Exterior Visions - garden design blog

Our Project in the Press!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 07:19:00 +0000

Poolside Living

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 07:20:00 +0000

The owners of this property wisely contacted us well before the building of their new home commenced.This meant that we could maximize the size of their pool and make the most of limited space for outdoor entertaining.A concrete pool was the only way to achieve this.

It was important to the client that they had a shaded area within the pool area to relax with friends and family.They also considered a spa but opted for a larger pool with in-pool seating.A composite decking product was chosen to reduce maintenance.

One of the owners is an Arborculturalist who specialises in supplying Dragon Trees.So we developed the idea of showcasing one of his specimens in a planter box incorporated in the pool shell.The pool and planter are capped with Travertine Tiles.

A colour scheme of creams,whites and browns was decided on at an early stage. It works well in unifying the areas and creating an illusion of space.This Feature Wall is cladded in a Limestone Tile.

Succulents make perfect low maintenance poolside plants.These two are Senico (Blue Chalk) and Sansevieria (Mother in Law's Tongue).Exposed Aggregate paving with white and brown tones ties the colour scheme together.

This custom built Cabana and sunken seating area were designed by Newforms and the landscaping works carried out by Phase 3 Landscape Construction.

Naturescape Playground @ Kings Park

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:38:00 +0000

Late last year we visited a new children's play area that has opened in Kings Park. It embraces the ' Nature Play ' philosophy that encourages them to engage with nature.

Upon entry it was clear that this was no ordinary playground. There are no sandpits, rubber soft-fall or lawn in sight. Not for the over-protective or unadventurous.

Kids were having a ball wading through creeks, building dams and hiding in cubbies.This is the kind of thing I loved to do as a child. Play is unstructured although there is one rule : No throwing rocks!

The area has been carefully designed to blend with the natural bush setting using native plantings and materials. Shall we climb over this tunnel or go through it?

This interactive water feature was a big hit. It provides a platform for making mud-pies, handling wet pebbles and water play.

If you look closely this tangle of roots has a hippos face carved into it. Shortly after this photo was taken our nephew required a change of clothes!

This double log bridge over a creek allows parents to balance alongside and hold a hand if need be. Here are some benefits of this kind of play from the Kidsafe website.

House & Garden Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 09:20:00 +0000

I'm excited that our business is featured in November's issue of Australian House & Garden Magazine :

“ Landscape Designs should express everything you’d like your garden to be “

Claire works closely with her clients to translate their ideas on paper. This results in personalised plans which allow gardens to be created in stages without compromising the final effect.

A big thanks to my sister Amber Simcoe from DeRay&Simcoe for taking the professional photographs for this article. Here are some more photos from the shoot that our client kindly allowed us to take. This particular garden in Dalkeith was designed by us two years ago. It was constructed by Leon and his team from Gradient Landscapes a year ago.

Front Garden : The owners of this property wanted to give their house more street appeal without having to change the facade of the house itself. This meant that the landscaping needed to work with the existing face brick-work. They also added a modern garage door to complete the look.

Paving Types : Natural Granite Paving and Cobblestones were used as an inlay to break up a large area of Hanson Imagecrete Exposed in ' Classic Rose '

Retaining Wall : A rendered brick retaining wall was built to create a level area of paving next to the house as a parking spot for a trailer. Dwarf Dianella softens it.

Planting : A three layered garden bed of Dwarf Pittosporum,Viburnum and Flowering Plum Trees . These will grow to screen the neighbour's existing retaining wall.

Play Areas : Having a large family meant plenty of spaces for play was a high priority. We created a stepping stone area as a platform for a large spring-free trampoline.

Alfresco Area : An outdoor kitchen was installed in the back garden, complete with an oven. The steps, screen / feature wall, deck and lighting were all new elements incorporated into this garden renovation. New fencing and a pool area make-over were also part of this project.

Perth School Kitchen Garden Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:14:00 +0000

Last month I took part in a Perth school garden tour of local primary schools participating in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program.

Our first stop was East Maddington Primary School where the students kindly gave us a guided tour under very wet conditions. No watering was going to be needed in the garden that day!

The teachers encourage as many garden related educational activities as possible. Here the children have been involved in both recycling and garden sculpture.

At Westfield Park Primary School we were very impressed by their Aquaponics System.It's not hard to see how science can be fun when it's taught with such a hands-on approach. Apparently the kids favourite task is removing caterpillars from the vegetables.

