Design Ideas and Inspiration

Luscious looking, delicious and versatile, Kiwi Fruit or Chinese Gooseberry grows on a vigorous, long-lived, deciduous vine. The fruit is packed full of vitamin C and grows in most temperate parts of Australia, ripening from late autumn to winter. Kiwi Fruit is an adaptable climbing vine that can be trained to grow along a fence, on a trellis...

This contemporary rooftop garden in Brooklyn by American garden designer Julie Farris is a fantastic example of the growing trend towards wild garden design. Described by Farris as a “rooftop meadow”, the selection of drought and wind tolerant perennials has been incorporated into a garden design of raised timber garden beds, timber walkways...

This gorgeous Camellia japonica is called ‘Dixie Knight Supreme’ and could not fail to lift the spirits on even the dreariest winter’s day. And isn’t that what gardens are all about – to bring joy into our lives. Camellias are one of the world’s most prolific flowering plants and are hardy and disease free,...

With the Glasgow Commonwealth Games starting today we thought that we’d share this fantastic image of ‘Phoenix Flowers’, a landscape design project in Glasgow with you. ‘Phoenix Flowers’ by British architects, Rankin Fraser, is situated in the Glasgow underpass, reconnecting North Glasgow to the City. A surreal...

Recycling or using waste materials to make a contemporary design statement in the landscape needs imagination and often a little thinking outside the square. The surprise factor is often in the unexpected or sometimes the beauty and simplicity of how the recycled material has been used. We’ve put together six of our favourite examples from...

In this blog we look at some of the considerations of the landscape designer that go into delivering a landscape design to meet the client’s brief. In this lovely garden in Glenhaven one of the clients was from the USA and had some quite specific requests. What was the brief from the homeowners? ▪ To bring this large suburban garden...

Ever wondered how landscape designers come up with garden designs? Here’s an interview with Steve Oatley that demystifies the design process and construction of a large garden on the North Shore in Sydney. Who designed the garden? Steve Oatley of Living Colour Landscapes. Who constructed the garden? The construction team at Living Colour...

Now that you’ve decided to take the plunge and start growing your own delicious, organic vegetables let’s get started with the basics of vegetable garden design. Where will I put it? The first decision you need to make is the best position to build your vegetable garden. The best position is an area either north or north east to maximise...

The clients for this landscape design project had already engaged me to design and construct the landscaping on their previous property in Wahroonga. Some years later I was invited to be the landscape designer tasked with the redesign of this wonderful acre hideaway in Pymble, on Sydney’s leafy Upper North Shore. This fabulous home and...