Clever steps to turn your outdoor space into a living room
Landscape artist Paddy Milne is passionate about creating beautiful gardens and functional outdoor spaces so Australians can enjoy the best lifestyle their backyards offer.
Milne, who co-hosts with designer Rosie Morley on Binge’s Selling in the City, which helps young millennials renovate and maximise the value of their property, says choosing the right plants and considering how the interior and exterior of your home can be connected can boost your property’s appeal.
Here are some of his tips:
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANTS
● Pay attention to the mature height and width of plants, particularly trees. Give them the space they need to achieve these dimensions over time without overcrowding and growing too close to your home
● Deciduous or evergreen? This is an important consideration. If choosing boundary screening, evergreen is more appropriate to gain privacy year round. If planting a tree near your home, a deciduous tree is best for shade in summer and letting the light through in winter.
● Layer up. Typically, layered planting works best in a garden bed with a fence or screen at the back. Start with taller trees or shrubs at the back, then work down in size toward the front. The heights can zig and zag a little but you don’t want your tallest plants at the front. Ground covers fill in the front half of the bed. A combination of two or three (called a mosaic) can look beautiful.
INVASIVE PLANTS
● Know what type you are putting in. Will it run and spread and can you contain it? Will it flower and spread via seed? Does it have an invasive root system?
INDOOR-OUTDOOR CONNECTION
● Have your interior colour palette flow into your outdoor space. Consider a half strength of the same interior colour to soften the palette.
● Have indoor plants near your windows that look out to your garden.
● Have a focal point in the garden (tree, water feature, sculpture, sitting area), particularly when this can be aligned with a main viewing window or long corridor.
● Create a destination: something to draw you out to the backyard by using statement furniture.
The eight-part Selling in the City series airs on Binge