Cooking, gardening and learning go hand in hand in these schools. Organisation is especially important in the kitchen when children this young are cooking. They're surprisingly skilled and capable.

At Bertram Primary they have a large garden to ensure they have enough produce and teaching area for their many pupils. Even so the schools require donations of fruit and vegetables to subsidise what they can grow.

This is where we enjoyed a freshly prepared organic lunch which was served proudly to us by the students themselves. The schools have an adult kitchen helper and a garden helper who coordinate the growing and cooking. These are not necessarily teachers, but specialists in their field.

Lunch : Roast pumpkin and feta pies / chicken kofta / spinach, oven-roasted tomato and bocconcini salad with eggplant couscous. Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds!

Spearwood Alternative School have a very modern and colourful teaching kitchen. The children told us stories about stinging nettles and the exciting plans that they have for their garden.

Palmyra Primary School is the only school that haven't opted for retained raised beds which shows that a kitchen garden can still be achieved without them. Many of the schools have compost systems and keep chickens.

Here is the SAKGF write up of the occasion :

http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/news/news-item/85/perth-kitchen-garden-schools-tour

You might also like to read my previous post on this subject :
http://exteriorvisions.blogspot.com/2009/03/stephanie-alexander-kitchen-garden.html

Dog Friendly Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:08:00 +0000

We have a new addition to our family. Her name's Bonnie and she's a 6 month old Chihuahua x Jack Russell. She was adopted from an organisation called SAFE and we can't recommend the experience enough. Prior to bringing her home they conducted a yard inspection to make sure our garden was suitable for a her.

The first obvious danger was our pool. Bonnie needed to learn where the steps are should she fall into the pool when we're not home. Because it's winter at the moment we didn't have the heart to throw her in the freezing water. So in the meantime we put up a temporary bamboo fence to prevent her from gaining access to the pool.

They had a good look at our fences and gates to make sure she couldn't escape. Being a small dog she didn't have much chance of climbing these but we needed to make sure there weren't any small holes she could get through.

Bonnie had been with us for a few days when some not so obvious dangers came to light. I noticed her eating something outside which in itself wasn't unusual as puppies eat everything! On further investigation she had eaten a berry which had fallen from a Cape Lilac tree hanging over our fence. Knowing that these are poisonous I rushed her to the vet who induced vomiting.

While she was at the vet for observation I hastily cut the tree back to prevent any future incidents. The tree was on council land so we reported it to them because we were concerned that it was near a children's playground. It has since been removed.

When I was in the garden I noticed some more berry producing plants that are also toxic. I'd been meaning to remove these Asparagus Ferns for a while because, like the Cape Lilac, it's also a weed. It spreads readily when birds ingest the berries.

If you're wondering if any of the plants in your garden are dangerous to dogs, this is a good website ASPCA.

Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Wed, 12 May 2010 00:11:00 +0000

We recently spent a week in Sydney to attend a friend's Wedding. It was planned as a holiday but ended up being a working trip due to the amount of work I had at the time. We did find some time to get out and about though. These photos are from our visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

The simplicity of this bed, a single Mauritian Hemp surrounded by a Succulent caught my eye.

Some Public Art amongst Beach Lilies with yellow Canna Lilies in the background. These seed sculptures were crafted by Bronwyn Oliver in 1999 to commemorate the location of the first farm in Sydney Cove.

A formal hedge bordered Herb Garden. This style of garden is surprising in a public setting and it was attracting a lot of interest on the day.

The gardens not so welcome residents, grey headed Flying Foxes. These animals inhabit the gardens in plague proportions and there are plans to relocate them due to the amount of damage they're doing to the gardens.

Definitely a highlight was Jamie Durie's succulent garden created in 2003 for 'Sydney in Bloom' and donated to the Botanic Gardens trust. I don't think I've ever seen such a varied selection of succulents and cacti in one location. They're planted in and against a stunning steel structure which really sets them off.

A wide flag stoned seat curves around the perimeter of the garden for rest and contemplation. It also helps keep visitors a safe distance from these spiky specimens. I couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for the grounds keepers here. I would want full body armour before tackling any weeds in this garden!

Work in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:26:00 +0000

FRONT GARDEN DESIGN

These are the plans for a garden we designed in Bayswater. It's currently under construction and is being project managed by Mark Manolini from Source Architectural Products. He was kind enough to send me some photos to keep me up to date with the jobs progress.

