All-weather outdoor chairs + eco friendly + recycled

Adirondacks (emphasis on the second syllable)
Multi-tasking, all-weather beauties, that reduce landfill! (emphasis on landfill)
Chris from Polywood Outdoors kindly delivered these classics for our Home Beautiful shoot. Of course I fell totally in lust and have placed my Christmas order as not only are they beautiful but they're completely weatherproof, eco friendly and made from recycled materials. Rain, hail or shine they still look good while giving landfill a nudge.

Have a look at The Porch as well, for more of Chris' fabulous outdoor furniture + decor.

Polywood outdoors 
The Porch

ttfn Jo

 

Sweet, edible gardens

City Pickers

The burgeoning backyard vege patch, chickens softly clucking about
the garden, the shallow wicker basket filled with tomatoes and....
oh god, I'm having that Pottery Barn dream again.

How do you have all of the above, vege + chickens + wicker basket
without it all looking totally feral? Is it possible to have a sustainable
garden that tastes good and looks good?

If you think Felicity Kendal had the Good Life then you haven't met Lisa Harper!

The very clever Lisa, of Akemi Gardens has the sweetest vege patch
in her front garden and the coup de la coup in the back garden...

plus a fluffy white dog to complete the picture.

Gorta Yuki and I shot this lovely garden for Home Beautiful, November issue.

 

memo to self: leafy greens must cascade from wicker basket

 

 hello honey, I'm home and I'll be counting the chickens!

 mum, where's the little round sticker?

 neighbour envy, the heavenly vege patch in the front garden

 

 more neighbour envy...chickens free ranging

 the cubby de coup...those lucky chickens

 the adults playground and produce from the garden

 

 

For more clever, economical landscaping ideas visit Akemi Gardens

ttfn jo

Christmas Outdoors

Love Chinese lanterns, economical and cute

 Trevor, the papier mache reindeer busy in the garden

a firepit, lanterns and an upturned nursery crate for the g'nts

 

fa la la la

 Our greenacre, in Olinda is a wonderful place to be on a hot Christmas day.

Horizontal rain and hail, on the day of the Home Beautiful shoot couldn't

deter our 'xmas in September spirit'. Bring on the fizz and flip flops says I.

 

For simple festive ideas for an outdoorsy "it's not complicated" kinda chrissy
have a look at the Home Beautiful December issue

 

Guess what..it's out now!

 

 

 

Autumn gardens in the Ranges

just walkin the dog(s)

 

 wait for it Ruby, on your mark, get ready.....

GO...wait a minute where's Ted?

 wait for me, wait for me, wait for me

Ted, deep in thought and autumn leaves.

 following the trail home.

 are we there yet?

Outside Room Makeover

Paint, paving & potted colour
A VERY SEASONAL MAKEOVER
                   

Buttercup walls soon to be gone...just a matter of time and lots of it.

oh dear, before :(

Step-by-step (pun intended)

The foundations, its almost winter and ccccold!

Crazy paving, blue flagstones & bluestone tiling for walls, still cold.

Arrival of the plants under strict supervision, warming up slightly.

Just when you thought the box hedge was passe...it LIKES the cold

NB: almost around the corner with black rail conversion

The xlarge copper pot, used to turn chocolate at Cadburys ready for potted colour.

Not melting but have packed away the thermals.

Sweet little violets from our garden used for base planting..tres economical

Note December dappled sunlight!

Detail of lower staircase and 'Cleveland Select' Ornamental Pear tree 

with ring of English box, sunning itself.

Setting up a day bed, while the sun is still out and about.

View from the top.

Dog tired post landscaping and xmas festivities.

Landscape design: 
The Desired Effect
Brett Blundell 
brett@desiredeffect.net.au


ttfn, Jox

Winter gardens

  

Winterfelt,  baby its cold outside

Recently I have been engrossed in the HBO series Game of Thrones. I have ploughed my way through the first chilly season and according to Lord Snow, "the winter is coming". I'm no weather professor but if a walking furry mound of bearskin is proclaiming the onset of winter...I'm thinking Winterfelt makes Olinda look like the Sunshine coast and I'm never complaining about the cold again!

Winter gardens are majestic and graphic, I love the sleek surfaces, the naked twisting vines and the seasonal block colours. I like it even better when I'm on the inside looking out with a mug of Irish tea...but mostly I'm beating a brisk, weary path around the neighbourhood. I was walking very briskly last week, camera in hand as we had our first snowfall. A decent fluttering, not quite enough to get out the waffle walkers but it was very pretty and white...aawwwggh

 

I'm happy to proclaim "the spring is coming" and the garden in Olinda is covered in translucent little green soldiers, eager to bloom into Daffs and Jonquils while platoons of purple bulbs spring up underfoot like a David Attenborough time-lapse sequence. Can't wait to turn off the central heating and get out into the garden.

Vale Winter, Hail Spring

Jo ttfn

Mountain gardens

 

 

Seasonal drama in the ranges

There is nothing minimalist or parterre about a classic Ranges garden. 

No nouvelle miniscule in the hills, the gardens are as layered and lovely as the dollops of cream on a Sassafras scone. Ribbon like stone paths that taper off into secret garden rooms, rambling lawns and more towering trees than Fangorn Forest. Of course it's cold and it rains a bit..well only for 9 months of the year and then it just drips off the trees from January till April but every season is so clearly defined
with dramatic beauty and colour.

Enjoy my neighbours garden..soon to be featured in the winter edition of the 

Yarra Valley & Ranges glossy magazine- hitting the shelves in June 2012.

ttfn JOx