Dichorisandra thrysiflora (blue ginger) at Christopher Owen’s Vaucluse garden
Sometimes gardens invigorate you. Bright colours, abundant planting, striking artwork and sharp lines can all have this effect.
Sometimes gardens soothe you. They are a place of Continue reading
A funny thing happened to me on Sunday. You see I don’t like begonias. Never have done. All those gaudy, mottled pink colours, over the top variegations and rangy Continue reading
Beautiful corner of Ros McCully’s Camberwell garden
I’ve had a strange relationship with burgundy foliage for the last five years. In 2010, I tried to buy a purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) at my local Bunnings, only to be told, by a sixty-something Continue reading
Water lily (Nymphaea) at Wyoming
I had another light bulb moment last weekend. I need to throw out the rule book. Well, perhaps not throw it out completely, but at least relegate it to the bottom shelf.
Beautiful Hibiscus schizopetalus at Wyoming
I visited two Continue reading
Beautiful Bankia serrata at Bells of Killcare
The more time goes on, the more I love our natives. Sadly, you don’t see them used in gardens as much as you might and so when I come across a model example, I get extremely excited!
Bells of Killcare, a Continue reading
Perfect Strelitzia flower. When they poke out from beneath a shrub, as it does here at Bells, you really do think you have seen a bird of paradise out of the corner of your eye
There are three ingredients I see in all my favourite gardens. They are bold, they fit and they have character.
All have a distinctly BOLD design. Hard and soft landscaping both designed Continue reading
Bulbs pushing up through the leaf litter at Bells: there is little more magical than flowers popping up from nothing
Bells of Killcare. Banksia, Dahlia, Betula, Helichrysum, Grevillea, Prunus, Agave, Juniperus, Crocus, Strelitzia, Lomandra and wait for it, Rosa. Sound like a bit of a hotchpotch? Think again. Continue reading
The Dry Garden at Lambley Nursery, Victoria
The joy of summer can quickly turn into the dread of the hose. I’ve spent weekends getting tied up in hundreds of metres of drip irrigation hose and months trying to find just the right settings, but Continue reading
Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule) at Ballarat Botanic Gardens
I’m really a country bumpkin at heart. Growing up surrounded by orchards, I love my trees, adore peace and quiet and have a particular aversion to endless Continue reading
A shady spot by the river, perfect for a picnic
You could be forgiven for thinking this was the Murray River, meandering its way through rural Australia. But no, it is inner city Melbourne. The Botanic Gardens, no less.
These gardens span 38 hectares, quite something when Continue reading
Janna Schreier Garden Design 