8 Genius Ideas for Tiny Gardens 🌿 | Great Home Ideas

Looking to maximize your green thumb without sacrificing your precious time? Discover ingenious time-saving hacks to cultivate a thriving garden landscape, no matter how tiny your space.

0:00 Stylish Dry Courtyard Garden
6:23 Small Garden Big Impact
12:45 Using Garden Pots Efficiently
16:30 Making Fun Gnome Garden
21:03 Native Plants In Garden
25:42 Using Garden Gates for Plants
32:29 Small Family Garden
37:29 Award Winning Botanic Gardens

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Small space living is where city life is headed. That’s a fact. So, you want to maximize your space and have a fantastic garden. You want something that’s livable, but you also need something that’s stylish. And when you’re planning a garden, you can’t forget the harsh Australian sun. Otherwise, it’s just going to die. So, let’s see if we can tick all those boxes in this small space here. So, let’s take a closer look at this courtyard. Well, I know it’s hot because no plants are surviving. We’ve just got a couple of old figs here. The fence, it’s in good condition, so I think I can paint that. And the paving’s not too bad either. I mean, it’s filthy, but once it’s cleaned up, the color is really going to set the tone for the rest of the garden. Because it’s so hot, I want to put in a bit of a shade structure, but something that looks architectural so it can be seen from inside the bedroom as well. As our space is only for two people, we don’t need much paving. So, everything on the inside of the line stays. Everything on the outside is going [Music] certainly much easier than lifting it all up and relaying it. The old key lock wall that was here really dated this garden, so it had to go. And we’ve replaced it with a slimline steel edge. This is really easy to install with just star pickets and rivets. What I really like is the level change, and that’s why I’m adding a second box to make it feel even more dynamic. What this will do is will make the garden feel like it evolves as you walk out the house and make it feel larger. Come on. [Applause] For our shade structure, I could have just used a simple sail, but that wouldn’t have looked very nice. So, I’m keeping with our minimalist theme, and I’m using timber. Now, this is going to add warmth and give this garden a real upmarket feel. I’m using treated pine, and I’ve given it a coat of stain to make it look expensive. [Music] Now, this may look like complicated construction, but actually it isn’t. All the timber is 100 by 100. All our spacing is 100 by 100. So, it’s doing it for itself. It’s just rinse and repeat, but it does give us a nice intricate detail. [Music] Help me out. Help me out. Get me home. The sun is out. Yeah, that’s right. Best friends for life. I’m using the same timber for our roof structure to give us shade. Now, I’m going to have 2/3 overhanging so it’s canlevered and one/3 out the back. We’re putting three screws in to make sure it doesn’t fall over. And I’m going to thread some booker rod through the end so it stays nice and tight and doesn’t twist over time. [Music] I’m not going to lie, this part of the project is pretty fiddly, but trust me, it’s going to give this thing strength, which is going to make it last. Garden name gnomes have come a long way, haven’t they? Have they? [Music] To finish our structure off, I’m just adding these sections of timber that come out into the garden bed. Now, this is the structural part, and this is just for look. We’re going to fill it up with some granite and some planting to soften it, but it gives this a great sense of scale and puts it back into proportion. Just because we’re doing a lowmaintenance minimalist garden doesn’t mean I’m going to shy away from plants. If I do, it’s just going to feel lifeless and stark. And I’ve got three different types. We’ve got a tree, some cactus, and then this array of fantastic grasses. The taller one is called penacetum nefra. It’s going to give us a bit of height. Then we’ve got something with a real erect upright habit, which is this poa escale. And then to contrast with that, have a look at this fantastic carex called golden curls. This is going to look like waves all over the ground. Perfect. May seem a bit strange that I’m putting a tree in such a small space, but we really need something to balance the size and scale of our structure. This is the perfect thing for it. It’s a crepe myrtle. Now, this isn’t going to get too big. You can cut it back. It’s deciduous, so it’s going to allow winter light through and protect from summer sun. And it flowers its head off all over the Christmas period, so it’s perfect. [Music] When you’ve got a muted planting palette like we’ve got with these grasses, you really need some big feature plants to stand out and bring the design together. In our raised steel planter, we’ve got this fantastic euphoria amac and the lime green really pops in front of this dark black fence. Over here in front of the rusty steel, we’ve got a whales tongue agave which looks