Rare earth paradise Be wowed by how unique Aussie designers can be

BE WOWED BY HOW UNIQUE AUSSIE DESIGNERS CAN BE!

The rains are uncertain but the sky is huge and blue - one of two factors that set modern Australian gardens apart. The other is the colour of our foliage. Blue-green, yellow-green, silver or grey, soft bronze, rich rust – it explodes against the horizon, especially as the blue sky emerges from a golden sunrise and fades into brilliant reds and golds at sunset. Modern Australian garden design – both here and overseas – exploits these colours and climate and boosts diversity by mixing natives and plants from around the world to suit.

RAIN FOREST RULES Modern Australian garden design explores our identity and culture. It knows our rains are sporadic and highlights the varied architecture of our plants.

1 GO BOLD AND GOLD The devastation of bushfires close to his home inspired designer Jim Fogarty to create this garden, called ‘Bushfire’, for a Garden World Cup. See how the bold ochres explode against the so grey foliage – representing gentle regeneration.

2 PALMY AND PRETTY Weave lush temperate rainforest plants, such as the cabbage-tree palm, native cycad (Macrozamia communis) and grass tree, in your garden adjacent to grevilleas. Then, imagine the pebbled path is a dry creek bed!

3 HEART OF AUSTRALIA

Ditch some of your lawn – the red gravel doesn’t need maintenance and the dots of kangaroo paws and silvery cushion bushes (Leucophyta brownii) won’t get strangled by grass runners. Imagine the water feature is a billabong!

4 SAY IT IN RED

Use richly coloured red sand or gravel as mulch and to help showcase the plantings of the cut-leaf daisies.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

The ancient burrawang cycad (Macrozamia communis) is so ly decorative but also extremely hardy – it grows naturally in eucalyptus woodland but doesn’t mind a bit of sun when you put it in your garden.

SWAYING IN THE BREEZE

Ornamental grasses add volume and so ness when planted next to hardscapes such as a rendered wall.

SOLID YET SILKY

The rectangular-shaped mudstone or mudrock comes in a lovely so coffee colour. Being flat sided, it’s ideal for stacking. And that’s a great chimney stack!

COLOUR YOUR CONCRETE

There are oxides you can add to your cement render that will give you rich ochre colours, from red to orange to yellow. You can even get blue or green. Your choice!

WHEN STRIPES ARE STARS

Make your so furnishings as striking as your landscape – bands of bright orange and sky blue are so Aussie!

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