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Portfolio: Stanmore Landscape Design
This small garden in the inner west of Sydney is a sight to behold after the recent rains. It is hard to believe that most of these plants have only been in for 6 months, that is the beauty of gardening with native grasses, they fill out so quickly and provide structure and form in…
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Silver in the Shade: Plectranthus argentatus
If you are looking for a native understory plant to grow where no plant has succeeded before give Plectranthus argentatus a try. It will grow in the dry soil under large trees and ramble about filling in bare patches and creating a dense silver layer to a dark forgotten corner. Plectranthus argentatus has a lightly…
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I need to remember this fern: Blechnum cartilagineum
I am not very good with my native ground cover ferns, I have a handful which I use over and over again which I know to be hardy and pretty. I was walking in the Blue Mountains this weekend and exploring the rainforest and waterfall walks, these plants are not my favourites, I usually am…
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Potfolio: Ashfield Revisit
I was very excited to be asked back to one of my favourite clients, to do a design for the rear of her property, it also meant I was able to have a proper nosey at the establishment of the front garden. This garden is a very good example of the 3 to 4 year timeframe…
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Portfolio: Gladesville Front Garden Design
This sweet front garden was built earlier this year after a quite extensive house renovation in Gladesville, it is somewhat of a “treat” for the client and the house to have a fresh start after a year of messing building work. I have been looking for the before photos on my hard drive for half…
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Portfolio: Northmead Garden Design
I was lucky enough to be asked back for some follow up advice for this charming native habitat garden in the outer suburbs of Sydney today. The renovations are finally over and the garden hasn’t faired too badly with all the coming and going. This property is located backing onto bushland which in times of…
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Native Plants in Fiona Brockhoff Gardens
I went to the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria in January this year to see three gardens designed by one of my favourite Landscape Designers and of course they did not disappoint. In fact I realise now that I took so many photos and was so inspired that I have been a bit overwhelmed by how…
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Mother appreciation day: 10% discount on Mallee Spun Copper Dishes
As far as I am concerned Mothers Day is a load of consumer hype, mothers should be appreciated everyday not once a year, you can tell that this mother is tired 😉 I dream of having a deep veranda with a comfy couch to sit on where I can read, watch the birds flit around my…
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Correas and Croweas: Special Shady Friends
I spent last weekend in Mount Victoria, staying in a log cabin surrounded by a wonderful bush garden. There were plenty of Banskias, Eucalypts and Acacias but what really filled the garden out were the swathed of Correas and Croweas planted densely under the gum trees. Both Crowea and Correa species like to grow in…
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Another special Dwarf Eucalyptus for small gardens: Eucalyptus citriodora ‘Scentuous’
The lemon scented gum is one of my favourite fragrances, that pungent citronella smell released after the rain or at dusk on a summer evening makes me all sentimental about our incredible flora. Unfortunately Eucalyptus or Corymbia citriodora doesn’t mix so well with the urban landscape, firstly they get tall, very tall and secondly as…
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Native plant porn at Kuranga Nursery
I finally made it to Kuranga native nursery last month in Mt Evelyn in Victoria and I wasn’t disappointed, all the hype turned out to be true, it really is the most beautiful native plant nursery. If only I lived closer… The buildings are huge and house a restaurant, gift shop and excellent book selection,…
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Two toned toughie: Eremophila racemosa ‘Peaches and Cream’
This hardy little shrub is aptly named for its two toned flowers, this Emu bush has yellow flower buds which once open change colour to white…get it peaches and cream … boom ching! Anyway cliche plant breeder names aside this is number seven in my memorable Eremophila line up. Eremophila racemosa ‘Peaches and Cream’ is…
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Why raised Birdbaths are better!
In this post I am going to touch on a contentious topic for some people and as I am completely not wishing to offend anybody here is a little warning to cat lovers and owners out there; basically I think cats are completely inappropriate pets in Australia because of the destruction they cause to our…
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Portfolio: Mount Keira Garden Design Revisit
My, my look how things have grown 🙂 this garden has completely filled out and become the luscious, illawarra escarpment semi-rainforest garden it was always meant to be! In the image above you can see the turf paver area is now a native lawn of Dichondra repens and Basket Grass, the Gum Vine is spilled…
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Portfolio: Garden Design West Wollongong
This front garden in West Wollongong was created to function as a place for peaceful relaxation and observation, it also needed to have careful consideration in regards to levels and access to the front gate and letterbox. Originally the front garden was an awkward, uninteresting space filled with easy to grow green plants, that was…
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Portfolio: Bundeena Garden Design Revisit
I visited one of my favourite gardens today and it did not disappoint, I haven’t seen this coastal Bundeena garden for 18 months and many of the trees and shrubs have really filled out in that time. I feel so lucky to be able to keep track of this gardens progress and check in when…
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It’s Happy Wanderer Time: Hardenbergia violacea
When in flower this hardy vine or ground cover easily lives up to its common name of ‘Happy Wanderer’, the dainty pea flowers occur in purple, white and pink with a few extra colour combinations in between. Hardenbergia is a very small genus but is now widespread in cultivation due to a number of very successful cultivars. In…
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Bee Friendly Grevillea: Grevillea sericea
Grevillea sericea is a very useful shrub in a native garden, it makes a wonderful small bird habitat plant with its prickly leaves and small spider flowers, it will grow and flower in part to heavy shade and it can be pruned into a dense low screen, plus it lasts for weeks as a cut…
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Soft and Elegant Ornamental Grass: Stipa ramosissima
I adore this native grass (Stipa ramosissima), it is a local Illawarra species and I have found it hard to source but whenever I find it somewhere I grab a few as I can find a home for them in no time! I do apologise for the glut of photos in this post but I would…
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Portfolio: Garden Design Lewisham
This garden in Lewisham was built in early spring of 2016 so is roughly 6 months old at the time these images were taken. It is a special garden that was part of a new renovation and was considered very early on by the clients and architect. In the image below you can see what…
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Portfolio: Garden Design Ashfield
Dear Kath, the garden is beautiful and makes me very happy These are the words that I love to hear and is how this client describes her garden, and I can’t ask for anything more from a garden. This garden was built in December 2015 please see this link for details and this is my first…
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Poa I love You!
I can’t believe I have taken so long to write a blog post dedicated to one of my favourite grasses Poa! One of the most under rated and under utilised grasses in garden design. Now not everyone is a lover of Australian native grasses and that is OK, it takes a certain breed to love…
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Tapestry Gardens 2: MONA
When I was at Mona in Hobart last month as always I had my camera with me, I love the planting design at MONA and I had a few spare minutes between consuming modern art to snap some inspiring pictures. I took these photos because I loved the plant combinations and wanted to sure these…
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The Beautiful Gardens of Zanthorrea Nursery
I set aside a morning to visit the Zanthorrea Nursery when I was in Western Australia last August. This was a much anticipated adventure as I have heard much about the nursery and often have recommended it to Western Australians looking for native plants. I was not disappointed, it is a wonderful place, full of…
Category: Naturalistic garden