Backyard and Outdoor Living Issue #55 2021

Welcome to the new-look Backyard & Outdoor Living magazine. To celebrate, we have 32 pages of inspirational gardens and outdoor spaces to peruse — perhaps you could take some pointers from them for your next landscaping project? If you’ve already created the outdoor area of your dreams, it’s a good idea to invest some time into looking after it. Our outdoor maintenance feature will set you off on the right foot. The age-old adage “work smarter, not harder” is the theme here, so you can get your space looking spick and span in no time and spend summer relaxing. Do you fancy yourself a bit of an outdoor chef? Well, do we have a story for you! In our cooking feature, read about how the latest barbecues, wood-fired ovens and outdoor kitchens…

FLOWER COLOUR THEORY Darroch & Michael Putnam, Phaidon, $49.95 Floral designers Darroch and Michael Putnam are back with the ultimate flower arrangement reference and inspiration book. Featuring 175 arrangements rather than individual flowers, Flower Colour Theory shows readers how h to arrange stunning compositions packed with colour and demonstrates the many ways to combine blooms of different hues. Organised chromatically from white to black, each arrangement is built around classic colour schemes, including analogous, complementary, monochromatic, rainbow, triadic, transitional and accent colours, making it a truly comprehensive reference book for any occasion. THIRTEEN WAYS TO SMELL A TREE David George Haskell, Gaia, $32.99 A celebration of our connection with trees, Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree takes you on a journey to connect with trees through the sense most aligned to our emotions and memories.…

OLIVE-GREEN PIZZA-MAKING MACHINE! With Aussies continuing to focus on home improvement and design extending beyond the home and into the backyard, global pizza oven provider Gozney has released its best-selling portable oven, the Roccbox, in a new olive-green shade. The perfect accessory for your backyard, the Gozney Roccbox is designed to be easy to use for everyone — from home cooks to professional chefs — reaching temperatures of up to 500°C and cooking a Neapolitan pizza in just 60 seconds. Designed to replicate the performance of Gozney’s professional ovens and used by top restaurants all over the world, the Roccbox makes outdoor cooking effortless. Featuring patented rolling-flame technology, an ultra-thin microporous stone floor, retractable legs, silicon SafeTouch ™ jacket and built-in thermometer, this is one hot unit. au.gozney.com SKY-HIGH URBAN OASIS A preeminent…

1. PEACHES AND NECTARINES Stone fruit like peaches and nectarines are the essence of summer. I’m particularly fond of mouth-watering white-fleshed varieties, but I love growing a range of different peaches and nectarines that fruit at varying times over summer to give us an extended harvest season. Dwarf peach and nectarine trees are ideal for home gardeners as they produce standard-sized fruit on much more compact trees that are easier to manage. Stone fruit are commonly planted during winter while they are leafless and dormant; however, you can plant potted stone fruit trees at other times of the year. When planting a new stone fruit tree, mix some Yates Dynamic Lifter into the planting hole to improve and enrich the soil and help give the tree a great start. 2. RASPBERRIES AND…

RUNNING FOR SHADE With the combination of vertical sliding timber screens and two Shaderunner® retractable sail systems overhead, the entertaining deck of this stunning home is transformed into a usable outdoor space, even on the hottest days. As well as providing thermal comfort to the outdoor spaces, this combined approach protects the windows from the sun when at lower angles, minimising unwanted solar gains and reducing the load on air-conditioning systems. During the cooler months, the timber screens can be opened and the Shaderunners folded back to maximise light and solar gains, reducing the need for mechanical heating. The Shaderunner® retractable sail system is ideally suited for a range of applications around the home, from outdoor entertaining spaces and patios to swimming pools and courtyards. With a wide range of fabrics…

01.LET NATURE GUIDE YOU The placement of furniture and accessories in this fetching outdoor area, styled by Heather Nette King, provides a blueprint for successful summer decorating. Use natural materials and earthy tones to create a calming, authentic outdoor space. Rather than competing with nature, this approach ensures you will feel at one with your surroundings. Include plenty of woven elements and keep things interesting with an injection of black accents, like the side table and round coffee table seen on this beautiful decked area. earlysettler.com.au 02. IN THE ZONE If you live in a large household or host regular gatherings with family and friends, consider zoning your outdoor area to increase flow and functionality. Satara offers a stellar example with this well-designed outdoor area. The star of the show is the Riva…