fantastic. My number one tip for planting succulents, wear gloves or get somebody else to do it. We’re finishing our garden off with some mulch, but instead of using an organic mulch, I’m using crushed granite or deco granite. This fits with our theme perfectly, and unlike an organic mulch, it’s not going to break down as quickly, so it should only need topping up every couple of years. The combination of timber, steel, and the black fencing combined with this amazing plant pallet has turned what was a drab, unusable back garden into an amazing retreat. [Music] And the best thing of all, it’s going to thrive in our harsh climate. [Music] It is true that gardens come in all shapes and sizes, but a lot of people think if you’ve got a a small garden, you’ve got to make sacrifices. Well, they’re old school rules. Believe you me, small gardens actually fill with potential. Going to have one hell of a party, one of the night. going to get the rest of everything. Two years ago, this front area looked very different. That’s when the garden designer Peter replaced the original skiddish gravel with these very stylish pavers. Now, the pavers double as a spot for the owners to park their car. And the mondo, it’s a beautiful little thing. It not only connects the whole garden together, ties it all in, but it’s steppable. And it really just is so easy, low maintenance, looks great. Now, this aspect is northeast facing. So for 2/3 of the year, it’s in full blazing sun. And like the mondo grass, everything has to be really tough. The designers selected Raphael. It’s the Indian hawthornne snow maiden. white flowers later in the year, but evergreen dark foliage. The franopenny came out of a big old pot that the owner had and really loved it. It’s been given pride of place right in the middle. And also the flowers and the perfume. It all sets it off nicely. Nothing is overdone. It’s nice and gentle and flows right the way through. I love the allows because of their dramatic foliage and I love the little little bun shape of the chryso. A native foliage. Lovely and gray and soft. Now it’s coming into full color. It’s loving this heat. [Music] Southacing side passages are always a dead zone, but not here because they’ve come up with really clever plant selection. First up, these olives. I love the gray foliage. It’s letting plenty of light through. It’s also creating privacy from the next door neighbors. And these are as happy as Larry because they’re coming into fruit and they’ve planted hydrangeas. But not just any hydrangeas. It’s n plus ultra. Look at the foliage. It’s like cabbages. It’s strong and lush and vigorous. But the flowers, well, it’s a real journey in itself. They come out white, then slowly go to pink, then they get this lovely purpley red modeling, and then eventually they age to green. That’s a long process of many, many months. [Music] get lost in the crowd. I want to feel the beat. [Music] Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone and create something a little bit different. It’s a challenge when you’ve got such a a small sun trap courtyard. They’re basically using the vertical space to create the garden. So, there’s very little space taken up on the ground. So, you could have friends and party here. The first thing I notice is the paintwork is simple white and then you can have all the contrast of the foliage. Now on this side you’ve got a whole range of plectranthus, bromeilads, succulents, more plectranthus, even beonas, but the real standouts are the bromeilads. Look at the foliage colors because they’re here all year round. N [Music] Oh, Peter, I love what you’ve done here. It’s just beautiful. But what was it like when you arrived here in the backyard? It was just a blank canvas, Graeme. There really wasn’t anything. It was grass right to the boundaries. And really it was a great advantage to have that because we didn’t have to unpick a whole lot of extraneous planting. Whileever the fences are exposed, it makes the garden look much more limited. So to make lift the eye up and over the top of the fence line, you need to conceal all the fencing all the way around and that makes the garden look more expansive. And this is Caliandra Porter Reensus. White one is quite unusual. It’s got an interesting fern leaf, hasn’t it? Yeah. Almost like a wle. The other interesting part about this plant during the summertime is when it gets to around 5 or 6 p.m. all of those little um radial puff shaped flowers open. So just at cocktail time you’ve got beautiful scent. Lots of foliage, lots of texture. It’s so clever. Well done, mate. Thank you, Graeme. It’s time to see the world in color. Color in color. Well, I want you to come up here and have a look because I was really attracted by this leaf shape. This is the tractor saddle plant. And then I’ve discovered another treasure. This is metanilla. Now, they grow it in Singapore and and up in the tropics in the Philippines. How good is that? But that wasn’t why I came up here. It was to actually show you the privacy is starting to happen