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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

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Charlie Albone’s top tips for planting in summer

Charlie Albone’s top tips for planting in summer

Charlie Albone visits Mountainview Farm

Charlie Albone visits Mountainview Farm

Before & After: Charlie Albone's front garden makeover on a budget

Before & After: Charlie Albone's front garden makeover on a budget

How to create a native verge garden

How to create a native verge garden

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{headline}

How to grow chillies

How to grow chillies

Johanna and Charlie visit a Palm Springs-inspired home and garden

Johanna and Charlie visit a Palm Springs-inspired home and garden

Charlie makes his own weed killer

Charlie makes his own weed killer

{headline}

{headline}

Charlie Albone visits Wild Play Garden

Charlie Albone visits Wild Play Garden

How to make rhipsalis wall pockets

How to make rhipsalis wall pockets

How to care for your wheelbarrow

How to care for your wheelbarrow

Charle Albone’s landscaping essentials

Charle Albone’s landscaping essentials

How to choose a healthy plant at a nursery

How to choose a healthy plant at a nursery

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

How to grow passionfruit

How to grow passionfruit

  1. Home
  2. Garden

The easy way to get a designer-style garden

Create a garden that is timeless and beautiful – and perfect for you. - by Charlie Albone
  • 25 Sep 2020

Garden design is much more than just plonking down a few plants and adding water. It involves working around existing structures – including your neighbours’ – and choosing trees, shrubs and groundcovers that compliment them. It means working with your environment – your climate, aspect, exposure and soil. And considering how you can exploit the size of your garden to your advantage.

So take time out to just sit in your garden for a bit and absorb its space, its light and shadows, its breezes and noises. Anticipate garden activities, remember the need for mundane utilities. Then you’ll realise how you can use these factors to turn it into paradise!

WATCH: Charlie Albone shows you how to design an achievable garden

Garden design tips and tricks

  • Don’t be reined in by borders - borrow your neighbours’ landscape.
  • Chose a theme – contemporary, cottage, tropical, native, Mediterranean – but don’t be afraid to mix if it matches.
  • Decide on your colour palette so there is cohesion. Go for colours that are complimentary or clash - it depends on your personality.
  • Scale plants to match your home – go big for drama and impact where you have the space and think small for intimate setting.
  • Tie the garden to the rooms from where you go into and out of it.
Garden design

Stepping stones, whatever their size or shape, can be a daily journey of delight by giving you the chance to introduce different groundcovers. You can continue with grass between pavers, as here, or add a little elevation, some colour and big interest with bugleweed, mondo grass or pretty chamomile.

Chris L Jones
  • Give garden views from inside your home a special treat.
  • Think of how tall trees can affect your garden and your indoors - evergreens cast more shade in winter, deciduous trees let in low sunlight and create a filigree effect.
  • When outside, direct the viewer’s eye with landscape elements such as artwork and paths.
Succulents

Succulents do flower, but it’s their enduring, flower-like foliage that cements their performance

Chris L. Jones
  • Avoid trends if you sense they may go quickly out of date, or not suit your personality – you need to feel comfortable with it.
  • Create a hierarchy of pathways – grand for your entrance, utilitarian, stepping stones.
  • Don’t be afraid to introduce an interesting and different element that reflects your personality.
  • Cover bare walls with espaliered trees or climbers.

Be inspired by these design ideas

1. Loud and proud

Madeira

Madeira

Chris L. Jones

The leaves and flower spikes of the pride of Madeira are magnificent, but need a big garden to be appreciated. 

2. The wow effect

Garden design
Chris L. Jones

Don’t be afraid to add elements that reflect your personality. Rows of power pillars and grand, wide pavers can lead to a quirky yet functional shed. Everything is symmetrical. The look is perfect!

3. Make little big 

Stairs with plants on side

Euphorbia wulfenii

Chris L. Jones

Fill the gaps in your wide staircase with grand, tall spurge (Euphorbia wulfenii). For smaller steps, think cute, such as daisies.

4. Big border bonus  

blue mist flower

Blue mist flower

Chris L. Jones

Dainty flowers climb out of the big, bold leaves of the blue mist flower (Bartlettina sordida). Looking as pretty as ageratum but much, much taller, this perennial is best for big borders.

5. Fabulous foliage

Succulents on garden wall
Chris L. Jones

For a small, sunny garden, plant little succulents with flower-like foliage and a range of soft colours to create variety and interest on a miniature scale. On a wall, abandoned stems of ivy are a winter work of art.

6. Shine a light  

Blossoms

Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’

Chris L. Jones

Deciduous trees let in low winter light, and this Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ gives bonus blossoms in spring.

7. It’s easy being green 

Paved garden path with hedge
Chris L. Jones

Differentiate greenery with shape, size and density. The colour may be the same but light and shadow make each plant an individual.

8. Water art

succulents by pool
Chris L. Jones

Put in simple, charming artwork such as a rainchain to channel water to your plants.

For more garden design ideas, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in selected newsagents and supermarkets or buy online today!

You might also like:

Charlie Albone's landscaping essentials

How to hang bromeliads in a tree

How to use texture in your garden with Charlie Albone

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Charlie Albone
Charlie Albone
Charlie has worked internationally and in Australia for the past 17 years, designing and building gardens that are timeless, inspiring and enjoyable to spend time in. In 2015 and 2016, he was awarded two Silver gilt medals for his own gardens at the world’s most prestigious flower show The Chelsea Flower Show.

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Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Charlie Albone’s top tips for planting in summer

Charlie Albone’s top tips for planting in summer

Charlie Albone visits Mountainview Farm

Charlie Albone visits Mountainview Farm

Before & After: Charlie Albone's front garden makeover on a budget

Before & After: Charlie Albone's front garden makeover on a budget

How to create a native verge garden

How to create a native verge garden

{headline}

{headline}

How to grow chillies

How to grow chillies

Johanna and Charlie visit a Palm Springs-inspired home and garden

Johanna and Charlie visit a Palm Springs-inspired home and garden

Charlie makes his own weed killer

Charlie makes his own weed killer

{headline}

{headline}

Charlie Albone visits Wild Play Garden

Charlie Albone visits Wild Play Garden

How to make rhipsalis wall pockets

How to make rhipsalis wall pockets

How to care for your wheelbarrow

How to care for your wheelbarrow

Charle Albone’s landscaping essentials

Charle Albone’s landscaping essentials

How to choose a healthy plant at a nursery

How to choose a healthy plant at a nursery

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

How to grow passionfruit

How to grow passionfruit

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