Articles
Building 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 the length and width of the available sizes of timber) • There are many DIY kits available if you do not want to build your own...
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 from inside and, in addition, create an suitable setting for entertaining. Plants were selected for their texture,...
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, the colours of which were highlighted by the wall...
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 selected for their decorative bark and flowers, in addition to their function of providing shade and privacy. Two wide pots,...
Read MoreSt. Peters garden
The owners of this villa had recently employed an architect to renovate the rear of their house, which overlooked a very shady, north-facing garden, in order to incorporate a new kitchen, living room and outside covered entertaining space. The result was a modern design, in keeping with the character of the old house, that relied on simple, clean lines and which sought to maximise the available natural light. My brief from the owners was to start with a clean brush in their north-facing back garden, whilst keeping three very large, established elm trees. The owners had struggled to maintain a lawn in the past due to the degree of shade, but did not want to give up...
Read MoreMedindie garden
This design was intended to complement a large, old sandstone house with a long-established garden. The owners wanted to make better use of the north-facing side of their back garden, which had become overgrown and too shady. As this was the part of the garden in which they entertained, they wanted to transform the space into a setting that they could enjoy, either as a family or with friends. The paved courtyard was partly enclosed by the construction of a 2.4 metre wall, rendered with Porters Paints. Three niches were indented into the wall for the inclusion of pots/sculptures. At the base of the wall, a long rectangular pond was constructed, with raised garden beds...
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