with Bogen Villia going right along that fence line, flowers starting to appear and foliage. So, it’s going to look really good in time, but there’s still plenty of space. If you run at 45° angles, the veggie garden beds, they’re facing north, so they’ve got perfect sunshine, and you’ve got tomatoes and leaks and a whole lot of herbs all coming into growth. [Music] With really clever garden design and expert plant selection, you too can have a beautiful and a productive garden. [Music] Just try for a minute to picture your favorite garden. So, it might be one of those big famous gardens that attracts bus loads of visitors, or it could just be a really cleverly designed suburban backyard. I’m about to show you one of the best potted gardens that I’ve ever seen. And I think it’s going to quickly make it to your list of favorites. Not even another minute. So don’t even come my way. I’m not even You know, there are so many advantages to growing plants in pots. From a practical point of view, they’re a really great way to overcome tough soils and get really great results with your plants. And from a design point of view, you can play around with different shapes, colors, and textures. You can chop and change your plants from season to season. And of course, your pots. And if you’re a renter, you can take them all with you when you go. [Music] One thing you might not have thought of doing with pots is using them to create layers or levels in the garden. So you’ll notice if you look around that a lot of the plants in pots actually raised on things like gabian plints, maybe a bench or even an upside down pot. There’s also some great examples here of how you can create a microclimate in a garden. So above us is a beautiful gladitzia tree. So, it’s got a shady canopy that’s providing the perfect microclimate for shade loving plants like bromelads and bird’s nest fern to thrive. One of the things I love about this garden is the plant choice. So, you can see that the plants have been chosen for their architectural form and color and year round interest, which means, of course, that no matter what time of year you look out into the garden, it’s going to look fantastic. Plus, you can of course use pots to feature plants that provide seasonal color and interest, so you get splashes of color at different times of the year, like this beautiful beonia. Of course, pots are at home both inside and out. And this garden does a beautiful job of blurring that line between the two. You’ll see that the plants have been positioned up high, so when you look out, you’re sort of seeing this wonderful wall of green. I’m also loving that the color of the plants are picked up on in the color of the furnishings. And so the plants are really part of that home decor. [Music] Now, another tip for you when it comes to combining plants together in containers or grouping them together, just make sure you choose plants that enjoy similar growing conditions. So, sun lovers with sun lovers, shade lovers with shade lovers. That way, all your plants are happy. [Music] I wanted to bring you back to the front of the garden to show you just how well this garden really showcases what you can do with pots. So, for example, this big bowl here is forms the centerpiece of the design. It’s a focal point and it’s got this gorgeous Madagascar palm, which you wouldn’t want to mess with this fellow with those spines. And then surrounding it is blue fescue grass. And then if you move over here, these clusters of pots are used really well. And the pots are in complimentary shades of white and gray, so they work well together. And it allows you to just really show off those groups of plants. And elsewhere in the garden, you’ll see pots used as accents in garden beds. Sometimes you’ll even see them grown in pots, but surrounded by so much lushness that you’d never even know they’re in pots. And of course, one of the best things about a potted garden is that if you get bored, you can move everything around and create an entirely new garden. Now, honestly, this is such a hidden gem and a perfect example of the kind of oasis that you can get if you enter the world of container gardening. [Music] The kids here don’t use the old sand pit anymore, so it’s going to get a whole new life. Pretty fussy clients. [Music] Now, as far as this little patch of earth goes, for a couple of gnomes in their friends, it’s like having an acreage, little veggie patch, a dry creek bed, somewhere to call gnome would be perfect for these guys. Now, if you just tip the soil on top of the sand and didn’t do anything else, it’ll be okay, but it’ be like layers of lasagna and the roots might only grow in that top one. If you mix them in, especially when you’ve got a clay base and mix it in with your new soil, you can make it beautiful like a moist cake. When it comes to landscape design and architecture, gnomes have very similar taste to us, albeit on a very shrunken scale. They love the Sydney Harbor Bridge and they love it in their little garden. Couple of pots turned upside