Table of contents for Issue #58 2022 in Backyard and Outdoor Living

It’s cooling down now, but that’s no reason to abandon your outdoor space. In Best Of this edition, we take a look at the hottest outdoor heating options (pun intended) that will help you make the most of your outside area year-round. Potted plants are all the rage at the moment and this trend is ideal if you have a smaller garden or simply want to add life to a bare space. If you’re still on the fence, turn to Snapshot to see some perfect pot plant inspiration — you won’t be disappointed. When I was a kid, the backyard was often just a patch of grass, a trampoline and a few plants. These days it’s so much more. It’s a captivating view to look out on, the entertaining hub…

1. CREPE MYRTLES If there was a tree that could be classed as an overachiever, it would be the crepe myrtle. Their crinkly summer flowers, which come in multiple colours including white, purple, red, mauve and pink, last for several months and are a magnet for bees. The smooth bark is also attractive, with interesting patterns and mottled colours. And then comes the vivid autumn leaves in shades of purple, red, yellow or orange. We’re spoilt for choice with crepe myrtle varieties, which range from medium-sized shrubs (ideal for growing in pots and small gardens) to 8m-tall trees, and some have stunning dark burgundy foliage continuously from spring to autumn. Watch out for powdery mildew disease on crepe myrtle foliage, which first appears like a light dusting of talcum…

01.HAWKESBURY CHAPEL Since purchasing a derelict sandstone chapel and cemetery in 2013, homeowners Simon and Lauren have made it their responsibility to not only preserve the history of this Hawkesbury riverside property, but to also make sure it remains for another 150 years. As seen on Grand Designs Australia season 9, episode 5, the couple added a modern extension to the original chapel connected by a glass walkway. In keeping with the original sandstone chapel, a rustic firepit area was created with sandstone seating. “We have a deeply spiritual connection to the property and now to the memories made building our house,” says Lauren. “Every morning, we look out on the river with gratitude for being able to call this place home and the opportunities and lifestyle it has afforded…

I’ve long dreamed of wandering along the gravel-topped aisles of a capacious walled kitchen garden. Bed after bed of leafy salad veggies, sculptural artichokes, tomato-laden growing frames, and aromatic herbs flanking my journey. A garden bench to relax upon, a charming timber potting shed and a greenhouse tucked into a corner. My reality is rather different — a backyard of modest size with some raised planters and one veggie bed, although there is a garden bench. What I’ve learned is you can be creative about how you integrate veggies into your outdoor space but what you can’t be is loosey-goosey about proper preparation, placement and planting. WHY IT MAKES SENSE The rewards of growing your own veg are abundant. You can eat fresher, tastier produce than you’d buy in the…

The majority of our soils suffer from compaction. Most is shallow, but some may be deeper. In general, our focus on soil improvement is directed to the top 10-30cm of the soil, or the ‘A’ horizon. Common advice suggests we should dig a wide, shallow hole to plant in. This encourages roots to stay near the soil surface where they then struggle with hot and dry conditions. The opposite can also happen with waterlogging due to a lack of drainage in the shallow hole. And also, the plant becomes reliant on any food source to be provided at the surface. In natural soil systems, plants develop shallow roots, but they can also grow roots two or three times deeper than the height of the plant. These plants not only access…

The HEATSTRIP® collection of electric radiant heaters is perfect for the outdoors and hard–to–heat indoor spaces. As there is typically constant air movement in an outdoor or open indoor area, many conventional heaters rely on convection heating that works by heating the surrounding air. This can be quite impractical, as the heated air can easily blow away with natural air movement. Radiant–style heaters transfer heat directly to objects through infra–red waves. While convection heaters heat the air between objects, radiant heaters heat the surface of the objects themselves. HEATSTRIP® electric radiant heaters are more effective in an outdoor or uninsulated indoor area because they provide targeted warmth directly to the people and objects in their path. Years of research and development, along with a fruitful partnership with the coating technology…

THE HEALTHY GARDEN Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Mary-Kate Mackey, Abrams, $39.99 Part gardening bible, part call to action, this publication by award-winning authors Kathleen Norris Brenzel and Mary-Kate Mackey presents advice, tips and howtos for gardeners seeking better health, increased happiness and stronger communities. The Healthy Garden combines practical advice for starting a garden, with a rare view into how home gardening builds resilience, personal happiness and community strength. Filled with savvy tips from dozens of experts, each chapter celebrates the many ways gardening works to build health. These professionals and passionate plant people offer lively insights into landscape design, soil science, nutrition and plant choices. COUNTRY: FUTURE FIRE, FUTURE FARMING Bruce Pascoe, Bill Gammage, Thames & Hudson Australia, $21.99 For millennia, Indigenous Australians harvested this continent in ways that can…

PONTI TAKEN Innovative pots are wowing designers for a host of reasons. The best designer is mother nature, and with a vast array of plants that offer sculptural beauty, fragrance or coloured blooms, showcasing them in a designer pot can make a dramatic difference in your outdoor entertaining space. Anthony Spon-Smith from Coco Republic says plants are natural, subconsciously soothing and perfectly imperfect. As such, any way we can frame them as heroes, inside or out, is very important. The right planter, pot or urn can do just that. Anthony’s advice is to pick a planter that juxtaposes with the plant. Prickly or complicated shapes for plants are often complemented by simple pots and vice versa. He likes texture and simple shapes when it comes to pots and planters, and…

The outdoor room is as much a state of mind as it is a space. It might be defined by the curve of a garden bed or a straight-as-a-die clipped hedge, or it might be a paved patio, a covered deck or a poolside conversation area. It’s how you furnish and decorate your alfresco entertaining or living space, and the ambience you create, that elevates the area to outdoor room status. Seating arrangements for conversation, a sun lounger for an afternoon snooze by the pool, a dining table for family meals or entertaining … these can all be combined with rugs and cushions, artwork and decorative pots, wall art and mirrors, lighting and table decor. The aim is to skilfully combine furniture, soft furnishings and decor to create a place…

