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gardens & polka dots

gardens & polka dots

Tag Archives: Gardens

Garden – Paddington Reservoir

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens, Interesting, Polka Dots

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Garden Blog, Garden Conservation, Gardens, Paddington Reservoir Gardens, Reservoir Gardens, Serendipity Garden Designs, Sydney Gardens

This is my year of living, well… joyfully! And what better way to do that than to get out and about in this gorgeous habour side city and explore it. I found this quote (and fabulous picture) on Pinterest recently and it got me thinking about more than just going somewhere new each year, what about each month!

(source: pinterest.com)

(source: pinterest.com)

The picture implies packing your suitcase and ‘getting away’ and while I’ll certainly stick my hand up for a boarding pass to (almost) anywhere I realise that there is still so many wonderful places, sites and pop-ups to visit right here in Sydney. So, each month I shall go somewhere within this beautiful city that I have never been to before – maybe I’ll even go to two places, there are no rules!!!

So far there have been two firsts, I know, I’m all over this ‘exploring’ thing. One rainy Sunday after a rather large cooked breakfast Dave (husband and aka Mr Serendipity) and I were scratching our heads about what to do for the remainder of the day. My winning suggestion of a casual wander around the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst was a winner. It was perfect, we wandered, peered through fences, admired gorgeous buildings and manicured gardens and found ourselves on a guided tour of Elizabeth Bay House. If you like the old world charm of Sydney then pay a visit to Elizabeth Bay House and ask for a guided tour – the guides are excellent!

Darlinghurst Building

It’s like a little bit of NYC in inner city Sydney. Just gorgeous!

Elizabeth Bay House

The beauty that is the internal dome of Elizabeth Bay House.

The second adventure was a solo visit to Paddington Reservoir. I couldn’t believe I had never been there before and I suggest, if you are in the area you make some time to visit too.

Paddington Reservoir Entrance

Paddington Reservoir is located on Oxford St Paddington (NSW). It was built in two stages, the western chamber was completed in 1866 and the eastern chamber in 1877. It was used as a holding reservoir for water from Botany Swamps and the Nepean between 1859 and 1889. Yep 1889! That’s it, life as it was intended for the reservoir was cut short due to its inadequate elevation.

During the 1930’s Paddington would have been a pretty tough place to live.There was overcrowding and I imagine it would have been pretty unsanitary in places. At the time there was concern about residents health, especially the health of the children. The council, possibly under the influence of the Parks and Gardens movement provided access to the roof of the reservoir and in so doing, provided a space for the community to come together in the outdoors. This cemented its ‘forever use’ as an outdoor space.

Paddington Reservoir Residents

In 1990 part of the roof collapsed rendering the entire site unsafe and forced its closure. However, it was soon to be conserved, redeveloped and reinvented and in 2009 was officially opened as the gardens it is today. The front of the garden is very unassuming and if you didn’t know it was there you might walk right by. The garden is muli-layered and around every corner and at the end of every flight of stairs or ramp there is something to see. The iron work is exceptional and the preservation of the grey ironbark pillars and concrete wall and arches reminds us of the people that built this city in which so many live and love – even if it was at the wrong elevation, oops!

Paddington Reservoir Piller and Arch

I delighted in seeing so many people using the space. If you haven’t been I suggest you pack yourself some snacks, a book, maybe your favorite picnic blanket too, although if you’re lucky you might nab yourself one of the folding canvas chairs they have available to use – cute, yes?

Paddington Reservoir Pond Pillers

Paddington Reservoir Oxford St

Paddington Reservoir Old and New

Paddington Reservoir Pond

Paddington Reservoir Top

 

Paddington Reservoir Ramp

Paddington Reservoir Old

Paddington Reservoir Hanging Garden

Paddington Reservoir Hanging Arche

Paddington Reservoir Ground Feature

Paddington Reservoir Ginger

Paddington Reservoir Feature

Paddington Reservoir Entrance Stairs

Paddington Reservoir Concrete

Paddington Reservoir Arches

Paddington Reservoir

I hope that you have the chance to visit Paddington Reservoir Garden some day too!

