Better Homes and Gardens Australia

welcome to march

Imagine these colours in a favourite room or fabrics for pretty dresses!turning the pages of each issue each month, a particular characteristic just leaps out every time. It might be something about the fab pages of food or a craft special to set your creative juices flowing or more projects than normal which you’d just love to tackle at home.This month I threw all the pages across the floor to see how to order the features, for your viewing pleasure aha, and it was colour that just vibrated and leapt out. Now I don’t know about all of you but I can tell you I am a colour fanatic.So why, damn it, are my home and my small farm both painted white! Because when it comes to it, I am…

it’s the best time of the year…

Special BULB OFFER see page 148 for more detailsgot great expectations? Now’s the time to do the groundwork to ensure your springtime garden is its most spectacular ever.Spring-flowering bulbs are the sleeping giants of your garden, so tuck them in now, keep them in the dark and, when the longer days arrive, they’ll wake with a roar.Plan for a mass choir of daffodils or tulips or get a rousing statement from a tall stand of graceful irises. You can theme your display in one colour and go for a profusion of elegant whites, or opt for two colours with a vibrant clash of purples and oranges.Or you can create a riot across your front lawn with a cacophony of colour – abandon the restraints of fashion to combine all the…

from pool to aquatic oasis

2 The yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) grows in shallow water or saturated soil. You can even grow one in a pot.“A pond is a living ecosystem that is constantly evolving”what do you get when you cross a swimming pool with a pond? A natural oasis in your own backyard! That’s the experience of homeowners who choose to convert their unused backyard pools into natural aquatic ecosystems. And there are other advantages, too. For a start, it’s far cheaper than the option of having the pool removed. And, as a bonus, natural pools are very low maintenance compared to the upkeep involved in maintaining conventional swimming pools. They have very low power consumption and require no expensive chemicals – it’s a case of letting nature do the maintenance for you.…

a french affair

travelling the world is inspiring, especially if you’re a devoted garden lover. Many a tourist returns from their travels, yearning to re-create a little piece of a favourite place, back on home turf. In the case of the owners of Picardy Garden, in southern Victoria, what sparked their imagination was the idyllic rural landscapes and gardens of the Picardy region of France.2 With its apricothued walls and blue windows, the house was modelled closely on classic French farmhouses. Note the clumps of purple lavender, adding colour to the terrace.SEEN ON BHG TV FRIDAYS 7.003 Grown from a cutting taken from an old church, this climbing rose flowers from spring to autumn.4 Featuring salvaged doors and climbing roses, the mud-brick barn is straight out of rural France.5 The blooms of ‘Alchymist’…

secrets, sanctuary & utter splendour

1 A neat conifer wall helps contain the raised water garden, where a cherub makes merry and the tall cluster of irises complements the swirl of waterlilies.2 A profusion of roses and the country touch welcome visitors to the garden.3 Multiple layers and textures are a design feature of the Monastery Garden, where a series of arches frame the large, ornate bell.Penstemon sp.4 Framed by a weeping willow, these roses spilling into the lake are some of more than 800 that are grown at Red Cow Farm.SEEN ON BHG TV FRIDAYS 7.00if there are garden rules to be broken, Red Cow Farm will break them. With both deliberate intent and carefree abandon, it shows you how you can combine formal and cottage garden styles, mix your pathways with gravel, flagstone,…

grow, multiply dazzle

Cascades of rhipsalis turn grey to green.1 PROJECTthis is the perfect time of the year to be out enjoying the delights of your garden, plus adding to it with two small projects and a wonderful new flowering plant.HOW TO DIVIDE a rhipsalisExtremely elegant with exciting pops of colour, rhipsalis can also be pricey. But don’t weep! You can have a multitude draped along retaining walls or spilling from hanging baskets by propagating many from just the one.Gather your supplies• Cacti and succulent potting mix• Clay potsYou’ll also needSecateurs; small pea gravel or deco pebblesSTEPSSTEP 1STEP 2STEP 3Here’s howSTEP 1 Take cuttings from your mother plant just below the stem ‘ramifications’ (the indents or separations) using clean secateurs, then allow the ends to heal for a few days to discourage pests…