down and a fence paling cut in half. It’s as pretty as the Harbor Bridge, but you don’t have to pay a toile or fight the traffic. [Music] There’s really no difference between building this tiny miniature version of a dry creek bed or a great big one on an acreage, except you might be using machines like bobcats and excavators. You put the big rocks in first. That way you can make them look more natural by surrounding them with all the little ones. Scaling it up and ramping it up in different points, having a natural fall is like it’s been washed away over time. Now, these names need a home and they’re very house proud. So, I’m using modern building materials like styrofoam. I’ve got a couple of boxes from the local fruit and veg shop. They didn’t cost me anything. And I’ve cut a corner off one of the boxes to create the roof. As far as material goes, well, we keep recycling. Fence paling is the door. Old palings as the cladding and some balsa wood as the shingles. Now, I’m going to use glue for the whole thing. If I used a normal adhesive, they’ve got solvents in it and it would turn the polystyrene into mush. But this one doesn’t have the solvent in it. It’s a little bit fiddly, but it’s a great craft project for the kids in the school holidays. [Music] Name sweet gnome and bang on trend because small house living is all the rage. For the roads and paths, I’m going with a soft leaf buffalo because the gnomes, if they fall over, need to fall on something soft. You can buy this down at Bunnings all over the weekend and sometimes during the week for about 10 bucks a roll. Gnomes know the importance of clean living offrid and organic. So, they’ve got their own chooks. How cute’s that? And then they need a bit of privacy. So, for fencing, I bought some of this pre-made mini picket fence. Now, a panel 1.8 mate cost you 30 bucks. I can chop it up to make all different fences and even fence off the veggie patch. The good news is the gardens that make gnomes happy also make little children happy. And that’s flowers and color. Things like merry golds. They’re dead easy to grow. And how good are these little lysanths? They look like a bunch of roses except they’re just on that tiny little shrub. They’re called calabracoa. They’re like a tiny little patunia and they’re calledricolors cuz you get this beautiful pink, the cream, and the yellows. Strawberries. That’s going to get kids and gnomes happy in the garden. [Music] Listen to this. [Music] Five children enjoying themselves. They’re concentrating. They can’t talk. You know what they say, more names the better. And the more we put in, the more chance of other ones turning up. [Music] What was that? Who’s going to mow the lawn? You’re going to mow the lawn. It’s your garden. Look, deep down, I know that you’re pretty impressed. [Music] And the truth is, you can do a little garden like this that’ll cost you next to nothing. It could be inside a pot or it could be your whole garden. Just as long as you and your kids enjoy it. I dare to kiss a for Australia is a huge and diverse country. From the Arctic highlands of Tasmania to the relentless heat of the interior, the weather conditions really are extreme. So, it might not surprise you to find out there are over 24,000 different varieties of Australian native plants. But how do you know what’s going to work in your garden? Well, you need to work out what’s indemic. And the best place to work out exactly what that is is at your local Botanic Gardens. Here in Sydney, we have a warm, temperate climate. Not that I’m really feeling it today. And the Royal Botanic Gardens right next to the harbor not only has this incredible view, but it’s got a huge array of endemic plants. We’ve got acacas, gravilas, chrysphylum, the list goes on and on. And they’re all loving this hot northerly spot here in the rockery. [Music] Of course, the original Australian landscape was much more wild and bushy, but over the years, plantreeders have developed plants to be more suited to the domestic garden. They flower more and they have better form. So, you can actually have a native garden that’s more like a traditional cottage one. Take this one for example. Yes, the main tree is an exotic in the form of a crepe myrtle known as nachos. But underneath is a really lovely tapestry of native plants. You’ve got lamandra, kangaroo pore, hbertia, and a lovely little ground cover called golden buttons or quisocphylum. I said that a few times quickly. [Music] The rear garden of this property is really quite small. We’ve only got about 60 square m here, but it feels so much bigger and really quite dynamic. A space you want to move around and explore. And part of the reason for that is the use of trees. There’s four trees in this small space. But they give you these vertical sentinels which sort of baffle the view and make you want to explore more. The main tree they’ve used is this Tristanopsis. Now, I love this variety. It’s called Lusious, and it’s got a really lovely conicle shape to it. The bark is bright white, but the stems are