Incorporating building debris into a garden plan is an unusual brief for a landscape designer, but one that Grant Boyle of Fig Landscapes embraced wholeheartedly.

This outdoor space in Woolooware, NSW was designed with a strong consideration of the architecture already existing on the property, and intended to be thoughtful, engaging and in synchrony with the native surrounds.

In her 14 years of landscape design, Kathleen Murphy has created more than 300 gardens.

In 2017, she embarked upon her own studio garden – an ongoing project that serves as both a hardy family garden for her three kids to enjoy, as well as a place to explore ideas and demonstrate concepts in context for her clients.

Walking through this Camberwell garden mirrors the experience of entering the actual house, offering a journey reflective of the property’s architectural heritage.

The richly layered planting scheme in the front garden is tailored to the house’s ornate Victorian facade, while the pared back rear garden resembles the property’s contemporary extension. Underpinning the entire project is an existing mature Liquidambar tree in the front yard.

Ben Scott, principal designer of Ben Scott Garden Design, reveals the philosophy behind this majestic space.

Welcome to the jungle – sort of! These are our favourite gardens from 2019!

No matter if you prefer a leafy city rooftop, rugged native landscape, or perfectly manicured suburban lawn – we’ve got you covered with this epic lineup of inspiring green spaces!

Julia Busuttil Nishimura might be literally 8 months pregnant… but that hasn’t stopped her from coming up with another fabulous recipe for us, just before the year is out!

Hazelnutty and creamy with sweet juicy peaches, this Eton Mess recipe is the perfect solution if you’re on Christmas dessert for the whole family (…or by yourself!) and will surely have people coming back for seconds… and thirds!

Julia Busuttil-Nishimura’s recipes always seem to come at the perfect time. This is partly by design – this is, after all, a column about seasonal ingredients – but Julia’s recipes have a way of bringing on a feeling of fizzy anticipation for exciting things to come. This month’s recipe for eggplant parmigiana has us thinking of the summer dinner parties that are now only weeks away, when time is abundant, food is plentiful and our social lives are happy and full!

We loved seeing so many of you making Julia’s Strawberry Galette recipe from last month! If you do whip up any of her fantastic recipes from our seasonal series, please tag @thedesignfiles and @juliaostro so we can re-post your creations!

Today we visit the Geelong garden of permaculture expert, Ben Shaw. Since purchasing this property 10 years ago, Ben has been working to transform his suburban backyard into a flourishing, edible paradise. 

Join us as we tour this now thriving garden!

You only need a brief encounter with landscape designer Fran Hale of Peachy Green to get a sense of what her gardens are like. Open-hearted and personable, Fran exudes an instant feeling of warmth and calm. She is the kind of girl you feel comfortable pouring your heart out to within a few minutes of meeting. She’s also one seriously talented landscape designer.

We recently visited Fran in her brand new studio space at the base of Nightingale 2.0 in Fairfield, to learn more about her human approach to landscape design.

A simple brief can be a beautiful thing – and there are few briefs more simple that ‘I have a garden that is not really working, can you help?’

Spirit Level Designs took this brief and ran with it, translating the minimalist Japanese aesthetic of the Bellevue Hill home into a lush and luxurious garden. Sandstone and smokebush mingle to create a space of serenity, with a vibrant splash of turquoise with a paradise pool.