Table of contents for Issue #17.5 2020 in Backyard and Outdoor Living

Woiwurrung and Maneroo man Christian Hampson and Mindjingbal-Bundjalung man Clarence Slockee envisioned a hub for community as well as a central source of sustainable food when they founded Australia’s first Indigenous rooftop garden. Yerrabingin, on the fourth storey in Sydney’s South Eveleigh precinct, was a collaborative project initiated with the assistance of real estate business Mirvac. The 500sqm space is home to more than 2000 medicinal plants and bush foods, which supply Sydney restaurants. Yerrabingin is providing workshops, education and, most importantly, jobs and opportunities for Indigenous people to work on the gardens and behind the scenes to organise workshops and events. Christian and Clarence initially envisaged a landscape garden within the precinct. It was the vision and suggestion of Mirvac that the duo instead plan and implement a rooftop…

Cathy Apps, landscape designer at Catnik Design Studio, created this unique English/Australian garden at a South Australian residence. Cathy says it’s important there’s a reason behind your design ideas and that they suit the clients’ needs. “Our clients wanted colour and seasonal change, along with privacy and shelter. They asked for a place they could wander through and enjoy the changes.” The brief was specifically to create a beautiful garden incorporating the new side entrance of the house, which is used as a business studio. The garden was to be designed to bring clients through the porte cochère, alongside the home to the studio. There was also a request for a seating area, where clients could wait and enjoy the surrounds. The homeowners themselves aren’t green-fingered, so it was important…

The family living in this Melbourne home are in love with its modernist, 1970s architecture, so they naturally sought a backyard that complemented the aesthetic. Anna Maskiell of Public Realm Lab was able to deliver. “We are architects who are in love with gardens and who work closely with landscape architects, so we tend to think about gardens in terms of how you occupy them, how you move through them and how they complement internal spaces,” Anna says. “Our preference is for our clients to be able to live outside or in some kind of in-between space as much as possible, because it’s good for us!” In light of this, the design centred around the concept of “a series of outdoor rooms” for the family to enjoy comfortably throughout Melbourne’s…

The term “waterwise” is very much a part of gardening vernacular in Australia. Google the phrase and you’ll be inundated with corporations, government agencies, products and plant lists all promoting its principles. As a nation, we’re finally starting to embrace the concept of being waterwise, with many new homes and estates actively promoting the right plant selections and design layouts to make the most of the least amount of water. Most gardeners, however, still face a bit of a perception problem: could it really be that simple to establish a water-conserving garden or convert an existing garden into a waterwise wonderland? Ultimately, although the basic principles of how we garden have had to change, the answer is yes. Australia has always been a dry place to garden. Our Indigenous cultures…

No watering, mowing or weeding certainly sounds appealing and for many, artificial grass is now regarded as a viable, even desirable, alternative to natural turf. Some are attracted by its waterwise qualities and others by the thought of less maintenance, but whatever the motivation there is no denying that today’s artificial grass products look, feel and function a whole lot better than they used to. “Aesthetically, artificial turf has come a long way in recent years and there is no shortage of natural-looking products developed specifically for domestic landscaping,” says Kellie Doust of Synthetic Grass & Rubber Surfaces Australia. “Today’s products are soft underfoot, have great drainage properties to avoid rainwater pooling, give a lush green appearance all-year round and have improved UV-resistant properties that make them deal with the…

What’s more important in a backyard than the grass beneath your feet? A soft and lush lawn is the backdrop to your home and the place to hang out on the weekend all summer long. Whether you’re entertaining on warm nights or simply enjoying the sun, the backyard is a household’s connection to nature and an escape from the busyness of life. That’s why choosing once and choosing right for your turf is so important. myhomeTURF helps you select the right lawn for your home and lifestyle. Are the popular Buffalo grass varieties the right ones for you? Or the tough Zoysia turf? Empire, Nara Native and shade-tolerant grasses like Sapphire, Prestige and Palmetto are just some of the types available through myhomeTURF. Make the home turf journey in one…

Creating an eco-friendly garden is important for each project designed by Andrew Beck, principle of Sustainable Garden Design Perth. His recent brain child, a garden in Nedlands, Perth, reaches new heights of playful design. Spanning a generous 1800sqm close to the Swan River, this property is the family home of two doctors and their four children. The outdoor area, in keeping with the mid-century-inspired home, also incorporates circular islands of lawn delineated with FormBoss steel edging to create interesting geometric shapes, as well as a play space close-by to a non-pooling stream. The project was particularly challenging as a large majority of the stone existed on-site and needed to be carefully removed by hand and then reassembled like a jigsaw in its new organic form. As well as recycling the…