Until next time

Carmel

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It Looks Like Dutch To Me!

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens, Interesting, Polka Dots

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Garden Blog, Gardening, Gardening Magazine, Gardens, Serendipity Garden Designs, Tuinieren, Tuinieren Magazine

Welcome to the New Year! I hope the first nine days have been nothing but spectacular. If not, there’s still plenty of days left for improvment.

My days have been filled with swims in the ocean, bounties of summer fruits, relaxing picnics, catchups with friends, (a little too much) sleeping, followed by returning to work to find a spectacular discovery in my post box (if you follow any of my feeds on social media you will have seen it but if you don’t follow any… then you should get on board!)!

Cherries and Colander

So, back to the post box… I received my copy of the winter edition of Dutch gardening magazine Tuinieren all the way from Holland and mentioned inside is me!!! How fabulous!!!

It’s a little mention but a mention none the less about ‘Gardens and Polka Dots’ and ‘Serendipity Garden Designs’.

Tuinieren Magazine

I feel very honoured. It is a beautiful magazine and I have no doubt that if my Dutch was fluent I would enjoy the words along with the gorgeous pictures.

Thank you Tuinieren for inviting me to be apart of your beautiful magazine.

Until next time.

Carmel

FYI You can find me here:

Instagram – @SerendipityDSGN

Facebook – Serendipity Garden Designs

Twitter – @SerendipityDSGN

Pinterest – Carmel @SerendipityDSGN

Magazine Image: tuinieren.nl/

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The Garden Designer In Me

18 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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Garden Blogs, garden design, garden designer, Garden Designer Sydney, Garden Dreams, Gardening, Gardening Blogs, Gardens, landscape design, Process, Seredipity Garden Designs

You know when you’re out somewhere, mingling and meeting new people there’s the, ‘hi, how are you?’, ‘how do you know so and so?’, ‘where do you live?’ and the best one of all ‘what do you do?’ As you can imagine my answer is Garden Designer, because, well, that is what I do. Invariably it is met with responses such as ‘ooh’, ‘wow’, ‘awww that’s great’ and my favourite, ‘you should come around to my place’. People seem to like that there is a profession out there tittled garden designer and so do I. A little bit more chit chat follows, with me contributing that, ‘I have my own garden design business, it’s called Serendipity Garden Designs’, blah blah blah. I can see the person mulling this over in their head and I think what they are imagining is me, strolling through gardens all day long, doing the odd bit of hands in soil action, putting up a few pergolas, laying a lovely meandering path then sitting down with a glass of what ever I want at the end of the day, happy and ready to do it all again the following day. While I wish that the first and last were true, I have to admit this is not at all what I do. Someone recently said to me after the ‘what do you do’ question, that I should be used to getting up early. My response, ‘Ummm no, I’m a garden designer, not a landscape contractor’- silence.

Elevation A - A1

So, if I don’t get up early and by early I mean at your place of business at 6.00am and I don’t have my hands in the soil all day long, what it is that I do at Serendipity Garden Designs? Well, I create beautiful outdoor spaces for you, your family and your visitors to enjoy day after day, week after week, year after year. Gardens that are timeless, invigorating, peaceful and nurturing. Gardens that respect the surrounding landscape and sit quietly within their environment. I am the architect of your outdoor space, the interpreter of your garden dreams and the cog in the wheel that communicates what will be done and how it will be done to the landscape contractor that builds it.

