Table of contents for Issue #63 2023 in Backyard and Outdoor Living

It's time to bid adieu to summer for another year, but it's not all doom and gloom. Autumn is such a lovely time of year in many parts of Australia — the seasonal ‘s time to bid adieu to summer for another year, but it's not all doom and gloom. Autumn is such a lovely time of year in many parts of Australia — the seasonal the curb), and of course it brings about all sorts of wonderful foliage colour changes. In recognition, in snapshot this issue we take a look at some of our favourite autumnal gardens. With an increase in apartment and townhouse living, it's now more important than ever to learn how to maximise the space you have available. So this issue, we focus on creating a…

01. BONDI GARDENS The block on which the Bondi project iS located is conservative in size. The property owners are a busy family who relax by entertaining family and friends — and they had a sauna and swimming pool on their list of requests. Landart needed a clever design solution to fit it all in. The Landart design team of Matt Leacy and Tom Wright used glass as the element that would keep the structures feeling light and enable all areas to connect visually. The glass sauna design is a standout; it's complemented by the pool and designed to allow the eye to drift around the space, making the pool area feel larger overall. The clean monochromatic pallets help to provide a consistency throughout and evoke a sense of calm. Photo…

THIS WEEKEND With an enviable position on the waterfront, this lovely home in Bundall on Queensland's Gold Coast enjoys direct access to the canal and features a fantastic raised terrace for relaxing and entertaining. But a terrace is only as good as its level of protection from the elements; unprotected, it simply goes to waste. This is why the owners installed a fully retractable Shaderunner® shade system, which extends along the rear elevation of the house over the entertaining area, providing welcome shade and protection from the sun and maximising the usefulness of the outdoor space. The Shaderunner® Retractable Shade System is a unique product made in South Australia by a family-owned business. Developed from more than 50 years of sailing experience and the precision needed for yacht sails, the…

To inspire customers to get stuck into their backyard, no matter the size of the space, Amazon Australia has partnered with The Block 2021 Garden Challenge winners Jesse Anderson and Kirsty Lee Akers to create DIY inspiration guides. We take a look at the first two. HOW TO BUILD A VEGGIE PATCH THAT SUITS ANY SIZE AND SPACE (INCLUDING THE BALCONY!) As much as we hated being locked down during Covid, one of the great things to come from it is we got to spend a lot of time around our home ticking off the to-do list. One of those on the list was to create our own veggie patch. Spring is the perfect time to get the veggie patch cranking. The weather is beautiful (fingers crossed), the birds are…

IT'S ALL IN THE CURVES Free-flowing garden beds offer a layered, contemporary feel mixed with Australian native plants. Mesh trellis offers privacy screening, and merbau decking flows from the indoors onto artificial lawn that's soft underfoot. This tailored Melbourne garden design focuses on maximising the outdoor living experience, making the most of a generous-sized backyard as you wander onto an inviting circular seating area with a firepit that's ideal for outdoor entertaining. Planted beds are defined with steel curved garden edging with feature pebble inlay. The bench seating pad is positioned to make the most of the northerly sun. boodleconcepts.com.au WHEN PLANETS ALIGN The key aesthetic of this Blackburn garden is the textural but calming effect it exudes and the striking array of colours on display. The planting scheme is…

FEATURE Even the tiniest outdoor area can become a slice of horticultural heaven. You may not have the option of having a traditional garden, but with a few potted plants, a green wall or vertical garden and some well-chosen items of decor, you can transform a balcony into your very own enchanted garden. Add some lighting, a compact barbecue along with some streamlined seating, and you have a cosy, well-coordinated outdoor living space that will tempt you outside, whether it's to unwind at the end of a hectic day at work or to gather with friends on the weekend. Apartment balconies in urban areas can feel a bit dull and lifeless, especially if the outlook takes in other big buildings or a bleak city or suburban view. The easiest way…

THIS WEEKEND Contrary to popular belief, clay is actually a brilliant base for growing gardens. Once clay is opened up for drainage and aeration, it can become a thriving playground for benefi cial soil microbes. Unfortunately, the advice we are given is to dig in gypsum. The use of gypsum is an old agricultural practice dating back to the 1880s, used to leach sodium from dispersive sodic clay soils, or clay that is highly erosive and that almost dissipates in water. Gypsum is not technically a clay breaker as it does not work on hard compacted plasticinetype clays. In fact, too much can create what is known as gypsiferous conditions, which can cause crusting and hardpan compaction. Gypsum is a water-soluble mineral, sourced from the arid and semi-arid regions of…