NEW YEAR, NEW MOW Love your lawn with the Ozito PXC cylinder push mower. Perfect for maintaining well-kept small to medium lawn areas, this mower has a cordless motor that can be powered by any 18V Power X Change battery that automatically spins the blades at the press of a button. With five precision ground cutting blades, a 45L grass catcher and 38cm cutting width, this cylinder mower is sure to bring out the lawn guru in anyone. Available at your local Bunnings. ozito.com.au GO LOW FLOW Reducing the risk of run-off or water wastage, Drip Eze extruded in-line drip tube is a precise, low-flow irrigation product suited for a range of landscape applications. This product is a flexible, water-friendly solution for high-density planting areas or intricately shaped landscape beds.…

HIDDEN OASIS Nestled in an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, the owners of this garden wanted a peaceful and secluded oasis from the hustle and bustle of their area. The extensive foliage and ornamental grapevine around the pergola make the space feel lush and peaceful — a private sanctuary. The vine also helps shade the outdoor and nearby indoor spaces in hot summers, creating a space that can be used all year round. Privacy from neighbours is created with magnolia trees, which act as screening along the side of the house, and bamboo that encloses the space at the back. normark.com.au A BREAK FROM SUBURBIA After their previous garden died in the drought, the owners of this backyard wanted a sustainable garden they could grow their own veggies in to help…

For this Melbourne property, Lisa Ellis Gardens faced a challenge: create a relaxed atmosphere with areas for entertaining and a space that incorporates the client’s five rescue dogs into the design. Yes, five! With assistance from Diverse Landscape Constructions, both the front and rear gardens were transformed. Lisa Ellis, director at Lisa Ellis Gardens, explains that the clients wanted gardens that would complement their landmark Bayside art deco residence. “They wanted to have different entertaining zones and they have five rescue dogs, so we agreed there needed to be a design solution to tidy up the backyard of bowls that worked for the dogs.” The key was to create different zones in the garden with striking hardscaping detail. The use of lush foliage strongly appealed to the client and Lisa…

When building a home, all elements need to be considered — architecture, interior design and landscape design. A house doesn’t look complete without a landscape and a garden is best enjoyed with family. Janine Mendel of Cultivart Landscape Design has a firm belief in the consideration of an entire site as a canvas for design, suggesting that “at the end, the house should look like it was planted in the garden. A house is not finished until the garden is”. And, for this ultra-contemporary home in Western Australia, a rich green, leafy garden was exactly what was needed to complete the picture. Designed by Klopper Davis Architects and constructed by Minchin and Sims, the three-level home sat on a very steep slope with awkward, compact spaces but a striking view…

When planning a dry-tolerant garden, the first thing you should do is put on your walking shoes and stroll around your local area, noting which plants seem to be flourishing regardless of dry spells or water restrictions. This will give you a good idea of which trees, shrubs, ground covers and flowering plants will keep on keeping on, even when water’s in short or sporadic supply. Next, drop in to your local nursery or garden centre. Ask to speak to their on-staff horticulturist who can give you advice on drought-tolerant or low-water-use plants already adapted to the local climate and growing conditions. And, of course, there’s no shortage of books on dry-tolerant gardening, which include handy plant guides, nor any shortage of online resources you can draw on. IDENTIFY DRY-TOLERANCE…

It has never been easier or more affordable to cut the cord and experience the freedom of being able to work around your home and garden without a long extension cord trailing behind you. Ozito's Power X Change platform is a game-changer for home DIYers with 18V batteries that are 100 per cent compatible with every power tool in the range. With more than 70 cordless tools on offer, you'll notice the flexibility. From garden sprayers, universal spreaders, reciprocating saws, hedge trimmers and lawn edgers all the way to pruners, all your DIY needs can be met in one place. Just charge it, change it and get the job done. This cordless platform unleashes your backyard's potential, giving you the freedom to leave behind the mains power and move anywhere…

Soil depth and type are two of the biggest factors in determining how drought-hardy your garden will be. Soil stores water for plant growth. The more water it can store, the more waterwise your garden can become. However, not all soils are the same. KNOWING YOUR GARDEN SOIL Getting to understand what soil type you have and what that means lies at the foundation of all successful gardens, especially low-water-use ones. To work out what your soil type is, grab a handful and wet it until moist, rolling it around in your hands. You’ll begin to feel its texture. If it moulds easily and feels smooth, you have a clay soil. If it falls apart easily and sounds raspy, you have sand. If it feels a little spongy and you…

