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In the blink of an eye we've arrived at the end of another year. Thank-you so much for spending some of your valuable reading time with our little tales.
If you'd like to revisit any particular faves, here's a complete list of the 2014 articles. Click on either the picture or the heading to read.
We're looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks for the 2015 season.
Love and holiday wishes from Landscapology to you!
That's a wrap! See you soon.
Two things to consider when planning steps for your garden.
Read moreOne of the biggest challenges when designing your garden can be knowing where to start.
Do you kick off with some paths, or new garden beds? Should you concentrate on an outdoor dining area, or somewhere to grow herbs? Or do you just start planting things in the hope that something will emerge from the chaos?
Sometimes we’re so busy concentrating on what needs doing within our own backyard that we don’t even notice the really obvious starting point that’s staring us right in the face.
I’m talking about what designers call the ‘borrowed landscape’: things that look great from your place, but are actually in you neighbours’ gardens.
A classic example of a borrowed landscape is an amazing neighbourhood tree. Remember last week’s story about the Brisbane Quaker Arboretum? All the neighbours living around its perimeter are able to ‘borrow’ views, shade, shelter and more from the Arboretum, making their gardens feel somehow connected to this bigger landscape.
If you think that sounds like a good idea, here are four tips for incorporating borrowed landscapes into your garden.
1. Look Beyond Your Fence
Seems obvious now that we’re talking about it, but sometimes the best part of your garden is in someone else’s back yard!
Nope, nothing here...
...or is there?
If you can identify what’s around that makes an impact when seen from your garden, then you can make a plan that best incorporates it.
2. Don’t Crowd the Red Carpet
If you’ve identified something that can play a starring role in your garden, then let it be the star. If the most amazing tree you can see is in your neighbour’s garden, and it creates shade right where you need it, and has gorgeous flowers in spring and summer, then it’s OK for your garden to play a supporting role.
Hmmm, where did that amazing tree go?
More often than not, if you try and compete, you’ll lose the impact of the thing that was so amazing in the first place.
3. Ah, ah, ah, ah Stayin’ Alive
No point having an amazing borrowed landscape next door if you kill it, is there?
Remember that the things you do on your side of the fence can have an impact on the tree on the other side.
Depending on the species, that fabulous tree next door might have a root system that extends under your property. Be mindful of this if you’re planning work next to the boundary. Excavations for swimming pools or walls can cut into root zones and damage them.
If you’re planning something like this it can be worthwhile having an arborist provide advice on establishing a protection zone around the critical area.
4. Next Generation
Finally, if you really love your borrowed landscape, and it’s a critical part of the success of your garden, what do you do if the tree does become unhealthy and die, or a new owner decides he doesn’t love it quite so much and plans to chop it down?
This is always a risk with borrowed landscapes, but one way of future-proofing your garden is to consider succession planting. If you have the space, you could plant a young specimen of the beautiful tree on your side of the fence. Yours will be growing as the neighbouring one ages.
If the amazing tree is in a park or street verge, you could talk to your local council to see if they have considered a succession planting plan.
At the end of the day, good succession planting will be beneficial not just to you, but to local wildlife, and the rest of the neighbourhood.
Now it’s over to you.
Does ‘borrowed landscape’ play a part in your garden? Tell me one thing that contributes to your garden, but which is actually located on another property.
And in the spirit of borrowing, if you know someone who might find this story interesting, please feel free to share it.
Thanks for reading, and see you soon for more tips and stories.
If this summer has left you more hot and bothered than hot and happenin’, then don’t despair.
As the season officially draws to a close it’s a good time to make some observations so you can plan ahead and be prepared for next summer.
While the sun is still high and the days are long, take a good look around the garden and bear in mind the following three questions:
Question 1: what time of day do you plan to use the garden space in question?
Seems obvious huh – the day time. But you mightn’t actually need shade throughout the whole garden from sunup to sundown.
If you’re an early riser who enjoys having your first cuppa and breakfast out in the garden, then it might be most important for you that there is shade then.
If you have young kids at home you’ll also be an early riser (!), but it might be more important that you have some consistent shade throughout the day. That way there’s always somewhere sheltered available for running around, playing with the hose and splashing paint about.
Maybe you have dogs, and you’re out at work all day. It’s also important that they have access to somewhere shady through the hottest part of the day and year.
