The Joy of a Well Designed Garden

To design gardens that look and feel appealing and are a joy to visit think like an artist and use the basic design elements such as colour, line, texture, form and scale.By using the basic design elements and their combinations will provide the tools to create balance, unity, harmony, transition, repetition, accent and proportion for…

“One who plants a garden plants happiness.”

Today brings a sense of déjà vu, I’m inside again due to more rain. We’ve only had a few days of fine weather that lasted long enough to be out gardening recently. Surprisingly, at the end of the day last time I was out in the garden, despite the aches and pains after heavy work,…

“Potager or Jardin de Curé.

Why does the vegetable garden need to be a separate garden rather than part of the total garden landscape? With this at the forefront of my mind I’m planning a new garden in the style of a French kitchen garden known as Potager or Jardin de Curé. An old French-inspired graceful garden of herbs, flowers,…

“When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited. ”

“In all the recipes for happiness I have ever seen, ‘something to look forward to’ has been given as an important ingredient. Something to look forward to! How rich the gardener, any gardener, is in this particular integrant! For always he [or she] looks forward to something, if it is only the appearance of the…

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them”

Winter has struggled to take a firm hold this year. The usual severity of the white, crisp frost has been light around the garden this winter ( so far) The cold nights and early morning chill is followed by the warmth of bright sunshine on most days. If no sun then welcome rain has fallen,…

“Life is itself a school, and nature always a fresh study.”

It’s pretty tough in the garden sometimes even though Spring’s colour and fragrance have replaced the cold and frosty days of winter. We have experienced extreme weather this Spring with long days of high winds, heat and dust storms that have created havoc. Many plants are struggling from wind damage and the ground, despite my…

Gardens to visit- Al ru farm

“Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.”  -Elizabeth Murray If you love Gardens then Al ru Farm at One Tree Hill in South Australia is a must visit. The property is owned by Ruth and Alan Irving since 1979. It is a working farm…

Gardens by the Bay

Singapore is a destination well worth a visit just to see The Gardens By The Bay. The gardens showcase plants and flowers from across the world. Singaporeans are proud of their gardens which are a fantastic drawcard for tourism but also for education and aim to be a model for sustainable development and conservation. Their…

Jardin Majorelle, Gueliz Morocco

“For many years, the Jardin Majorelle has provided me with an endless source of inspiration, and I have often dreamt of its unique colours.” Yves Saint Laurent Sometimes when travelling out of the blue one can find hidden gems that you may not have been aware of at all but end up being the highlight…