Front Retaining, Screen Walls and Planter Boxes taking shape

Feature Stonework to Letter box

Feature cladded Screenwall for future poolside Cabana

Plenty of bricks on-site for future works

BACK GARDEN DESIGN

The back garden features a Skillion Cabana designed by Magorian Designs with Mark's direction. I'm looking forward to seeing the end result. Especially the mosaic tiled platform with water jets into the pool.

Planting Re-visited

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:10:00 +0000

You may remember a post I wrote about some plants we supplied for a job in Lesmurdie. Yesterday I re-visited the garden where they were planted and I'm pleased to report that the majority of the plants are growing well.

There have been a few casualties which is to be expected when establishing a garden especially with the very hot weather we've had this summer. The reason for my visit was to determine the cause of death and suggest a suitable plant to replace them with.

The problem seems to have been caused by reticulation issues. We've opted to replace them with a variety that is currently flourishing in the position. Dianella 'Cassa Blue' should be able to cope with both drought and wet feet from time to time.

This property has amazing views of the city from the escarpment. Care had to be taken that the plants weren't going to grow tall enough to block these views. The grass in the foreground is Dianella 'Emerald Arch'

The rate of growth of many of these plants has taken my by surprise. This row of Escallonia 'Iveyi' is ready to be hedged after only three and a half months! These were in 14cm pots but they were planted quite densely which has helped.

Echeveria 'Mauna Loa': borders this planter box with Cyca revoluta beyond.

Furcraea foetida 'Mauritian Hemp': under planted with Festuca glauca and cracked pea gravel as mulch.

Chrysocephalum apiculatum 'Flambe Yellow': adds a splash of colour beside the driveway.

Full Office Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:34:00 +0000

Late last year I was busy renovating our office. This involved numerous trips to IKEA and much decision making and deliberating. I knew I needed three large desks with overhead cabinets but had trouble finding ones to suit the dimensions of the room. The desks that came with hutches were too small for my purposes. IKEA has a very helpful 3D office planner, I also found the general home planner useful.

It was important that the desk and overhead cabinets were the same length and colour/finish. Having no luck finding a horizontal cabinet and matching desk it occurred to me that I could use a BONDE vertical shelf unit as an overhead by turning it on its side. I recommend seeking professional advice for the overhead cabinet fixings. These were paired up with VIKA MOLIDEN desks.

We needed a lot of filing space so I chose GALANT drawer units that have a file draw. I wasn't happy that the handles for the drawer units weren't going to match the EFFEKTIV filing cabinet so I bought some additional JIGGA handles after making sure that they were going to fit the pre-drilled holes.

Two of these vases were also from IKEA and they happened to match an oval shaped one I already had. I chose DRONA fabric storage boxes although there are others I could have used that fit with BONDE shelving units.

The filing cabinet was originally going to have white draw fronts but when I unpacked them there was no mistaking that they were off-white. The only option I had was birch or beech veneer. This led me to purchase some KNUFF magazine files and FIRA three drawer chests and a RIBBA frame in the same birch colour to repeat the accent. We found our very comfortable chairs at McLernons in Osborne Park.

This is a print that I bought as a souvenir on our honeymoon at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. Finally all of that carrying it in our hand luggage and trying to keep it flat has paid off! The colours for this makeover were heavily influenced by the notice board I had already made.

Plant Sourcing

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:18:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I worked on a project which involved sourcing some plants for a job I designed in Lesmurdie. I chose the stock by hand at two different wholesale nurseries to ensure quality and that the varieties were as close to ones I had specified as possible.

Left : Agonis flexuosa nana ( Weeping Form )
Right : Dianella ' Emerald Arch '
There were a few that weren't available, unhealthy or too small. This meant I had to choose an appropriate substitute. The plants are loaded onto trolleys then delivery was arranged for 2 days later.

Left : Correa ' Wins Wonder '
Right : Dianella ' Cassa Blue '
The brief for this planting scheme was low maintenance / water requirements. The site also had a bush setting on an escarpment meaning that natives were a must. Many of the species chosen are dwarf meaning they won't grow too tall and block views or require too much pruning.

Left : Acacia ' Honey Bun '
Right : Correa ' Wins Wonder '
Ground covers were used to reduce evaporation from the ground and discourage weeds. Plants were grouped densely to give an instant garden effect and reduce water wastage.