Define your garden and create a visually stunning centrepiece with quick and easy-to-install steel edging. Whether it’s large-scale feature terracing or raised planters, steel edging is a simple solution to a variety of outdoor projects. All you need is a weekend and some sunscreen. FormBoss metal garden edging is made locally in Melbourne from high-quality Australian BlueScope steel that is structurally guaranteed for 10 years. One of the company’s steel finishes, and one that is growing in popularity, is Redcor. Boasting a long life expectancy, the subtle colour variations within the steel make each piece unique. Redcor’s protective layer develops over time as it is exposed to the elements, revealing a rich patina bound to constantly delight the viewer. Once exposed, it will take between four and 16 weeks to…

Cumquats are the smallest of the citrus clan but each little fruit’s sour but tangy flavour packs a punch. Neat, tidy and evergreen, they are also extremely ornamental, bedecked with golden fruit during winter when we’re in need of a bit of garden cheer. In Chinese culture, cumquats (also called kumquats) are considered lucky and prized as New Year gifts, as, when the shrub is covered with fruit, it looks as if it’s hung with gold coins. Even if you don’t believe cumquats can bring luck or riches, they enrich winter and early spring when they are in fruit. If you can bear to pick the fruit, even a small harvest can be transformed into some jars of cumquat marmalade or added to both sweet and savoury dishes. Other ways…

LITTLE GREEN FINGERS Getting the kids involved in gardening couldn’t be easier with the Mt Elephant gardening kit. The Spring Gardening Kit contains little seedlings to grow deliciously juicy strawberries, as well as Mt Elephant’s Pancake Mix, which has been created with mindfully chosen ingredients to make the ultimate gluten-free, wholefood pancake made with almond meal and buckwheat. Each Gardening Kit contains: strawberry seedling packet, planter box, gardening tools, colour the rainbow activity, chalk pens, and Mt Elephant Pancake Mix. Planting seeds, growing vegetables or fruits and then harvesting them and turning them into delicious foods kids will love, is a big step towards teaching them about the natural world and wholesome nutrition. Mt Elephant’s plant-based and nutrient-rich mixes are an easy way to incorporate more plant-based goodness into your…

01. FIRE AS ART Designed by acclaimed Barcelona-based designer, Hiroshi Tsunoda, the multi-award-winning EcoSmart Stix is a visually striking firepit combining contemporary styling with exceptional practicality and safety. The dramatic and sculptural ethanol fire is crafted from weather-resistant stainless-steel tubes of varying lengths. It creates a modern twist on the traditional campfire. The firepits are portable and freestanding, which means they can be easily positioned almost anywhere to create a stunning centrepiece or to define a zone within an alfresco or indoor space. Stix firepits are fitted with compact, clean-burning ethanol burners, they offer easy, safe operation, don’t require connection to electricity or gas, and create a captivating golden flame for hours. They are available in two sizes — the larger original Stix, which holds an AB8 burner producing a…

Last year, John Eussen celebrated 10 years connecting education to the interior design industry with these inaugural awards. The competition started in 2010 at the Grand Designs Live home shows in Sydney and Melbourne. It was originally a four-month project with four design colleges in Sydney and Melbourne, where student finalists built their designs at the home shows at the Sydney and Melbourne Exhibition Centres. The finalists were judged by TV personalities Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs (UK), Peter Maddison from Grand Designs Australia, Shaynna Blaze from Selling Houses Australia and design commentator John Eussen, with the overall winner being awarded a return flight to Grand Designs Live in the UK. For four years the competition continued to grow and for the past six years, it has been featured in…

The Shaderunner® retractable sail system is ideally suited to a range of applications around the home, from outdoor entertaining spaces and patios to swimming pools and courtyards. With a wide range of fabrics and colour options available, the Shaderunner® complements all architectural styles, from contemporary suburban homes to traditional country residences. A year ago, the owners of this lovely home in the Adelaide suburb of Brighton Beach had an existing terrace that was generally underutilised. Recognising the potential of this north–facing outdoor space, the owners put into action a comprehensive makeover of the area, resulting in this well–designed and stylish entertaining space. By constructing this tasteful timber-clad pergola, the owners were able to easily add a functional Shaderunner® retractable sail system, providing controllable shade on demand. Complemented with stylish paving,…

“Millions of peaches, peaches for me ...” If you’d like to be singing this while picking armfuls of peaches from your own tree in summer, now is a great time to plant one — or two! During winter, when the trees are dormant, peaches are available bare-rooted. This means the trees are dug up from the production nursery in early winter, their roots are trimmed, then they’re bagged in sawdust for transport to your local nursery. You can even get bare-rooted trees easily and cheaply via mail order. The peak season for bare-rooted stock is June to early August, so now is a great time to do your research and be ready with your wish list. Peaches love a full-sun spot in your garden and some will happily grow in…

Global warming is affecting many aspects of our lives, so is there anything that we, as lovers of our backyards, can do to lessen its impact? Discussions between politicians contain little advice on how we can contribute. Even though we may think that one individual cannot make a difference, when all of us do something, we will see effects. Let’s look at some practical approaches that can benefit us all. GROW PLANTS, ESPECIALLY TREES Leafy trees and shrubs around houses provide shade for shelter from increasing temperatures and it is well known that, like all plants, they trap the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. In hot weather, they also reduce nearby temperatures by up to 8°C through evaporation of the moisture resulting from their metabolism. Further temperature moderation can be achieved…