GreenBird Gardening Ltd

A view through the planting into the sunken terrace. The tall Stipa and Veronicastrum provide movement in the wind and help build a sense of intrigue

Courtyard style garden with exposed concrete and timber cabana. The swimming pool is tiled with a white sandstone, This courtyard garden design shows off a great mixture of materials and plant species. Courtyard gardens are one of our specialties. This Garden was designed by Michael Cooke Garden Design. Effective courtyard garden is about keeping the design of the courtyard simple. Small courtyard gardens such as this coastal garden in Clovelly are about keeping the design simple. The swimming pool is tiled internally with a really dark mosaic tile which contrasts nicely with the sandstone coping around the pool. The cabana is a cool mixture of free form concrete, Spotted Gum vertical slats and a lined ceiling roof. The flooring is also Spotted Gum to tie in with the slats. Photos by Natalie Hunfalvay

subtropical contemporary courtyards Perth Australian photos Peta North

Murray Fredericks

A sunny, Mediterranean style garden with colourful features. With a grey porcelain tile patio, laid in stretcher pattern across the width of the garden directly outside the back door and to the right of this area, a wide raised bed constructed from treated softwood railway sleepers. A painted aluminium storage box at the end of the side return allows waterproof storage for kids toys and other garden items. The middle section of the garden features a wide yellow Balau hardwood deck stretching across the width of the garden, enclosed by a simple yellow Balau timber pergola at one end. This pergola will include a decorative panel along the back comprising horizontal slats of yellow balau decking. The rear of the space hosts a second grey porcelain patio with an L-shaped railway sleeper raised bed in the bottom left corner. The left hand boundary is clad with 150mm wide tongue and groove ‘Shou-Sugi-Ban’ Japanese charred timber wall cladding, installed vertically to create an eye-catching backdrop. The middle section of the left boundary is clad with yellow balau boards to match the decorative panel on the pergola. The left boundary wall at the rear is rendered and painted a vibrant turquoise shade. The rear right boundary beyond the pergola structure is clad with panels of Perspex ‘Naturals’. The rest of the boundary fences/walls are painted with Cuprinol Garden Shades garden paint. Two tall evergreen standard trees will provide screening along the back of the garden. Several GRP fibreglass planters will add an extra dash of colour to the design.

This brilliant small courtyard garden is just 6m long by 4m wide and is backed by a railway. The Brief for this design was for a Modern style with dramatic, dark colours and a better arranged entertainment area with BBQ & Bin storage. As the garden is small, it was important for us to create the perfect layout and make use of the sunlight and surrounding features as much as we could. By painting the beautiful 'cobblestone wall' a dark colour and planting tall plants in front, we gave the garden a feeling of lengthening. The BBQ & Bin store not only acts as storage but a surface to cook on and a small herb garden.

Exterior Architectural Photography by Fatfish Photography

THE LEMON TREE TRUST GARDEN A garden inspired by the resilience, determination and ingenuity of refugees living in Domiz camp in Northern Iraq, was unveiled at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Lemon Tree Trust garden, designed with the input of refugees, highlighted the unexpected beauty hidden in the camp. The garden was designed to be used as a space to begin to organise the chaos inherent in forced migration, while also providing a sense of normality, wellbeing, peace and civility to broken lives. Beautiful yet drought tolerant planting educated visitors about the type of plants refugees grow in the camp. Ingenious vertical planting, inspired by refugees’ use of everyday objects, and including input from refugees themselves, provided ideas for planting in limited spaces. Trees laden with fruit, including figs, lemons and pomegranates, provided scent and crops to harvest. Brutal, harsh materials, such as concrete and steel, widely available in the camps, were elevated with techniques such as polishing, casting and crafting into patterns and intricate Islamic inspired designs. Colourful and textural planting softened the hard materials. Cooling and calming water flowed throughout the space, collected in channels and pools, recycled and pumped back through the brimming central Islamic inspired fountain, representing the importance of grey water reuse and the many makeshift fountains refugees have built in their own gardens in Domiz camp. Tom Massey progressed to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with a 10x13m Main Avenue garden, after two successful show gardens at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. The garden was built by award winning contractor Landscape Associates and was awarded an RHS Silver-Gilt medal. The Lemon Tree Trust supports the development of urban agriculture and greening innovation for refugees and displaced people, promoting food production, well-being and community: lemontreetrust.org Photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer

Two existing city gardens turned into one. Designed and planted by www.davidmalegardens.com. Built by www.danscapegardens.com. Photo by David Male

Louise Roche - @villastyling

Jo Fenton

Copper rill and bowl water feature

www.thesmallgarden.com.au

Remodelling the garden to incorporate different levels allowed us to create a living wall of steps, creating the illusion of depth from inside the house