Concept Plan

The process from overgrown urban jungle to creating your own garden oasis goes like this;

  • I spend time with the client and ask lots of questions like, what do you do? what do you enjoy? how do you spend your spare time? I ask about their family, what inspires them, what their dreams are, what they enjoy most about their house and current garden, what they would like to improve and what their dream garden looks like. It’s also the ideal time to talk budget and get a sense of how much time they are prepared to spend maintaining their new garden.
  • Once I get a sense of the garden owners I spend time in the garden observing it’s current state, the views in and out, the topography, aspect – where light and shade fall, soil, drainage, architecture of the home, vegetation that is doing well and not so well and significant trees both in the garden and surrounding it. I let my imagination go.
  • After bidding farewell to my new clients I head on home, armed with information, direction, photographs and a wee spring in my step. This part is the creative, exciting, dreamy part of the process, when I get out my drawing pad and my pencil and I draw lines and shapes, jot down ideas, get inspired and find myself with a drawing suitable to call a garden.
  • I then draw the design in CAD with the help of a site survey or architectural drawings and develope the ideas further. I select the hardscape materials, the plants and ensure through the entire process that the direction I am taking is in keeping with the brief of the clients and the environmental conditions, keeping in mind how the space will feel, how it can be used and its longevity.
  • Once all of the i’s have been dotted and t’s crossed I gather up the concept plan and all the supporting material and present the plan to the client. I walk them through the design step by step, the philosphy, the materials, the plants and give them a sense of what it will be like to be present within their garden once it is complete.
  • If the client requests changes to be made at this stage then I make them.
  • Now, let’s get this thing built! If the drawings require council submission I do that and if not I engage a landscape contractor to built the garden. I watch carefully to ensure the design and the building are one and the same and rejoice with the clients once the garden is in and they are sitting happily within it with refreshing drink in hand.
  • It sounds easy doesn’t it? And usually it is. It is a process where by all parties involved must be on the same page, that the dream ending is the same for everyone.

So, that’s what happens at Serendipity Garden Designs HQ.

Until next time.

Carmel

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Fun At The Garden Show

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens, Polka Dots

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Australian Garden Show, garden design, Gardening, Gardens, landscape design, Serendipity Garden Designs, Spring Garden Show, Spring Gardens

Well, the Australian Garden Show Sydney has come and gone for this year. If you had the chance to visit I hope you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed my two days wandering around the show, held in Centennial Parklands and what a magical location. Just walking through the park to get to the show filled me with inspiration and it usually does.

One our way to the Australian Garden Show

One our way to the Australian Garden Show

Some of the highlights for me were attending a talk by Patrick Blanc, French vertical garden specialist. He showed a slideshow of pictures he had taken from around the world when researching and discovering the beautiful and endless possibilities of using soil-less plants in vertical plantings. I have a new appreciation for his craft and would like to do my own experimenting in my own garden – time will tell how that pans out!

Patrick Blanc giving his talk on soil-less plants

Patrick Blanc giving his talk on soil-less plants

I went to see ‘The Gourmet Farmer’ also known as, Matthew Evans. It was a wonderful and memorable talk and once again I was inspired, this time to have my plot of land to cultivate from and return to it nutrition, goodness and love. Actually that has been a dream of mine for some time, the talk reinforced my desire to escape the city and return ‘home’ to the country.

The ladies with the Gourmet Farmer

The ladies with the ‘Gourmet Farmer’

I didn’t seem to capture quite as many pictures as I’d hoped (I was too busy chatting, browsing and committing things to memory). But, below is a snap shot of what was happening at the Australian Garden Show.

Spring flowering feature (Westeria)

Spring flower feature (Westeria)

\\\   Height   ///

Height

Texture

Texture

Layers....

Layers….

Wall.. Roof.. Tiles..

Wall.. Roof.. Tiles..

Love the table and chair setting

Love the table and chair setting

Tile detail

Tile detail

Rain chains

Rain chains

Cut and stacked

Cut and stacked

A little dutch inspiration...

A little dutch inspiration…

Gabion walls are one of my favourite landscape features. Gabion wall with bench.

Gabion wall with bench. Gabion walls are one of my favourite landscape features.