GROW In the heat of the summer garden, when your spinach leaves become bitter and the plants wilt in the hot sun, it's time to consider a heat-loving alternative — one undeterred by the extreme, hot summer conditions. A heat-tolerant climbing vine from the tropics of Asia and Africa, Malabar spinach — also known as Ceylon spinach, climbing spinach and vine spinach — is actually not a true spinach. It belongs to the Basellaceae family but its leaves taste like spinach and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. There are two main species — Basella rubra, with an attractive dark-red stem, and B. alba with a green stem — but both have the same heart-shaped dark-green edible leaves. In warmer, frost-free climates it can be grown year round, but in…

Plants in and around our homes offer a deep and meaningful connection to nature in our day-to-day lives. Beyond the environmental and biodiversity benefits and the improvement in our wellbeing, there can be great pleasure in surrounding ourselves with plants and their beauty. The practice of tending and cultivating a plant through a life cycle — as they grow and flower through seasons — is so wondrous. And the beauty is infinite: the flowers, the foliage, the colours, form and texture. The art of gardening, at any scale, is creative, intellectual and mindfully practised. Our approach is that more plants rather than fewer in type and quantity can maximise the beauty and wonder in our garden spaces. PLANT-DRIVEN DESIGN — A PLANTFIRST APPROACH The wonderful diversity of plants presents us…

GO UNDERCOVER Jack, a leading specialist in DIY gardening and horticultural support products, reports huge demand from consumers seeking answers to protecting their organic home-grown crops from animals and birdlife, while using no chemicals and creating no harm. There are a number of options depending on the dimensions of the plant or crop to be protected and whether it needs additional protection from other elements, such as hot sun or wind. The Insect Resistant Grow tunnel features a transparent fine mesh cover that filters sunlight and allows air and rainwater to pass through. It offers the same protection from birds, animals, insects and harsh weather. This tunnel is ideal for strawberries, tomatoes and leaf vegetables. meetjack.com.au SCULPTED BEAUTY For the ultimate in good looks and comfort, the Gubi Bohemian 72…

01. SHOW IT OR STOW IT Beautiful concrete benchtops are striking and distinctive. Organic concrete is enduring and can suit virtually any style of home. Blend Concrete makes a dramatic statement with a concrete seat that can flow on to a benchtop and underneath there's room to store drinks, barbecue utensils and other equipment you'll need for outdoor entertaining spaces. On top you can also display decor items or a leafy potted plant to soften the space. Timeless and enduring, concrete benchtops and storage cupboards never go out of style. blendconcretedesign.com.au 02. CHILD'S PLAY Kids love to play outdoors — there is so much to see, so much to do and discover, all within the safety of your own backyard. While they are playing in your undercover outdoor spaces, access to…

FEATURE You probably know someone who has a beautiful garden that they seem to effortlessly nurture, fi lled with fragrant blooms or a bountiful harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables. They are in on a little secret. The key to growing robust plants is about understanding the basics — things like orientation, nutrition, hydration, sunshine, plant species and soil type. Finding the perfect balance with these things will help your garden thrive. Colin Purnell from Earthlife says minerals, microbes and moisture are the three most critical elements. Besides ensuring your plants have suffi cient moisture, sourcing the right microbial rock mineral product will help to encourage healthy plants. “Microbial technology adds benefi cial microbes and fungi species to the soil,” he says. Colin adds that it's important to source products…

With the cooler months approaching, it's time to start thinking about how to extend the usability of your outdoor living spaces by making them more comfortable year-round. Wood-fired heating is a fabulous way to maximise your outdoor living, creating a warm and rustic ambience that brings people together and soothes the soul. A wood heating solution with cooking functionality offers an added bonus for outdoor entertaining, and if you're going to purchase a new outdoor product, why not make sure it looks good too? Castworks is a specialist supplier of high-end wood-fired outdoor living products imported from Europe, including pizza ovens, wood-fired grills, firepits and camping grills. Not only are Castworks products functional, practical and made to the highest standards, they also have European elegance in spades. By partnering with…

A new age of gardeners has brought a swarm of dwarf fruit trees into our tight backyards, courtyards and balconies across Australia. Our human desire to reconnect with nature has melted into a youthful obsession to grow fruit, no matter the challenge, because the reward will be ever so sweet. With dwarf fruit trees and large pots you can harvest big fruits from the corner of your balcony, but encouraging good root growth is the only way to pick big, delicious fruits. Here are my fruit tree tips that everyone with a potted fruit tree should know. WHAT'S ABOVE GROUND WILL MATCH WHAT'S BELOW GROUND While this is one of my fundamental philosophies, it's also the hardest to visualise. Often when we purchase deciduous fruit trees, they're bare-rooted and their…