black, and it’s got a lovely glossy leaf. They’ve also got a really clever trick here with the size of the space. They’ve only put four seats in here. It would be tempting to have a nice big table, but then you wouldn’t have space to move around. So, by going a bit smaller, it invites you to the back of the garden. There’s this really lovely lawn which invites you out here in this fantastic irregular shape that just brings all the planting in and makes it feel nice and secluded. And of course it’s native heavy. We’ve got corer alba here with it lovely bronze stems. There’s some birthday candles around a really simple water feature and then there’s lovely daisy ground cover in the kavinsky anuson over there. There’s also another big feature here and that is this tall vertical screen. Now they’ve used spotted gum and they’ve allowed it to silver off. That way the tones of the timber tie in perfectly with the tones in the planting and it’s not too dominant. They’ve also been really clever and used it closer to the house to screen off the slimline water tank. [Music] [Music] I really like the combination of exotics and natives in this garden. Take this helicry or licorice bush. The silver just ties everything together perfectly. And what family garden wouldn’t be complete without a bit of a veggie patch here in raised steel planters. And these colors work really well with the Australian vibe. [Music] This garden’s got lovely form and function in a cottage style, but the colors and textures of the Australian bush really shine through. [Music] When it comes to improving part of your garden, you might go into it with great expectations, but what’s the first thing you think of doing? Maybe it’s adding plants, more plants. [Applause] How about you approach it from a different angle that won’t cost you a thing? adding character at the start with things you got laying around. Maybe you picked them up from a council cleanup like this gate. Then you can make your garden gate again. Yeah, all great again. So, you may be thinking, what on earth are you going to do with a gate? And why are you putting a gate in a garden bed? Well, I was thinking we could stack these two up to give us some lovely vertical height and that’s going to allow us to grow some climbers up it, put some more plants around it, and really give this part of the garden a lift. First thing though, I’m going to give these gates a little bit of love. There’s lots of things I could do with this gate. Now, if it was a traditional garden, I might want to just leave it and put a clear lacquer on it to maintain the patina, but I know this garden owner really likes color. Now, if you’re painting something like this, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all the flaky paint. So, I’ll run a wire brush over it and then give it a really good sand. [Music] Right, with that done, I’m just going to give this a wipe down to get rid of any of the dust. And I’ll give the table a clean off as well. Then I’m going to give it a spray with a primer. I’ll just make sure the top coat sticks properly so it doesn’t flake off again. [Music] When it comes to selecting a color, you can go for whatever you like. I’m going for a blue. Now, I’ve done a couple of samples, which is always a good idea. This one, it’s a bit dark for me. This one just doesn’t do for me. And I think if you’re going to go for it, you might as well go for it, which is why I’m going for this color. Now, this is going to be quite shocking in the garden bed, but the idea is it’s going to have climbers all over it, so you’re only going to see a glimpse of it in time. Go big or go home. [Music] Oh my, that is a go- go blue. [Music] With our gates drying, I’m moving on to the frame to support it. And I’m using an H4 treated pine post, which basically means it’s not going to rot away in the ground. Now, I was thinking of doing this in hot pink, but you know, hot pink and blue just don’t go. So, I’m just going for a charcoal. To create the frame, you need two posts and a top rail. And now this is dry. Yep. I’m just going to screw it all together. The dimensions of your frame really depend on what you’re trying to mount. Our gates about 1.35 and we’ve got about 2.4. I’m just going to bugle down through the top, but I’m also going to put a brace on about a meter up from the bottom. That way when it goes into the holes, the post is going to stay nice and parallel and the gate will fit perfectly. [Music] [Music] I’m going to be placing my gate just off the fence so we can get some planting behind it. Now, to get the post in the ground, I’m going to go down 600 mil. That way, when it’s laden with plants, it’s not going to go anywhere. [Music] Okay, Josh Whizzle. Come on. Let’s go, Hercules. Nice and snug. Thank you. May I please have the bubbly stick? Yes, sir. Oh, thank you. Oh, the human spirit level’s added again. Sha. No one better. We don’t even need a brace on that. It makes me really, really happy. That one. You can’t get good help these days. [Music] Perfect. Thank you. Water. Bit