Acacia ' Honey Bun '
This Acacia grows 1.5m high by 1.5m wide and is a fairly new on the Perth plant scene.

Hardenbergia ' Purple Spray '
This Native Wisteria was hard ( pardon the pun ) to find. I think I bought the last of the stock at the time. This one was chosen as a ground cover for a sloped area where I imagine it will cascade down nicely. It is commonly used as a vine.

Left : Lomandra ' Tropic Belle '
This native grass grows to 1.5m high with sprays of pale yellow feathery flowers.

Lomandra ' Tanika '
A smaller growing Lomandra at 700mm with fine foliage.

Callistemon ' Endeavour '
This wasn't the plant I initially had in mind for a position in front of 2 -3m high wall. However I couldn't resist the profuse flowers and the height of these specimens. They should also be fast growing and soften the wall in no time.

There were more plants for this job than I've shown. The house has a modern Mediterranean feel so we used a lot of succulents ( Agaves, Mauritian Hemp, Echeveria ) as feature plants. There were also some advanced Frangipanis, Olive and Grass Trees. Stay tuned for photos of the finished job.

I'm finding that there is more demand for plant sourcing at the moment than design. For a job as big as this one a design is essential. For smaller jobs where the garden beds are already established I offer a 3 hour consultation to write up a Planting List which can then be used to quote and supply the plants. Please let me know if you're interested in this service.

Northbridge Piazza

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:35:00 +0000

Saturday morning saw us heading into Northbridge for a Dim-Sum lunch at Northbridge Chinese Restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised to find that gone is the cliched out of date decor.It has had an interior makeover and is now quite modern.We didn't really need another reason to go there.

We arrived just before 10am to beat the rush, only to find it wasn't open yet. So we decided to go for a stroll. Northbridge is Perth's nightlife/cultural centre. It is a completely different place by day.I was excited to get a closer look at the recently streetscaped Northbridge Piazza.

This is a small part of a 3.9 million development by the City of Perth which is to include a giant LCD screen,performance stage and micro-brewery.The informal seats which glow bluish purple by night are white during the day.Kimberley stone has been used as both a paving and wall cladding giving the area a clean,uncomplicated look.

I like the way that the lawn has been mounded against a retaining wall here.This might have been a way to keep existing trees when the ground level surrounding them needed to be lowered.Too often trees are removed just to allow for ground level adjustments.

This green feature wall is 8m high and planted with vines.I really like the transperancy of these mesh panels that frame sections of the sky.

The street trees here are Gleditsia triacanthus 'Sun Burst'. I have a soft spot for these trees because my husband and I stood under one while we said our Wedding vows when it was just coming into leaf.We celebrated our two year anniversary last week.

Ornamental Grasses

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:32:00 +0000

Sometimes too much emphasis is placed on foliage and flower colour whilst choosing plants. Often it is their texture which is their best attribute. Here are some grasses with a 'soft and fuzzy' appearance.

Purple Fountain Grass
Pennisetum
This is available as an Australian variety (alopecuroides) and exotic (advena rubrum, setaceum rubrum ). Exotic varieties of this plant can become invasive in bushland areas. Listed as a weed in some states

Lomandra
longiflolia 'Tanika'
This Australian native grows to 600mm high in the sun or part shade

Lomandra
'Seascape'
Great for mass plantings where a blue/grey foliage is required

Poa
poiformis 'Courtney'
Native 500mm tall ornamental grass

Festuca
glauca
European blue/grey 300mm cushion forming grass

Carex
'Frosted Curls'
This 400-500mm weeping grass originated in New Zealand.

Carex
testacea
An orange/brown variety

Sneak Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:24:00 +0000

Here are a few glimpses of a recently built garden renovation that I designed for friends of ours. This project will be featured on my website soon so stay tuned to see more of it.

Front Garden :

There was a two metre slope down from the level of the house to the verge meaning that some serious retaining walls were required.

This was an existing Umbrella tree which we accommodated into the deck. My friend was given the title of 'tree hugger' by her husband for wanting to keep this tree. All of the decking for this job was done by another friend of ours who is a handyman by trade.

Transplanted Agaves in stone cladded Planter Box.

We chose to put the steps off to the side to create an open arc of lawn on the top level. Jarrah sleepers we used for these angular steps for some variety in materials.

Back Garden :The back garden was split into two levels without a means of easily moving between them. To solve this issue we created an intermediate level in the form of a deck. This also made a platform from which an existing pond could be enjoyed.

