have proved beyond any doubt that it’s possible to transform a steep, rocky cliff face into a tropical resort style garden paradise. Twelve years ago they bought a one acre block at Clifton Springs on the Bellarine Peninsula,...
Parisian Rooftop Garden Don visited a unique warehouse apartment with a rambling rooftop garden and an outstanding view of the Sydney CBD. The owner, Robert Rigby, has been in the music business for many years and has recently joined Dainty Consolidated Entertainment...
There have been strange weather patterns all around Australia over the past year. With the end of the El Niño and the beginning of the La Niña period there have been some curious changes in the weather. In Adelaide and most of South Australia it has been extremely...
Billabongs are crescent shaped sections of a river that were once part of the main channel but have been cut off by a shift in the river’s course. Natural billabongs underpin the biodiversity and health of our river systems. They teem with life, and provide...
Don’s Landscaping Tips: Adding interest to a Brick Wall Imagine looking out of the feature windows in your house and not being able to see anything, except a boring brick wall! Many people are actually finding themselves in this situation these days, because...
Don’s Landscaping Tips: Good Geometry The use of good geometry in garden design creates a spectacular formal courtyard in a small area. Matching the pinky-grey brick of the house with limestone pavers can give a natural looking backdrop for geometrically placed...
Don’s Landscaping Tips: Homeworld Hedges Even if you’re not thinking about building a house, display homes are great places to go and look for ideas. This applies to the outside of the property as well as the inside, as Don found when he visited Homeworld...
Don’s Landscaping Tips: Outdoor Entertainment Area For many years pergolas have been fashionable in Australian backyards, either freestanding or attached to the back of the house. In theory if you plant deciduous climbers they’ll grow over your pergola and...
All too often backyards have a boring sameness about them, but recently Don visited a garden which dares to be different. When designer John Happ first saw the house, he knew that it was important to choose a paving colour to complement the strong, mottled orange...