Wattles are the cornerstone of any thriving, beautiful and wildlife friendly garden. You may hear people malign wattles, voicing myths about them all being short-lived, scraggly and a trigger to hay fever. But if you understand the benefits of wattles and the attributes of different species, you will likely embrace what they bring to your … More 5 reasons to love wattles in your garden
To see Julianna Hurley’s Castlemaine garden is to be inspired to work with your local soils, plants and climate. In only three years, Julianna transformed an ordinary lawn into an oasis for her family and native wildlife. This beautiful bush-garden was low-cost to build and thrives throughout the year with minimal watering and effort. Julianna … More 3 years & thriving
There’s no doubt that rainfall shapes all wild plant communities. Drive west across Victoria, from wet forests in the Alps to arid Mallee in the State’s north-west, and you witness dramatic changes in the height, leafiness and composition of vegetation. Whether you look in a National Park or a weedy abandoned urban block, you will … More Plant a community
Garden design is an art different to all others, because nature is its raw material. Painters and sculptors can create work that is a permanent expression of their creative imagination, with potential to be admired for centuries. It is tempting to pursue permanence in garden design. Many great designers do, through hard-landscaping and tight control of … More Art and ecology of design
Originally published in The Watering Can, Western Water’s sustainable gardens e-newsletter, June 2017
If you are a gardener who retreats indoors over winter and feels your mood drop with the temperature, listen up! Get some local native plants in your garden and you’ll enjoy their winter growth and vigour and be energised by the active birdlife they bring. … More The up-side of a winter garden
Why would a garden designer create a restoration plan for a degraded gully? The scale, landscape and client are almost on opposite ends of the ‘outdoor design’ spectrum. Garden designers like me generally work in urban landscapes: designing for intimate spaces around the home and striving to meet a brief that generally aims to create a private oasis for the owner, that … More Restoration gardening
Originally published in The Watering Can, Western Water’s sustainable gardens e-newsletter, March 2017.
Understanding how water moves through the micro-landscapes in your backyard is key to successful garden design. Be a garden detective, on the hunt for clues to planting and garden success. … More Follow the flow
Emerging landscapes 