Creating movement in the garden

Creating movement in the garden

Hexagon ceiling and floating curtains

Hexagon ceiling and curtains floating in the breeze

A home for your friendly garden critters

A home for your friendly garden critters

Garden lighting

Garden lighting

Bring on the night!

Bring on the night!

Lighting detail

Lighting detail

I hope you have been enjoying the wonderful spring gardens and the glorious weather that has accompanied it.

Until next time.

Carmel

All photographs taken by me.

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A World of Inspiration

12 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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Dan Kiley, Fiona Brockhoff, garden design, Garden Designers, Gardens, Inspiration, Inspiring Garden Designers, Landscape Designers, Miller House, Piet Oudolf, plants

There is a world of inspiration out there no matter what your interests or passions are. And now with the internet, inspiration can be found with the entry of a search term into a search engine or by using my favourite time devourer, Pinterest.

As a garden designer there are numerous accomplished garden designers that provide me with endless inspiration, from plants, to materials or even just a colour combination.

I don’t think I am alone when I tell you I love looking through gardening books. So many people do. They are pages and pages of inspiration that you can revisit time and time again. Each time I revisit one of my garden books I find something new that I hadn’t noticed before and that is what keeps me coming back for more.

Today I have selected a few pictures from three of my favourite and inspiring garden designers. I think you will agree that it is a diverse collection, but a collection that can suit any situation large or small.

Dan Kiley. The Miller House, Columbus Indiana USA

Dan Kiley designed a number of gardens but the Miller House one of his most well know and it is my favourite. It is a great example of 20th century modernism. Today the house is a National Historic Landmark owned and maintained by Indianapolis Museum of Art. You can visit the house on open days.

Dan Kiley. The Miller House, Columbus Indiana USA

Dan Kiley Miller House 3 Dan Kiley Miller House 4 Dan Kiley Miller House 5Miller House images from vulgare.net

Fiona Brockhoff. Fiona Brockhoff Design, Victoria AUS

Fiona Brockhoff Design is located in Victoria. She has an extensive body of work and is featured in a number of publications. Here are some of the pictures that I think sum up the gardens created by Fiona Brockhoff Design.

Fiona entertainment area Fiona pool Fiona round pool Fiona wooden pathFiona Brockhoff Design pictures from fionabrockhoffdesign.com

Piet Oudolf. World renowned garden and landscape designer Holland

Piet Oudolf is a master plants man and master meadow creator. Creating gardens that look like they naturally exist within their location. Using beautiful flowing grasses and wildflowers that have a place within the garden even after the flowers have dried and the grass has become straw coloured. Piet Oudolf’s gardens have a life well beyond the living.

Piet Oudolf Private Garden

Piet Oudolf Private Garden

Piet Boon Garden Holland

Piet Boon Garden Holland

Piet Boon Garden Holland

Piet Boon Garden Holland II

Nantucket Island Garden USA

Nantucket Island Garden USA

Barcelona Garden Spain

Barcelona Garden Spain

New York City Balcony USA

New York City Balcony USA

Piet Oudolf images from oudolf.com

Piet Boon Garden Holland image from chicagobotanic.org

What do you think? Are you inspired? I sure hope so.

If you have had the privilege of visiting many of these gardens please leave a comment, I’d love to know what you thought of the garden during your visit.

Until next time.

Carmel

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The Colours of Autumn

15 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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Autumn, Botanic Gardens, Deciduous, Fall, Gardens, landscape, seasons, Serendipity, Serendipity Garden Designs

We are two weeks into Autumn and I miss Summer (although there is a heat wave in Melbourne and Sydney’s weather is just delightful – the summer dresses are still out and about). Summer seemed to come and go so quickly. I enjoyed every warm, bright sunshiney morning and every cool sea breeze filled afternoon.

But the summer lover in me does admit, autumn is a beautiful time of year. The landscape, for those on the coastal fringes, is changing. It is becoming less harsh with gentle sunlight and the trees are preparing to shed their leaves. It’s already started in Sydney, with a line of Liquidambers in a street close to me turning crimson on their leaf tips.

