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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...
Even before you open the gate and enter Penny Ruddock’s small Adelaide property, it’s obvious you’re in for a horticultural treat. Penny has planted a street garden on the verge, dominated by a wonderful combination of wisteria and lavender in full...
Instant Garden Michael McCoy has created an amazing garden which has maximum impact in minimum time. A year ago the 0.1ha (0.2acre) backyard lawn was sprayed to kill it off and the whole area was planted out with herbaceous perennials. Within 12 months the garden has...
Until recently if you were looking for something to add a little bit of class to the garden, perhaps a beautiful sculpture, you had to import it from overseas. The good news is that there’s now a range of locally made artworks starting to become available in...
MacLean’s Spring Garden Twelve years ago Jack and Margaret MacLean purchased half a hectare (1.25 acres) of land at Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of NSW. The property was on sheet rock covered by a thin layer of topsoil and it was overgrown with...
Don’s colour wheel Imagine a stylish, colourful feature as a centrepiece in your front yard. Much as you place a beautiful vase or painting inside the house to create a feature, you can create a living piece of garden jewellery outside. Don showed in easy...
March Happenings We’re sort of between seasons at the moment, the summer flowering plants have just about finished and soon many of the trees will be decked out in their beautiful red, yellow and brown autumn colours. Even so, Don still managed to find plenty of...
Several weeks ago Don created a fantastic wheel of colour using a basic parterre design made of hedging plants which was then filled in with annuals. All the plants have grown and the display looks great, but in another year when the green hedge plants have doubled in...
Moorish Garden Inspired by the colours, shapes and the starkness of Spanish landscaping, the owners of a renovated Edwardian house in St Kilda decided they’d like a Moorish garden in their own yard. Using photographs in a book on Spanish gardens as a starting...
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...