But if you dream of having sunset drinks without burning out your retinas, then some late afternoon shade might be what is required.
Anyone for Pimms?
Question 2: what type of shade do you want?
Again, this might seem obvious, but there are many different types of shade.
Think of the huge fig trees you see around Brisbane. They create a pool of shade that is deep, dark and noticeably cooler (left below).
Other tree species have a more open canopy and form, and consequently they cast a shadow that is lighter and more fragmented (right below).
Deciduous trees, of course, seasonally change the amount and type of shadow they create. They can be a good choice if you're after summer shade and winter sunlight.
Remember that shadows also change with the seasons. In summer, the sun is higher overhead, so shadows are smaller and closer to the object casting the shadow (left below). In winter the sun is lower in the sky, resulting in shadows that stretch out a long way away from the source (right below). Your neighbour’s palm shadows for example, are close to the trunk in summer, but could be falling over your garden in winter.
Try and think about what type of shadow you’re after, and then consider the ways that could be achieved.
Question 3: how patient are you?
This might seem like a personal question, but it pays to be honest with yourself in order to get a result that fits. The two ways we can create garden shade are through live elements – trees, shrubs, climbers trained over arbors and trellises; and built elements – rooves, shelters, screens and the like.
Unless you can afford to import a mature tree, all plant material will require time to establish in your garden and grow. This is true even if you select the right species for your area and provide optimum growing conditions.
Until the plantings are doing their job, you might have to rely on some temporary shade solutions – maybe some cool umbrellas.
If the thought of waiting 5, 10, or even more years until the vines clamber over the pergola or the tree reaches full height fills you with anxiety, you might need to consider a built solution.
As well as the benefit of shade without the wait, this allows you to complement the architectural detailing of your house. You have to consider all the seasons carefully though, as there aren’t too many deciduous rooves around if you also need winter sun. And of course, structures require maintenance, just like the rest of your house and garden.
Often, a combination of built and growing shade solutions can be tailored to meet your exact conditions and requirements.
Pergola structure with newly planted climbers (left), temporary shading (centre) and fully grown (right).
Now it’s over to you.
Did this help you consider some of your garden shade options differently? Feel free to confess if you suspect you’re an ‘instant shade’ person or not, and how you might plan your attack in response.
If you think someone else might benefit from this article, please share it with them. If you liked it, then hit us with a big heart below.
Thanks for reading, and see you soon for more garden, landscape and design stories.
I am by nature a heat-averse person. Sweating may be fine for the gym, but sizzling in the sun is waaaaay down on my list of fun things to do.
So with our recent bout of balmy (barmy, more like it) weather, I’ve been feeling extreme sympathy for the builders stuck on site finishing my current project. It must be tormenting to have a fabulous new pool sitting right there and not be able to jump in for a quick cool down.
It’s times like this you start to think longingly about pools. Would you get a long pool so you can swim laps? A deep plunge pool? Something clean and crisp and orthogonal? Tiled or not?
With so much to consider, one thing that is often overlooked is the pool fencing. Mandatory for all pools in Queensland, fencing must comply with strict regulations prescribing the height of barriers and prevention of climbing, amongst other things.
Sadly, meeting these requirements and having a good looking pool area often seem like mutually exclusive goals for many pool owners.
If you have an existing pool the fence has to snake its way through and around the existing paving and garden areas.
If you have limited space you often end up with the pool fence jammed right up beside the pool edge, and no space for lounging or sitting beside the pool, right where you want to be.
And the most cost-effective models of pool fencing available can make you feel like you’re sitting inside a jail cell, rather than in your relaxing outdoor living room.
Luckily, if you’re considering installing a new pool there are four tricks for beating the curse of the jailyard pool fence.
In this scenario you use the wall of the pool itself as the pool fence. The pool sits above the surrounding ground surface, requiring only a small amount of ‘traditional’ fencing to protect the entry to the pool area.
This can be good if you have limited space, as all the area around the pool remains free and useable, with a minimal fenced entry area that can be screened with a wall, or open with a balustrade.
Plans on the left show a pool with conventional perimeter fencing, and then reduced fencing on the right, achieved by raising the pool out of the ground. Sections on the right show how raising the pool enables the pool wall to be used as the pool fence and a garden feature.
You can use the outside of the pool wall as a design element in the garden: paint it, tile it, or leave it raw concrete as we've done at our Garland Garden project.