As one of the most severe droughts in history is experienced across the country, it’s now more important than ever to ensure our gardens are drought-proof and the most water-efficient they can be. There are simple measures you can take to keep your garden green and water-efficient. The great thing is, this DIY project can be realised in a single weekend, whether you’ve got a lush backyard or a few pot plants on the balcony! GUIDE TO A DROUGHT-PROOF GARDEN Pick out your new, drought-tolerant plants for the garden. Check with your nursery for the best options or head online (Sydney Water has a great plant selector tool, for example). Some of my favourite drought-tolerant plants include the butterfly agave and coral jade plant. I’m also a big fan of…

TAKE A TREE A beautiful boab tree can be a dynamic focal point, even in a small space. This petite courtyard garden features a striking robust tree, stretching skyward, drawing the eye up. Drought-hardy succulents and mondo grasses with larger rocks also feature in the space. Meticulously positioned smooth grey pebbles form a wave, which emulates the flow of running water. The architecture and materials used in the home were replicated in the garden, ensuring an easy indoor-outdoor transition. The warmth of natural stone and the interplay of textures creates a relaxing Zen-like space, which can be appreciated as the homeowners move from one area of the property to another. The garden pays homage to the concept of the traditional Japanese courtyard, with the use of stone and wave-like rock…

The young owners of this New South Wales home craved an outdoor space that not only catered to their family lifestyle, but also preserved the native flora surrounding them. Gerrad Everson, creative director at Octopus Garden Design, had a plan for making their garden dreams a reality with a simple, practical and low-maintenance garden that gave the family a touch of country serenity in the middle of a busy city. “The brief for the landscape design was to create a simple and practical garden for a young family,” Gerrad explains. “They wanted a medium-size pool, plenty of lawn, a Hills Hoist, veggie gardens, citrus trees, chickens, and to be surrounded with native trees and plants.” With the preservation of existing native plants being such an important component of the renovation,…

Building a new home that meets all of today’s environmental standards is enough of a challenge, but creating a sustainable garden next to the home in these tough water-strapped times can be just as difficult. Clients of Phillip Johnson Sustainable Landscape Systems were building a contemporary home in Canterbury, Melbourne, with a significant footprint. The space remaining was minimal, so their design needed to be innovative in maximising the area available for landscaping. The homeowners asked for a low-maintenance, waterwise garden with a blend of exotic and Indigenous planting. Fruit trees and a vegetable patch were also required, along with plants to screen the neighbours and street. It was important to the homeowners that the gardens provide interesting views from inside the house, a habitat for frogs and birds, rainwater…

This is an excellent question, and something an environmentally conscious gardener might wonder. With changing rainfall patterns, drought and an increasing average temperature in Australia many people are looking for ways to save water in their garden, and adding water crystals to your soil appears to be a good solution. But what do we really know about water crystals and are they bad for the environment? Well, you can put your mind at ease: water crystals are not bad for the environment. In fact, in other forms they are actually used to help protect the environment. WHAT ARE WATER CRYSTALS? Water crystals are tiny super-absorbent polymers (a long chain that’s made up of identical repeating molecules), about the size of a sugar crystal. They are added to potting mix or…

Backyard entertaining is a fundamental way of life in Australia. We love having friends over for barbies, playing in the pool, backyard cricket or just lazing back on a Sunday arvo with a cold beer or wine. What has also become a way of life is the struggle to get our backyards looking good and staying good, especially for those big occasions when all the friends and family are coming over. Toowoomba-based company Earthlife knows and understands these struggles and has developed some simple solutions to help Aussies grow fantastic, healthy gardens and lawns and, best of all, to minimise those struggles to help create lazy gardeners who are the envy of their guests. Combining an action of first breaking the water-repellent crust that forms on all soil types, then…

With many parts of Australia seeing consistently warmer-than-average temperatures, keeping lawns and gardens lush and thriving throughout the year can be a challenge. Choosing a watering system that gives your lawn and garden the best chance of success is the smart way to water. With over 20 years in the business, backed by firsthand knowledge in the groundskeeper and irrigation industries, the owners of Wobble-Tee Sprinklers have successfully created the Australian-made Clever Drop sprinkler. With a very low angle of trajectory, the Clever Drop sprinkler has a maximum water droplet height during operation at around knee height. So what does this mean and how can it save you water? Well, with the water from the Clever Drop directed outward not upward, droplets spend around 50 per cent less time in…

Maintaining your own compost heap is a cheap and effective way of ensuring a ready supply of soil-enriching organic matter — and you’ll reduce the amount of garden clippings and food waste that need to go to landfill, which is good for the environment. As the rate of decomposition depends on the amount of heat generated inside the compost heap, you need to build or buy some type of container to make compost. You can buy compost bins of various sizes, depending on the space in your garden and how much green waste and kitchen scraps you have to feed into it. You can also buy rotating barrels that speed up the decomposition process but they can be more expensive. There are even specially designed, compact indoor compost bins, which…