INspiring Garden Rooms...

This weekend my husband & I [with our trusty 18month old helper, Isabelle, who loves a watering can!) are tackling the first of my garden design plans for the Room Zones in our rear yard at home! We have small retaining walls to build, land to level, mulch and feed, raised garden beds to construct, screens to erect, paint to brush on, and seasonal seedlings to plant! Yes -  a lot to do!



Garden Design by Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions

The Rear Yard Space

Zone 1 - will be a  seasonal fruit -vegetable & herb patch with raised beds great for drainage, growth, my back and within reach for Isabelle! We wanted to create a garden that our daughter could learn where her food - her fruit & vegetables come from and how they look so she can identify different foods. I think this is a very important part of learning & developing for tastes, good health and sense of tactility , shape & colour from nature.

Zone 2 - we have a space at the very rear of the back yard that falls to a slope , here we will continue lines from Zone 1 and level this space to create a lower terrace area. This area is partially shaded by three Turpentine trees, several mature camellias and Japanese maples and home to dark green strappy clivias. This terrace is perfect for our planting of a verburnum boundary hedge, pleaching the camellia trees to up light, low lying shrubs & shaped azaleas, native ground covers, improved drainage for the lawn. Not to mention great level space for a cubby house and play equipment.

Zone 3 - the main yard  lawn space located closer to the house has a gentle slope towards the back right corner where we will bring the right side of the yard up approx two feet and plant out & mulch up the ride side garden / fence. Within this space a home for our little brown hens will be positioned against a warm brick wall of the back verandah and with a northerly aspect - prime real estate! These little brown hens will join our family in the New Year once we are back from our summer holidays!

Zone 4 - leading from the driveway will be terraced into a small level entry to the main rear yard accommodating 1 -2 sandstone flagged steps, a perfect entry into our thoughtfully planned garden rooms child, adult & pet friendly!

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The Front Yard

Front Main Terrace - will be planted out on the borders around the house by shaping existing mature camellias & azaleas, 'de-clumping' masses of clivias [orange flowers] and agapanthas [white & lilac] and adding small Japanese box hedge and litharope  grass to soften the borders.Sandstone flagging in either crazy paving style or cut rectangular blocks [not sure yet - leaning to the rectangular style to imitate the stacked stone look]onto a curvilinear pathway from the front fence gate to the front patio area - caressing around the deciduous flowering magnolia tree - where a small surrounding hedged garden will be positioned and up lights for the magnolia.



Collage of Ideas & My Front Fence colour /design

2nd Front Terrace - leads to the nature strip/ road side; terrace wall will be in the 1940's style of 'haridan' stacked stone [this where the sandstone is laid in thin length ways on top of each other like a weave] with plans to build a liner picket boundary fence with a flat top [in the same design I did for our [side & driveway gates]. This will be approx. 4- 4 1/2 foot high accompanied by a replicated open swing drive way gate. I love the idea of being able to fully utilise my font yard with pets and children being able to play whilst you're out there - without the dread of someone running to the road that split second you turn away. So this will not only create a beautiful surround for the garden but also another great space that can be utilised! Needless to say the Front yard will be a project that will take another 12 months - whilst we aim to complete the back yard first and find that 'money tree' to grow!

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As you can see I could keep writing - but will save for now and keep you posted on the project with some pics as we get a little bit done here and there! Before & After pics to follow! Stay Tuned, Enjoy

If you or someone you know needs a little help in styling or designing their garden space, or just some advice on what colour scheme, or types of plants, that might be good for their exterior space - then why not contact me, Sarah at Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions, or email sarah@verandahhomeliving.biz

Images via tiny white ideas, perennial gardens, dirt simple, ys voice, kathy chiu, cool green dining, pretty stuff, verandah home & garden living solutions.