Timber Gates were added to match the Batu Decking.This house also underwent a complete interior renovation,outside painting,rendering and roof restoration.Our friends added a two car garage too.Their house has just sold for a record price in their suburb. I'm glad all of the hard work and effort they put in has paid off.

Broome Beaches

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:13:00 +0000

We've just returned from a weeks break in beautiful Broome. Here are some of the things we enjoyed there :

1. Sunset on Cable Beach

2. Visit to the Wharf
3. Scenic Flight over the Horizontal Falls

4&5. Another Sunset on Cable Beach

6. River mouth from the air

The highlight of our trip was the scenic flight we took over the Buccaneer Archipelago. Our friendly pilot was Andrew from Kimberley Aviation.

Our best meal was at The Old Zoo Cafe' where we tasted some local produce including Kangaroo, Emu, Crocodile and meat from a Pearl Shell.

We also visited the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park which put me off swimming anywhere other than a swimming pool for the remainder of our trip!

Farm News

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:08:00 +0000

It has been so long since my last blog entry that I have some exciting news from our friend's farm to share with you. When we were there one of their cows was ' with calf '. She has since given birth and he's been christened ' Elderado' and is a lovely chocolate brown colour.

What a beautiful boy!

The wet conditions in Western Australia during the last few months have been perfect for the vegetables we planted.

Long Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:45:00 +0000

Sometimes the best holidays are the unplanned ones. Last Monday was a public holiday in Western Australia for Foundation Day. It had taken us by surprise and we hadn't arranged to do anything. When friends invited us to their farm in Greenhills ( near York ) for the weekend we jumped at the opportunity because we've always had such a nice time there in the past.

Here is some of the fresh produce we picked and cooked with over the weekend. Some of the vegetables on hand were silver beet, chard, eggplant, chillies and capsicum. There is also a fruit tree orchard protected from birds by a netted enclosure. We picked some mandarines,oranges,lemons,limes and persimmon.

There are two prosperous vegetable plots and we added a third during our stay. We cleared a wheelbarrow's worth of weeds before planting seedlings of onions,broccoli,cabbage,basil and thyme. The whole bed was then mulched with hay.

There are two dams with Yabbies ( small fresh water crustaceans ). We caught some in traps baited with chicken. We set two traps twice and caught enough for an entree to feed six people for dinner. First we boiled them briefly before removing the shells and tossing them in a pan. Half were flavoured with butter and thyme. The other half with fresh chili, green capsicum and garlic. Both were delicious!

This has been a work in progress. Last time we came to the farm we helped with the bodywork on our friends ' Car-B-Q '. It has been sprayed since our last visit. Hopefully next time we can lift the bonnet and cook some Yabbies on it. If you look closely the temperature gage has been installed in the bonnet.

A collection of Recycled Bottles adorns this vine trellis.

This sunset was redder than this in real life. Maybe it's time for a new camera?

Painted wooden Magpie windmill.

The latest residents on the farm.There are two mothers with their calves.The one in the foreground is my favourite ' Daisy '.

Potted Jonquil bulbs on the veranda.Can't wait to visit again in September for our friend's 30th birthday party.You may also enjoy this story.

Stormy Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Last week we had our first taste of Winter weather. It rained for three days solid and there was some serious winds ( up to 100km per hour )

I went for a walk near our house on the weekend and saw that the wind has made a real mess of this fence and retaining wall. The top course of block work has been lifted. These owners can't have been too impressed, they only put this up a few years ago.

I always get a bit nervous when it's windy that our tree will drop a branch like this one has. Eucalypts are notorious for this. There's an avenue of Lemon Scented Gums in Kings Park which are insured to cover potential damage to cars parked beneath them.

There were broken bits of tree branches everywhere. My dogs had a good time sniffing them all. Two children in the park had collected some and made a tee-pee leant up against a tree. It looked like a fantastic cubby!

Fast Office Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:28:00 +0000

The amount of time I spend in my office on the computer seems to be increasing daily. Along with my design and drafting work I also blog, email, facebook and we just started shopping for our groceries online. I needed to liven up my work space to preserve my sanity.The long term goal is a complete makeover but I had to settle for a quick DIY project for now.