of water in there. So, with our frame in, it’s time to get the gate on. But before we do that, I’m going to do all the hard work. Get all the plants out. Josh is gonna do all the hard work. Get all the plants out. We’ll bring some more soil in. Then we’ll get the gate mounted. [Music] Oh, I thought I said pink brackets. No, sorry, mate. No, didn’t match. Does it hold? Holds well. It holds. That’s good. Let’s hope some plants cover this. [Music] I have gone pretty bold with this gate. There’s no denying that. But to balance it off, I’m going pretty bold with the planting as well. For the climate, I’m using Mandilla. This variety is called Jade, and it’s got a nice solid red color. It’s a dense climate that likes quite a lot of moisture, so it’s going to cover most of this bright color, and you’ll only see glimpses of it. Beneath I’ve gone for pleanthus mona lavender because it just looks incredible this time of year. And then this amazing agistache. So you’ve got these lovely blend of colors in the front. Between the gate and the fence though, my grandma always said blue and green should never be seen unless there’s something in between. And most something in between is magnolia, grand flora, teddy bear. It’s a really small tree. Gets lovely white foliage, but it just gives a nice backdrop to our gate. [Music] It’s really important when you’re putting your climber through your structure to take it off the bamboo cane properly. Then you untangle it and you can twine it through the gate. Because they’re grown up and over the climber, you really need to take some time to separate the tendrils out. And that way you’ll get much more height when you put it on your gate. Well, our gate certainly is blue, isn’t it? Well, it catches the eye and it draws you in to give us a sculptural element that you can grow plants up. And combine it with our bright color scheme of planting. I think this looks pretty gate. I mean, great, of course. Cute as a button. For street appeal, you can’t go past a Federation house with a picket fence, a Mariah Hedge, and a simple but lovely landscape out the front. [Music] But is often the case with these small suburban blocks, it’s what’s happening out the back that really creates some wonderful gardening opportunities. And the family here have made the most of it. [Music] Hey, good day John. How are you mate? Very well. How are you? Good. Good. This is fantastic. So, how long have you been here John? We’ve been here for about 15 years. Okay. So, what was it like when you came out and looked at it? It was just a big open space with nothing except for a massive camper laurel tree there. Oh, glory. Yeah. Which basically shaded everything? Three three or four houses. Yeah. So, you you got in expert advice. We did because what 16 by 16 m. Yeah. But there’s a lot of features that they’ve, you know, you’ve crammed in here, but it doesn’t feel crowded. No, they’ve packed in a lot and um it’s been amazing. like what they’ve actually done here is is really good. So, how do you create a garden that has to be multi-purposed in a family? They’ve all got their own ideas. Now, whether you’re doing it yourself or you get professional advice, the first thing you need to do is to talk to everybody to see what they would like. If you start off with a list, you might find that that’s really going to dictate what ends up being the garden. an area for everybody. But the real trick here that I think is is really dominating the whole garden in a backyard where we’ve all got straight fences. They’ve gone with a circular lawn. In this clever design, mom gets her own special space, too. This is Julia’s little secret hiding nook where she can sit, read a book, relax. The sandstone underneath here, which is the footings, uh, and for the garden bed edging, was recycled from a previous garden job that they started here. Notice this beautiful timber. It’s quite an unusual shape. It’s a great color, and it’s been reproduced in this C10 steel raised garden bed. And the plants, simple and easy to grow. On this raised level, you got the Aussie native grail. Flowers virtually all year round. the kiwi version of the heeie. Lots of different varieties. This little purple one, it flowers not only in the middle of winter, but right throughout the year once again. So, you’ve got color at different times of the year. Now, down into ground level, you’ve got the native West Virginia, the coastal rosemary. Just a light trim, and that’s all they need. Waiting for you. Waiting for you. I think this has to be the most functional and interesting veggie garden I have ever seen. It’s on this beautiful curved pathway. You got these timber structures overhead. Doesn’t block out the sunshine, but it does increase its interest factor. The garden beds, for a start, have been raised up hardwood, so they’re going to last a long time. drainage, perfect access for planting for everybody. Grandparents, the kids, mom and dad, you can get in there, do the planting, soil improvement, mulching, weeding, all of that you can do without