Solve a problem, find a plant or look for a design inspiration
White Rooftop Garden Don discovered an ultra modern garden and entertainment area on the roof of a Melbourne office building. Jamie Loft, Landscape Designer and Company Director of the garden and pool design business ‘Out From The Blue’, gave Don a guided...
Don was faced with a gardener’s worst nightmare: a backyard completely overgrown with weeds. This thick jungle of nasties included lantana (Lantana camara), wandering jew (Tradescantia albiflora), morning glory (Ipomoea indica) and privet (Ligustrum lucidum)....
White Wall Makeover Don looked at a classic example of a problem faced by many gardeners: a stark, white wall. The owners had tried to soften the brickwork by planting a select variety of birch tree. Betula nigra (select form) ‘Tropical Birch’ grows...
Don looked at a camellia that appeared to have quite a few leaf problems. Rounded sections from some leaves were completely missing; some leaves had yellow blotches, while others were covered in dry, silvery brown patches. However, closer inspection revealed that the...
Lilly pillies are tremendously popular in Australian gardens, particularly for hedging and topiary. In fact, these Australian natives are often planted as hedges instead of box. However, there is one thing you should be aware of before you put in a lilly pilly. Many...
Westbrook Garden Imagine having to create a garden on a steep, rocky hillside with very little soil, low rainfall and no town water. Against all the odds, Chris Coffey enthusiastically accepted the challenge of landscaping 1.5 hectares (3.5 acres) of land in the...
Grafton Art Garden Although gnomes and other garden ornaments are sometimes frowned upon, they are amazingly popular among all sorts of people. Even well known radio man Doug Mulray has pink flamingos in his garden. During a recent trip to Grafton the Burke’s...
Gregg Chapman’s Garden Don visited Gregg Chapman, landscape designer, and Nicole Faulkner, landscape architect, at their home in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton. They have transformed a dull and uninteresting garden into a beautifully designed, stylish garden...
Melbourne Apartment Gardens Courtyards adjoining tall buildings can be very difficult to landscape. There are often wind tunnels between the buildings; some areas bake in fierce reflected heat from the hard surfaces, while other areas are in full shade. Don looked at...
Melbourne Topiary Don visited the gardens of two expert topiarists, John Mircello and Peter Nguyen. John’s Italian background is evident when you look at his beautiful garden. He has been topiarising plants for around ten years, and spends much of his spare time...