I usually have several jobs ' on the go ' and needed a way of organising them that was also decorative. I saw an article in Real Living Magazine last year which gave me the idea of hanging clipboards on the wall. I wasn't thrilled about the concept of sticking six self adhesive hooks on the wall ( they cost about $4.00 each ) so I decided to use an old cork notice board to attach the clipboards to instead.

My first shopping trip was to Officeworks where I bought 6 x Masonite Clipboards for $7.65 each.Next I needed to find something suitable to cover them with. The magazine article had suggested wallpaper or gift wrap. I was considering using fabric but then decided to use white self adhesive vinyl book wrap for its ease of coverage ( or so I thought at the time...) in hindsight the paper would have been easier! After a few failed attempts I needed 3 rolls and they were $9.00 each from my local newsagency.

I also went to Spotlight and bought 120cm of Aqua ' Coated Twill ' from their remnants bin for $1.90 ( bargain! ) then 380cm of some rather expensive striped ribbon for $22.45. I then stretched the fabric and ribbon over the cork board and stapled it to the wooden frame from behind. I found some white plastic coated cup hooks lying around to hang the boards with.

So for just over $100.00 I made myself a new work station that I'm quite pleased with. This would have been slightly more of course if I didn't already have the cork board and cup hooks. It's proving to be very useful for keeping my paperwork in order and brightening my days.

May Blooms

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:29:00 +0000

It was Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on the 15th of May so let's have a look at what's happening in our garden even if it is a few days late...

Both varieties of Hibiscus are now flowering, including this pink double. I've been having some more problems with aphids again that I tackled with some 'tomato leaf spray' . It's too early to tell if this has worked yet.

The Rosemary I planted last month must be happy in its new pot because it's covered in pretty pale purple flowers. Apparently it's ok to use the flowering sprigs in cooking ( according to this Episode of Master Chef ) Our Rosemary is actually getting smaller because we are using it faster than it has time to grow!

This Arctotis flower was a nice surprise because I wasn't expecting any more flowers until next spring. It must be all the sunshine we've been having lately.

Our Firecracker Plant is always in flower and requires little maintenance. I quite like the way it spills of the edge of the paving although some gardeners would consider it messy.

Another new addition to the garden that is doing well. These Thai Chillies have produced an abundance of fruit. So far we've cooked Chilli Con Carne and made Chilli and Garlic Olives with these. Both were eaten too quickly to be photographed!

My Tomato plant looks like it's trying really hard to produce fruit. The first tomato grew to about 1cm before a caterpillar ate through it! I'm now using a chilli and garlic spray in an attempt to deter bugs. I haven't seen any recent activity so fingers crossed...

And finally, my bulbs are up! So stay posted for some progress on these. Click to see what was flowering in our garden in March.

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:26:00 +0000

In memory of our Mum on Mother's Day, this is a celebration of the wonderful garden that we grew up in. We had a one acre property so the photos only show small segments of it. This was her cottage garden which was constantly changing with the seasons. Here is where she grew Poppies, Marigolds, Cornflowers, Nasturtiums, Stocks, Foxgloves, Statice, Cape Gooseberries and Daisies.

While Mum was growing flowers our Dad was busy growing vegetables. There was plenty of space for a substantial crop. Here I think he's tending to a patch of Broad Beans. Our favourites were the New Potatoes, they were delicious! Our garden was full of granite boulders which came in handy for defining beds. You can also see our Mulberry Tree to the left in this photo. This was a source of both fruit and fun for us kids. Our silk worms were very well fed too!

Some sunflowers that my sister and I grew one year.

My Dad's other garden hobby was golf. Our friends couldn't quite believe that we had a miniature golf course in our backyard complete with a sand bunker. He spent many a weekend manicuring his greens and moving the holes to make them more difficult.The tree in the foreground is an Apricot Tree which was always covered in fruit during summer.

Mum mulching the front garden. Our parents installed a 'Biocycle' system which recycled our household water for use in the garden. It mainly watered the old roses in the front garden along the circular drive. We also had two beautiful Jacaranda Trees which covered the gravel in purple flowers every year.

This windmill was our very unusual garden ornament / climbing frame / fireman's pole! The bore was still functional which provided another source of water for our garden. A Morning Glory Vine made its way to the top of this and stopped it from turning a few times. A terrible weed but the purple flowers were beautiful.

Mum relaxing in the sun with a good book.

Our dog Jessie on the front veranda. This was a nice place to sit and enjoy the sun in winter. Mum always had some potted colour near the front door. These were often Impatiens, Violas or Pansies which were her favourite. You might also enjoy this story.