breaking your back, which is just great, [Music] you know. And for the final couple of zones, every family needs somewhere where you can cook and entertain, and John’s working hard at it. [Music] But the other area is the kids zone and it’s just perfect because it’s, you know, well the trampoline can hardly tell that it’s there. How you going kids? All right. Hi. It’s actually surrounded by native grasses and a beautiful little Indian hawthorne which is a really tough plant. The hedge that will gradually screen out the neighbors at the back is the blueberry ash called yumundi. So everything has been covered here. How you going with that pizza, John? Good timing, Graeme. Perfect. I can smell it from over the other side of the garden, mate. That is awesome. Oh, the tribe’s coming in. There you go, Zoe. Brilliant. Nikico, this is fantastic. I cannot believe this whole space is only eight months old. Yeah. Ah, it’s been fantastic, Graeme. It’s brought the whole family outside to enjoy this lovely backyard. What do you reckon, kids? Is it good? Mhm. Well, you can’t beat that. You know, it’s been a masterass in solving a problem in a small garden with so many different features. Here’s to you, John. Well done. Thank you. [Music] We are heading off on the ultimate nationwide road trip and it all begins here in the red center. We are at the award-winning Royal Botanic Gardens Cranborn. Now, this 25 hectare site is dedicated to native plants celebrating the flora from every corner of this country. [Music] This is the red sand garden, and it’s one of the first things you see as you enter the gardens, and it is so dramatic. We’ve got these blobs of silver foliage, which are larger as I stand here, and they get smaller as they go off into the distance, making this garden feel larger than it is. Over my shoulder, you’ve got these land forms of red dirt. They’re cresant-shaped, and they represent the sandjunes. And it’s the combination of the single species of silver foliage and the red earth which really immerses you and makes you feel like you’re in the desert. [Music] This is the ephemeral garden at the bottom of the red sand garden and it basically means something that’s short-lived. So all of these plants are really quick growing when conditions are favorable. They’ll then set seed and lay dormant until those conditions return. And there’s a few plants that might surprise you. We’ve got garland lily coming through here. But this one is just the simple kangaroo paw called big red. Now, you can actually chop this down to the ground, leave it, and it will pop back over time. So, if you’ve got flooded spots in your garden, plants like this might be perfect for you. [Music] The next series of gardens can be explored along the western edge. And you can do that along this big straight path or you can take one of the meandering paths off to the side. Now, when it comes to the bush, you might think it’s all the same, but these gardens will show you the various faces the bush has to offer. [Music] everything I wanted. So, this garden is all about the mighty iron bark. Now, this tree used to cover so much of Victoria, but when European settlers realized that it was an excellent building material, well, it’s reduced down to about 25% now. I absolutely love the bark on this tree. It almost looks like it survived a bushfire, and it only gets more pronounced the older the tree gets. Now surrounding this is native grasses as well as this tall everlasting and it’s a great way to bring light against the black of the trunks. [Music] The next pocket features significant plants from the Grampians region including box eucalypse which look incredible emerging from these large feature stones. Underneath them is the blue nodding lily. Now, many of these specimens were collected by the horiculture team over several field trips. [Music] Gardening really is a feast for the senses. There’s the visual impact of a beautiful landscape. Then there’s the tactile nature of the textures found in foliage. And of course, there is scent. Now, we all know the smell of a sweet rose, but it’s the zesty citrus you find in the bush that the peppermint garden is all about. Now, if you’re after a cracking plant for your garden, you can’t go past the phytheica. Now, this used to be called Aerostamin, but it had a bit of a name change. It’s got a really interesting smell to the foliage. It gets covered in these lovely white flowers that come from pink buds. You can use it as a loose hedge like this or as a loose shrub. As the forest opens up, I’m reminded of the array of colors the Aussie bush can provide. We’ve got purples, yellows, reds, even lime green in the form of lime wave lamandra under planted by these scribbly gums. Now, this is a great garden plant. It can take wet soils or dry soils alike. [Music] As well as an amazing collection of plants, the landscaping seems to capture the essence of Australia, too. Take this bridge for example. It’s made of sturdy steel, but it seems to float above the water like a delicate lily pad. And it’s