Foliage colour at the height of autumn.

Foliage colour at the height of autumn.

As much as the cooler seasons are my least favourite part of the year, I still get a thrill out of seeing the colours of the autumn leaves in our neighbourhood. We are fortunate in Sydney that there are some species of deciduous tree that put on a wondeful autumn show, particularly the Chinese Tallow – Sapium sabiferum, which is often used as a street tree.

I grew up in northern New South Wales and although it can get very cold at night in areas away from the coast, the day time temperatures can remain in the low 20’s. This isn’t very helpful for producing autumn colour. So my eyes sparkled during my first autumn in Sydney when the landscape started to change from green to crimson.

I was fortunate to spend a year working as an Au Pair in Europe during my early 20’s and I fondly remember taking the little boy (who is not so little now and exploring the world on his own) to the nearby park, Clingendael, during autumn. We played for hours in the fallen golden leaves. It was so lovely and the snap shots that I have in my mind of those days playing with him bring a smile to my face.

You don't need to be a kid to enjoy playing fallen leaves.

Clingendael, Den Hague Holland. You don’t need to be a kid to enjoy playing in fallen leaves. Yes, that’s my bike – it is Holland after all.

There are regions close to Sydney that showcase a wonderful array of autumn colour. Two in particular that I am familiar with are the northern Blue Mountains (approx 2hrs west ofSydney) where Dave and I go in May each year to visit the very cold Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens and Mudgee (approx 4hrs from Sydney).

Firery colours of deciduous trees at Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.

Firey colours of deciduous trees at Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.

I visited Mudgee over the Anzac Day long weekend one year and it was beautiful. I have since heard that the days surrounding Anzac Day are in fact the best time to see the autumn colour there. You will find tree-lined streets in firey shades of crimson, red and orange and just around the corner a cellar door will be calling your name. That reminds me Dave and I are due for some wine fun in Mudgee!

As we progress further into autumn, garden centres will be filling their beds with deciduous trees. If you are considering planting a deciduous tree in your garden, now is the perfect time to purchase one. You will be able to see the magnificent show of colour that the trees produce during autumn and choose the one that suits the look and feel of your garden.

It’s also a great time to plan an autumn escape. This autumn I’ll be heading to Canberra and I expect that I’ll see an array of autumn colours there too.

Until next time

Carmel

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Happy Composting………..

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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Bokashi Bucket, Composting, Gardening, Gardens, Gardens and Polka Dots, polka dots, Serendipity, Serendipity Garden Designs

For a number of years before purchasing our ‘wonderful, light filled unit’, Dave and I lived in a very small one bedroom unit with an even smaller shared ‘concrete’ garden. Our unit neighbours and ourselves had a few pots for interest but the area was so hot in summer that it required constant watering and tending to. Often it was neglected (mostly by me) because I didn’t enjoy going out there and I found it really unpleasant.

The other thing I didn’t like was that it gave us no opportunity to have a compost. I asked for a worm farm for my birthday one year (I thought it was a great gift, Dave on the other hand thought it less than suitable – thank goodness) but the poor little worms would have cooked before they had a chance to even meet each other. I thought about a tumbler compost but we didn’t have the room or the amount of food and garden waste required for successful composting. So after my worm farm idea was rejected… we just ignored this ‘want’ and decided we would deffinitely have one when we moved (crossing fingers we found a unit with a suitable garden).

However, in a fabulous little shop in Bellingen NSW a few years ago we discovered the Bokashi Bucket and have been composting ever since, yes, even in our little unit.

So, what is a Bokashi Bucket? Bokashi is a Japanese term meaning “fermented organic matter”. It is a bucket sized composting system designed to break down kitchen waste with the help of micro-organisisms. It produces nutrient rich juice and compost as good as any. No bad smells are produced from composting this way so the bucket can be kept in the kitchen under the sink. It is convenient, compact and user friendly.

