MADE IN THE SHADE

BUILD PAVE AND PLANT TO CREATE AN ALFRESCO ZONE THAT NESTLES PERFECTLY IN ITS SURROUNDS

1 BUSHLAND RETREAT

Create a destination in your garden through an outdoor living and dining zone. The mature tree and louvred pergola keep the sun’s rays at bay so you can wine, dine or simply relax. Neutral furnishings marry their surrounds while clever plant selection makes best use of a sloped site that was shaped to suit. Varied groundcovers and shrubs act as borders, with more mature plantings at the back to enclose the space as they grow.

Creating resort-style living in your own backyard has rocketed up the renovation wishlist! It’s not just outdoor dining either, with the lounge taking pride of place under a new pergola. Flanked by rock retaining walls and mature plants, this design faces carefully curated garden beds enclosing an existing mature tree.

2 FINE DINING

The natural warmth of timber is at home in any setting. Use hardwood decking and furniture legs to create an outdoor dining table and benches. Customise the length to suit both your space and the size of your crew!

3 BRING IN THE BUSH

Retaining walls fashioned from rough sandstone blocks add background texture to the area and evoke the feeling of a natural bush outcrop. The irregular lines contrast wonderfully with the more geometric design of the paving.

4 BETTER TOGETHER

When planted en masse, dianella, or flax lily, is like a green Mexican wave, as the strappy leaves bend in the breeze. In spring and summer, tiny blue or purple flowers sneak through them on long stalks. In autumn, the flowers produce deep purple berries – a feast for birds.

5 BRING YOUR OWN SHADE

Lounge around and enjoy a lazy afternoon in the shade. The louvred metal pergola is a flatpack kit you just assemble and then bolt down into small concrete footings. Too easy!

TIPS FOR LANDSCAPING ON A SLOPING SITE

Critical issues to work with – and around

1 MAKE A PLAN

This is the most crucial step of them all! Tick off your lifestyle wishlist, but, more practically, have the site surveyed to work out levels and check if you need planning approvals. A professional planting scheme will also ensure garden beds integrate with the overall design.

2 RAISE THE WALLS