New Zealand Natives

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sat, 02 May 2009 11:39:00 +0000

I have never designed a New Zealand styled garden. It seems strange when so many of their native plants grow well in our Australian climate that this style isn't more popular. So I thought I would explore some plant choices for such a garden. I have used all of these plants before but usually they are combined with Australian natives or other exotics.

Pittosporum tobira ' Miss Muffet '

Pittosporum ' Creme De Mint '

Carex testacea

Cordyline australis ' Sundance '

Gordonia axillaris

Phormium ' Sweet Mist '

Phormium ' Yellow Wave '

Metrosideros ' Dalese '

My only other consideration when putting this scheme together was colour. The main colours in the foliage are lime green, orange and yellow. I also used some plants with darker green foliage for contrast. There are many more plants ( and varieties of the ones shown ) that could be used in a New Zealand styled garden. Coprosma, Astelia, Libertia and Xeronema would also make excellent additions. The best websites I've found for New Zealand Natives are Liddle Wonder
and Lyndale Liners

Around the World in 80 Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Last night I stumbled upon an amazing BBC tv program called Around the World in 80 Gardens

It's basically a travel program ( obviously a play on Around the World in 80 days ) but the main focus is on Gardens and Landscape Architecture. It immediately sparked my interest and I can't wait to watch some more episodes. Last night's episode was in New Delhi in India, a place I had no previous interest in, now I want to go there!

Watch some clips from the Mexican episode :

Here is the host Monty Don talking about his book made from the series :

I especially like his statement " that gardens in the end are actually not about plants at all, they're about people "

The program airs at 8.30pm Tuesday nights on ABC1 in Perth. I think I'll be looking for the book at an ABC shop soon!

Pirate's Palace

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:44:00 +0000

Although not really garden related, but this is a DIY story about a home renovation albeit on a miniature scale! My sister and I decided that after 20 odd years since our last attempt, it was time to give our old Dolls House a lick of paint.

BEFORE : A little worse for wear I think you'd agree. Prior to being in this state it had been covered in cream and brown spotted wall paper. Our dolls house renovations always seemed to coincide with when our parents were working on our real house. We would get hold of any scraps of carpet, lino and left over paint that were at hand.

We removed the roof and base as these were the most damaged. Then we painted a white base coat. Some spots were quite rough and needed poly-filling. Dad was happy to help with cutting a new roof and base. After all, he was the original builder of this masterpiece!

AFTER : History repeated itself and we used the colours my sister and brother in law are planning on painting the units they're building at the moment. So this became a kind of testing ground to see if they worked well together. We bought carpet and lino for the floors and the kitchen even has glass mosaic tiles.

The New Residents : A family of Pirates arrrgghhh!

Our Nephew playing with his new toy. He's only just getting to the right age for make believe so it was perfect timing. Here he is giving one of the Pirates a much needed bath.

Perth Garden Week 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Maloney) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 05:36:00 +0000

One of the highlights of my gardening year is our annual Perth Garden Week at Perry Lakes. I think it's important for me to keep up to date with local Landscaping products and trends so I can pass this information on to my clients. Garden week gives me an opportunity to do this and have a bit of fun at the same time!

With gardens becoming smaller designers need to work with vertical spaces as well as horizontal ones. For this reason, wall art is becoming very popular. This beautiful piece was on show at the Miaflora Garden Centre display. These have now been sold but the nursery are planning on ordering some more in 3 to 4 weeks time. If you're interested the Nursery is located on Karragullen St Inglewood Ph. 9397 5518.

Another stunning wall mounted art work at the entrance of Zanthorrea Nursery's exhibit.

A new addition to this years show was 8 display gardens designed by the newly formed WALDA ( Western Australian Landscape Design Association ) members. These were definitely the most interesting part of the show for me.

' Villa Marrakesh ' a Moroccan style courtyard by WALDA designers. This one has really made good use of the available space with planter boxes, water feature, day bed, curtains and themed accessories. These elements made for a very inviting space indeed.

The Water Feature was supplied by The Complete Garden in Joondalup.

Agave and Sanseveria in a planter box with a decorative screen behind.

Steps leading up to a mysterious doorway creates an illusion of a larger space beyond. Garden week is on until this Tuesday the 21st of April. Here are some more of my favourite exhibitors : Gardener's Direct, Paradise Gazebos, Outdoor Decor