Bokashi Bucket

This is our Bokashi Bucket. We keep ours in our garden – because we have room now. Ideally you would have it elevated so that you can easily drain the juice from the tap.

How does the Bokashi Bucket work? The bucket is divided into two sections, a top and a bottom. The top is where the kitchen waste is collected and the bottom is where all the juicy goodness is drained to. Along with the bucket you need the mix. The mix can vary but the one that we currently use is made from ‘crushed Australian grain fermented’ with ‘beneficial microbes and molasses’. These beneficial microbes, when in contact with your kitchen waste get to work breaking it down. They work in an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) which means the bucket wont produce heat or smells and there will be no visits from insects or rodents.

As you accumulate your kitchen waste you place it in the top section of the bucket followed by a sprinkling of the Bokashi mix, continue the process until the bin is full.

Beetroot

This beetroot has been fed with Bokashi juice. It helps encourage strong healthy growth.

What then? During the process of filling up the bucket you can drain the juice from the tap at the bottom of the bucket (so handy) and use it on your garden, just mix it with water and watch as your garden flourishes with new, healthy growth. When the bucket is full you empty the contents, just dig a hole, pour in the Bokashi kitchen waste, mix with a little soil and cover. It is at this stage, when the beneficial microbes and the kitchen waste come into contact with the soil that the real work starts and the waste breaks down into compost. Soon you will have a wonderful compost to add to your garden and the process starts all over again.

Cauliflower

This cauliflower was planted only a few weeks ago and is also fed with a mixture of Bokashi juice and water. Yum, can’t wait for these gorgeous veggies covered in white sauce.

What can you add to the Bokashi Bucket? Anything…. We all know that you shouldn’t add meats to your compost or dairy to your worm farm but the Bokashi Bucket has no restrictions, it will compost almost any organic matter, meat, dairy, seafood, bones, hair, the list goes on. So get started….

Chilli plant

Unbeknownst to our neighbour, he planted this chilli on top of Bokashi compost. The plant is healthy, pest free and covered in chillis.

I would recommend the Bokashi Bucket to anyone. It’s convenient, compact and user friendly. Even if you think you wont have anywhere to bury the compost, be creative, there is an endless amount of possibilities beyond your front and/or back door. And if you do have space it is still a wonderful addition to a composting system as you can add the Bokashi compost to regular composts and watch it break down even quicker.

You can purchase Bokashi Buckets and Bokashi mix from Eco stores, some health food stores or online.

So, on that note, happy composting.

Until Next time.

Carmel

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All Wrapped Up Into One

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Polka Dots

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Art, flowers, garden design, Gardens, plants, polka dots, Serendipity, Serendipity Garden Designs, Shoes

I don’t think there are many people out there that wouldn’t consider flowers a Polka Dot and I’d find it difficult to believe that shoes are not many peoples idea of a Polka Dot. Well imagine flowers and shoes all wrapped up into one gorgeous Polka Dot.

I got these in my mail box (that’s hopeful), no, my inbox a few weeks ago and couldn’t wait to show you, they made me smile with delight.

I hope you also enjoy the wonderful creations and photography of Michel Tcherevkoff a New York City-based photographer.

"Chiquita" Banana flower

Introducing you to ‘Chiquita’

Lily White / Calla Lily

Meet ‘White Lily’

Divine / Parrot Tulip

And now, ‘Divine’ – isn’t she!

Fatal Attraction / Rose

The one and only ‘Fatal Attraction’

I have to admit, Fatal Attraction is my favourite. You should never mess with a woman wearing thorns.

Miss Tress / Amaranth

And finally ‘Miss Tress’, just in time for Autumn

You can see more of these wonderful creations along with a discription and the plant name at Garden Design or visit Michel Tcherevkoff’s website and be amazed or inspired or both.

All images; www.gardendesign.com

Do you have a favourite shoe flower?

