Portfolio and articles
Kensington Gardens Landscape Design
The owners of a large house in Kensington Gardens wanted to create a pleasant and usable space in their generous and private front garden. They did not use the space at all, other than to open the front door to visitors. Efforts over the years to improve the space had been piece-meal and only partially successful. However, there was a large and beautifully shaped old apple tree, which was definitely worth saving. The ultimate design of the new garden took into account the wide frontage of the old house and its ‘country-like’ feel....
read moreBamboo
BAMBOO Many people are turning to bamboo in their garden, both for aesthetic reasons and often to screen out neighbours. Bamboo provides a green, lush tropical appearance to gardens. The advantages of bamboo are that they are fast-growing, capable of hiding tall structures quickly and occupy relatively narrow spaces. However, care needs to be taken when choosing bamboo. There are many different kinds with greatly varying habits and growth patterns. The most important thing to remember is to select a clumping bamboo rather than a running...
read morePLANTS SUITABLE FOR DRY SHADE
Just as garden beds exposed to full sun can present a challenge in terms of selecting suitable plants, designing a garden in shade or semi-shade, particularly under big trees, can also be difficult in the hot, dry conditions present in many Adelaide gardens. Fortunately, there are a number of plants that not only grow well in such conditions, but look spectacular, both in terms of foliage, colour and texture. Groundcover plants • Geranium macrorrhizum (Big root geranium) • Kennedia prostrata (This one needs plenty of space to spread) •...
read moreThe Pleasures of Spring
The colours, energy and sheer vitality of plants in spring always take me by surprise. Roses flower magnificently, fruit trees and ornamentals are covered in blossom and the birds and the bees are constantly busy. Rose ‘Abraham Darby’ Don’t forget that now is a busy time in the garden for humans too. An application of compost and organic fertiliser will be appreciated in the garden, followed by a layer of mulch, preferably organic. Make sure you wet the soil well before and after adding anything to the garden bed. Also, if you...
read moreHedges for all occasions.
Hedges are often a very important part of a garden design, whether your style is contemporary, traditional or native. A tall hedge can form a lush, green screen at the back of a garden border, can hide an unsightly fence and can help to provide a sense of enclosure and privacy. Small hedges, if used selectively, can provide a sense of structure to a garden, without imposing too much formality. In my experience, some of the best medium to tall hedges are as follows: Escallonia iveyi. This tough evergreen hedging plant has dark-green glossy...
read moreDesigning a garden with native Australian plants
Designing a garden with native Australian plants Native plants got a bad name in the minds of many Australians after some spectacular mistakes in suburban gardens in the 1970’s. At that time, little thought was given to the suitability of a particular plant to the chosen site, whether in terms of climate, soil or size. As a result, large ghost gums were planted in small suburban gardens, resulting, some years down the track, in cracking of walls and paving, as well as endless disputes with neighbours. In other cases, native plants were...
read moreBuilding a vegetable garden
Many people would like to grow their own produce and raised vegetable beds are the ideal way to do so. • Raised vegetable beds can be constructed of wood, bricks, stone, or Colourbond. If you choose wood as your material, make sure you use ACQ treated pine rather than the old arsenic-impregnated variety. It is also best to use H6 grade pine, which will last longer. (Note that if you have to cut the treated pine, you will need to seal the ends again to ensure the H6 rating. The easiest thing to do, therefore, is to tailor your vegie bed to...
read moreWattle Park garden
The modern town-house, on a corner block, had been constructed several years before the present owner and her family moved in. Very little attention had ever been given to the outside living spaces, the main part of which was in full sun. Views from the kitchen and casual lounge area consisted of a concrete retaining wall, beyond which was a high and unattractive fence. The owner works full-time and did not want to spend hours in the garden. However, she wanted a garden that would soften the harsh lines, provide an attractive outlook...
read moreToorak Gardens garden
The owners of this return verandah villa wanted a garden in keeping with the age and style of the house, but with a contemporary feel. In their generous-sized front garden, their brief was to do away with the lawn. The new garden was designed with a view to providing year-round interest, with a selection of plants that provided contrasting colours and textures and the placement of informal pavers to provide access around the new space. A new rendered wall in the back garden was planted with upright pears and an assortment of shrubs,...
read moreTusmore garden
The design brief for this front garden was to get rid of the lawn, which had suffered greatly in the drought, and to replace it with something that would withstand the hot western sun to which it was subjected. The design chosen sought to complement the wide and generous front of the house. The garden space contains both paving and mass planting, incorporating different colours and textures. Mass planting of lavender along the front wall complements the style of the house and the two trees, one on each side of the front path, were...
read more