The New Australian Garden

The New Australian Garden is an insider's account of the journey to design, construct and plant 18 landmark gardens that represent a new movement in Australian landscape design - one where the relationship between architecture and garden is paramount. Landscaper Michael Bates, working alone and in collaboration with some of the greatest design talents in the field, creates spaces that connect indoor to outdoor through masterful use of levels, innovative materials and experimental planting. Traditional lawns are reimagined as contoured sculptural forms, and water and fire pits inject life and energy into open spaces. The resulting gardens are destination spaces, sanctuaries and breathtaking backdrops for everyday life.

In Australian Dreamscapes, Claire Takacs showcases the varied gardens found in the Australian landscape, from lush green oases to semi-arid settings. Claire profiles Australian gardens, gardeners and garden designers who are drawing on the international movement towards a more naturalistic approach to planting design. Similar to the New Perennial movement and Prairie-style, these gardens take into consideration how plants grow in the wild and have created highly textural, visually pleasing gardens that appeal not only to our love of beauty, but that sit gently in their surrounding landscapes, giving a strong sense of place. Across 15 chapters and 22 gardens, Claire's stunning photography is accompanied by essays written by the garden owners or designers. The chapters detail the journey to establishing the gardens, their motivation, and the struggles and rewards the gardens bring day in, day out. Beautifully presented, Australian Dreamscapes is a stunning journey through the diversity of gardens in Australia.

This lavishly photographed book, written and curated by internationally respected gardening author Christine Reid and shot by renowned photographer Simon Griffiths, focuses on 18 stunning gardens from around Australia situated on a natural 'frontier'-rainforest, desert, bushland, saltbush plains, a volcanic crater, the ocean's edge, a harbour. The featured gardens have been created or restored in locations where the surrounding natural landscape is as significant as the cultivated and designed elements. In its images and stories Gardens on the Edge is much about the diversity and character of the Australian continent as it about the gardens. The accompanying stories not only explore the establishment of the garden, but also reference Australian history and geography, and cover issues ranging from dealing with droughts and climate change to restoring a long-neglected kitchen garden.

"Whether a small plot in the backyard of an inner-urban home or a capital city's sprawling botanic garden, Australians have long desired a patch of dirt to plough or enjoy. 'Reading the garden' explores our deep affection for gardens and gardening and illuminates their numerous meanings and uses from European settlement to the late twentieth century."--Cover.

Winner of the 2018 HMAA Laurel Award for best book First published as The Australian Native Garden There's never been a more crucial time to droughtproof your garden and to consider Australian native plants as a key component in your outdoor space. This award-winning practical volume, from two of the country's foremost horticultural experts, offers everything you need to know about designing and growing a garden that promotes careful water use and features Australian native plants in the home garden. Including information on the fundamentals of Australian soils, cultivation techniques, drainage, pruning, fertilising and maintenance, as well as creating a fire-resistant garden, establishing habitats attractive to native fauna and growing your own bush foods. The Waterwise Australian Native Garden is a highly illustrated, comprehensive showcase of the best plants to choose and the best gardens from which to draw inspiration. It's a must-have for garden lovers all over this wide, brown land. 'If you're looking to improve or create a native garden, this is the book for you' - Australian Geographic 'This is a book to treasure, and one that will be a companion for a lifetime' - Adelaide Advertiser 'An authoritative reference for home gardeners everywhere' - Country Home Ideas

The Australian garden was born mid-century, a time of postwar confidence and growing national identity. Gardens became outdoor rooms for recreation and healthy living - removing the barriers between inside and out - and bold designs celebrated native Australian plants. The mid-century modern aesthetic has seen a revival in recent years, with contemporary garden designers reinterpreting the optimism, innovation and independence of that era. The gardens in Living Outside speak to an Australia that draws on the confidence of the last century while pushing the boundaries of experimentation, all to rise to the environmental and social challenges of today. The featured projects embrace their unique surrounding landscapes, from coastal cliffs and expansive grassland to tropical forest and even urban neighbourhoods. They also reflect a return to modernism - not just the look and feel, but also the functionality and values of invention, conservation, wellbeing.These gardens are more than just ornamental backdrops: they provide shade for neighbourhoods, food for pollinating insects, habitat for wildlife, hubs for both social interaction and moments of respite. They are platforms for research into resilient futures, experiments in sustainability and places for families to grow. They have been designed in response to their contexts and exemplify the singular and joyous spaces that can result from a deep appreciation of place.

Immerse yourself in the lives of Australia's influential garden shapers and creators. Paul Bangay, Arno King and Janine Mendel may all create totally different style gardens but they share many similar experiences. The scent of rosemary around the sandpit, planting carrots as a five year old, or running free in the Australian bush are just some of the common childhood experiences that have sparked an interest in the natural world for this generation. Some have come to garden making or writing through science, architecture or the arts. Collectively they have a wealth of expertise, what makes them unique is their passion and individual vision for garden making in Australia in the 21st century. We can journey with them as they relate their own experience within the context of increased urbanisation, shifts in lifestyle choices and concern for environmental sustainability. As Australia negotiates this transition, important questions arise about the future shape of our gardens and our connection to them. Above all else, this generation represents a fundamental shift in the values and beliefs attached by our society to nature, landscape and cultivated spaces.

A gloriously illustrated guide to planning the design and choosing the right plants to make a rich and sumptuous garden featuring Australian natives from the ABC garden guru.