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Our New Garden

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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australian natives, garden design, Gardening, Gardens, kangaroo paw, landscape, landscape design, Serendipity, Serendipity Garden Designs, westringia

Where to start? I know, our new front garden!

As you know my husband and I bought a fabulous apartment last year. The front garden, when we moved into the apartment in July wasn’t much to look at. There was no garden edging, a very unhappy hedge, a succulent cross Agapanthus cross Australian native garden, a Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise) that managed to produce one flower during the spring/summer flowering period and a Hibiscus sp. that didn’t fare much better on the flower front. The garden needed some love and attention and once the other owner occupiers in the building got wind I was a garden designer the wheels were set in motion.

Our front garden before

Our garden before

Apart from the design of our new garden, the old garden had to go and that was taken care of one Saturday afternoon.

The only thing remaining of the existing garden is the Hibiscus. The Hibiscus while not a prolific flowerer serves a purpose in the garden and so I decided to retain it. It is established, needs very little care, provides a privacy screen between our neighbour’s boundary and ours and also gives  privacy from the street.

The Strelitzia reginae on the other hand had to go, well done Andrew and Angela, a big job well done. In its place I chose a Leptospermum petersonii (Lemon-Scented Tea Tree). This plant has the most wonderful scent and I suspect a few leaves will be going into the smoker.

So one Thursday morning my right hand man (husband) and I headed to the Randwick Council Nursery (more on this fabulous place later) bought the healthiest, most wonderful looking plants and headed home to plant our new garden. It looks amazing. Everyone in the building loves it and I am very proud. See the pictures below:

Our new garden

Mixed Aus native garden

Front hedge

Here is a list of the plants I chose for our new garden.

Actinotus helianthi – Flannel Flower

Anigozanthos sp. – ‘Big Red’, ‘Bush Bonanza’, ‘Rampaging Roy’, ‘Orange Cross’

Austromytus dulcis – Midgeon Berry

Baeckea virgata ‘Nana’ – Dwarf Twiggy Baeckea

Banksia spinulosa ‘Birthday Candles’ – Banksia Birthday Candles

Dianella congesta – Beach Flax Lily

Leptospermum petersonii – Lemon-Scented Tea Tree

Melaleuca linariifolia ‘Purpurea’  – Claret Top

Melaleuca thymifolia – Thyme Honey Myrtle

Oxylobium cordifolium – Heart-Leaved Shaggy Pea

Rulingia hermannifolia – Wrinkled Kerrawang

Westringia fruticosa – Coastal Rosemary

Have you had any recent planting successes?

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Welcome…

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by gardensandpolkadots in Gardens

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Balcony Plants, Courtyards, Garden Blog, garden design, Gardening, Gardening Blog, Gardens, Gardens and Polka Dots, Indoor Plants, landscape design, Planting, plants, polka dots, Serendipity, Serendipity Garden Designs, Vegetable Gardens, Vegetables

Welcome to Gardens and Polka Dots.

This is a place where you can come to see interesting gardens of old world classic beauty, modern ideas or where you can marvel at the innovation of great garden designers, landscape architects and engineers. I love the outdoors and am continually inspired by the magic that some designers are able to achieve.

But what are the Polka Dots, I hear you ask? Well Polka Dots are for the finer things in life, like, a day at the beach when the sky blends effortlessly into the sea…a cup of coffee with a rosette on top… a glass of Rosé that smells like summer and looks like sunshine… a smile from a friend at just the right time… a fig picked from the tree and shared…

They are the unexpected surprises in our lives that seem to just appear from out of nowhere. However, some Polka Dots are always there, we just haven’t noticed them yet.

I am always on the lookout for Polka Dots during my day. In fact I can see one now, a Dragonfly with a red tail just landed on the fence outside my window. It could have picked any window, but it picked mine. How lucky. And off it flies…

Please feel free to share any Gardens or Polka Dots that you discover during your day. Who knows, maybe there is a Polka Dot just outside your window.

Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoy Gardens and Polka Dots.

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