This approach works really well on sloping sites, where you can fence your outdoor living area, and the leave the rest of the pool emerging from the ground as the slope falls away. This type of pool is also crying out for a ‘horizon edge’, where the water cascades over the exposed walls to a catch trough below.
Once inside the fenced area the paved area flows directly into the pool, with nothing interrupting the view. Water flowing over the horizon edge looks great to people viewing the pool at the lower level.
This works really well if you have a bit more space to play around with, but it can be used in smaller spaces too.
A ha-ha is a fancy word to describe a sunken area between two pieces of land (OK…a ditch). It creates a barrier without disrupting views across.
In picturesque English gardens ha-has were used to separate the sheep in their fields from the gentry in their pleasure gardens. In contemporary gardens ha-has can be used to comply with pool fencing requirements without looking out at layers of fences.
Using the ha-ha allows continuous access from the pool terrace to the adjacent garden, and enables uninterrupted views across the garden.
Seems obvious in a way, but sometimes we’re so used to seeing conventional pool fences that we forget they don’t have to be made out of glass, or straight lines of aluminium rods.
What about panels with a decorative perforated pattern that can be backlit at night to sparkle?
Or consider taking your fence on a journey through the garden, like a piece of wandering sculpture. Then you can enjoy some of the lovely parts of your garden whilst still being able to access the pool. This works really well if you have some space to play with.
This final option uses the bog-standard aluminium pool fence but hides it in the middle of a planted screen. As the plants grow you’re left with a hedge that you can either trim or leave shaggy, whatever best suits your design, but you’ve still achieved your fencing requirements.
Of course, the diagrams above are intended purely to illustrate how the four ideas work, they are not designs or detailed solutions in themselves. Every garden is different, and your particular circumstances must be carefully understood and considered before adopting any of these ideas, to make sure you get the best result to suit your requirements.
Now it’s over to you.
Did this help you consider some of your pool options in a different light? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or share how you’ve re-imagined your pool fencing to create an integrated garden and outdoor living space. If you’re dreaming of a pool, what are your considering?
If you know someone else who might find this interesting, why not share it, and if you liked it ‘heart’ us below.
Thanks for reading and see you soon for more garden, landscape and design stories.
Note: Pool fencing regulations vary across local authorities and states. Make sure to check with your local council for their requirements.
In our last Design Class we introduced 5 things to be on the lookout for in your garden or landscape: Orientation, Noise, Privacy, Drainage, and Access and Movement. Observing how these things work gives a solid foundation to begin design work. This week we're going to add 5 additional things that are helpful to understand.
6. Gradients and slopes
You’ll know if your block or your garden is sloping. It’s also useful to know which direction it slopes, where the high points are, and if the slope is even or varied.
7. Existing vegetation
What is already there, where is it, and what condition is it in? You can do this exercise for all vegetation, including trees, shrubs, groundcovers and climbers. Are there plants that change with the seasons, or have distinctive form, foliage, colour, scent, texture or flowers?
8. Soil conditions
Even without carrying out a pH test you’ll have some idea about the condition of your site soil based on what’s growing successfully in your garden and nearby. Similarly, looking at building sites or excavations in the area, and chatting to neighbours, is a good way of understanding the basic local geology before your engineer orders a geotechnical investigation.
9. Services and utilities
Apart from overhead power lines, you mightn’t know exactly where service lines occur, but there are often tell-tale clues to their existence. Manhole covers in the street or footpath outside your property are a clue to the presence of underground services. Drains and pits often signify underground stormwater or sewer services.
10. Special highlights
Are there any treasured parts of the garden that either work really well now, or have great personal value, such as a plant grown from one in your mother’s garden, a beautiful architectural element, or a favourite piece of sculpture?
In future posts we will start looking at different ways you could respond to the findings of your site analysis. This is where it gets interesting, as two people might agree that a site has the same characteristics, but feel that different responses are required. That's where design comes in!
Now it’s over to you.
Has this exercise encouraged you to look at familiar scenes in a new way? It's only natural that if you find delight in chasing sunny spots in your garden, you may not have even noticed that some of the access points are a bit awkward, or that some garden areas don't drain very well.
Let me know in the comments section.
Of course, if you found this interesting and useful, why not double the fun and share it with a friend.