taking us on a journey back in time. Yeah, you got something that I need. So honey, let me take you home. About 180 million years ago, Australia was part of a larger land mass known as Gondana land. Now, I wasn’t there and I can’t prove it cuz there was no Instagram. However, there’s plants dotted over all the lands that prove that it was once one large mass. And things like this are that proof. This is the macrosamia. It would have been dinosaur food to feast upon. And you can come to the aptly named Gondanol Lane Garden to see it all. [Music] It’s world now. It’s time to take off your miserable. This is the weird and wonderful garden. Aptly named because it’s filled with weird and wonderful plants. Things like this Queensland bottle tree behind me. But there is one thing that’s really caught my eye and it’s this lamandra lamandra patterns. Now I haven’t actually seen this before, but if you take a look, it’s got a huge amount of flowers born deep in the foliage. So it gives you a really interesting effect. Just put your hand in your hand. [Music] Looking after so many plants must be a real joy for the horiculture team. Now John, you are the head of horiculture here. Nice to see you again. Well, I’m good. I’m good. So, we always tell people get the right plant for the right spot. But you’ve got desert plants growing in the middle of Victoria. How on earth do you do it? It’s a It’s a really good question. And uh one of the lovely things about Botanic Gardens is the diversity of plant material that we’re playing with. But I mean, you’re dead right. We’re in the weird and wonderful garden. And if I just look around here, we’ve got plants over here, rickers, uh that come from, you know, high rainfall, high altitude, cool climate Tasmania. And just over to our right, we’ve got things from Western Australia. And you’d think, you know, they’re only 10 m apart. How is that possible? It’s about microclimates. So these rickies are sitting on the south side of of of the rock. So they’re protected from the sun for you know most of the day and where this aramophila is growing is perhaps one of the hottest places in the um in the Australian garden. So um yeah understanding the microclimates and then selecting species that are suited to those microclimates. I think I just is a good horticulture. I think those same principles would apply in people’s home gardens. And do you do uh work with the soil as well? We try to garden with the original sands um here. Um and ameliorate uh so if it if if it’s a desert dweller uh we would make sure that the drainage is perfect that it can’t sit wet and cold in the middle of winter. And if it’s a forest thing like these Ricky is from from Tazzy, we’d be adding compost and trying to retain additional soil and moisture. So do you go and find them? You go on hunting trips for these plants or how do you We go on field trips. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. We’ve been in the last I don’t know five or six years, we’ve probably been on 50 or 60 field trips. Okay. Mostly in southeastern Australia, but we did have staff clambering up uh mountain peaks in far north Queensland looking for sort of cloud forest flora. Yeah, sure. And I’ve noticed there’s a lot of wildlife in the garden, isn’t there? We’ve seen bandicoots and birds and all sorts of stuff like that. It’s a haven. Yeah. But it wasn’t originally envisaged as being a wildlife garden. Yes. It’s a it’s a little bit of, you know, build it and they will come. Yeah. But yeah, the little bandicoots. I mean, this is a stronghold of bandicoots in in urban Melbourne. It’s cuz they’re endangered, aren’t they? Yeah. Critically endangered. Now, I won’t ask you what your favorite plant is cuz it’s like picking a favorite child, but do you have a favorite garden that you like to go to? Uh, yeah. No, it is like picking your favorite child. Uh, the eucalypt walk for me is the area that probably resonates most for me. Uclips are kind of ubiquitous in the Australian landscape and about a third uh of the site’s been dedicated to knowing, growing, interpreting, understanding our eucalypse. [Music] Down where the rivers meet the coast, there is plenty of water, but it’s often brackish and salt laden. A poster child for these conditions is Melleuca linaria folia. Its common name is snow in summer and that’s cuz when the heat hits it gets covered in white blooms but the rest of the year you can enjoy its papery bark. Again not. [Music] And our journey ends where all good road trips should down by the beach. This is the seaside garden and it’s filled with hardy plants you could try at your own home like this Luca fighter and these melucas. Now I love the way these have been pruned to make them look like they’re windswept and I think it’s fantastic the way they tie in with the timber sculptures as well. This garden is really incredible. It’s no wonder it’s won so many awards. Hopefully it’s inspired you to try some of this planting at your house or even come visit yourself. Either way, you won’t be disappointed. [Music]