Walking through gardens nowadays can be a little predictable unless you've engaged a landscape design professional to really add some 'sparkle' to the area.  Most clients don't hesitate on spending significant dollars internally to get that 'designer finish' but alas, the poor garden is relegated to whatever's left over in the bank account at the end... yet engaging some form of dramatic, creative structure to your outdoor space need not cost a bomb.

Respected U.S. interior designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, uses outdoor seating to snaz up an otherwise predictable lawn area, to great effect.



And here,simple forms link the inside to out, the landscape horizon really taking centre stage in this minimalist approach.



We, on the other hand, love to pack a design punch at times with garden lighting providing some much need drama for evening entertaining...



Having this pot custom designed for the space really took this little nook into a league of it's own.



Summer entertaining just became so much more stylish with this Noosaville terrace showing off it's park-like backdrop for all to enjoy.

Making an architectural statement with plants is not new.  Some of the most magnificent examples of landscape architecture in the world date back thousands of years..but Sorensens's example of precision and commitment is to be admired considering this amazing garden is only a mere 27 years old!


The Geometric Gardens, officially called the 'Musical Gardens by Sorensen', were established in 1983 in their original size - being a series of nine enclosures, hedged in hornbeam, with various geometric shapes that consisted of six polygons, an oval and a circle and were disposed on a green surface in an oval clearing, creating a striking landmark , don't you think?

..Cafe Trussardi, Milan
Trussardi Group specialise in luxury clothing and accessories, for both men and women, and with their foray into restaurants, also art and design.

At 'Cafe Trussardi' they have brought nature inside via a green roof accent and expansive skylights.  The combination of old and new architecture and interior decor sit easily beside the other.  Ben fatto Trussardi!


Bvlgari Resort Bali
..and speaking of Italian's who always get it right - inspiration can be found everywhere at Bvlgari Resort's new foray into Indonesia. 

Wet edge pools in private villas blend into the sea...


















Water features abound,



Cascading Walled Gardens



Simply put - a class act.

The former Mrs Calvin Klein shows us her own unique style, her garden emitting a simplicity that would suit almost any location in the world.  Kelly’s design brief on the pool garden? Use the ‘K.I.S.S.’ technique (Keep It Simple Stupid!) – and one that we endorse often in our own garden designs – less is more so to speak. By not embellishing too much the garden is able to provide ‘surprise’ elements. The large Strelitzia’s at the rear of the pool provide aesthetic interest to an otherwise conservative design.



The quirky, African garden furniture give the garden an ‘edginess’. In addition to the various agaves and succulents in the background there are multiple cascading orchids, doing what they do best - showing off! All in all, a timeless garden design - just what we’d expect from Ms Klein.


 

Your own style can work well in the garden, without it looking like a dog’s breakfast!  We do it all the time - compromise that is. Finding a garden style that suits you and your outdoor environment is what we do best. There’s no point in wishing for a strictly formal French garden only to find it needs constant watering, 10 plus hours per week hedging, and 5 years patience while it takes form! Where’s the fun in that? What if I were to tell you that you can have it by the end of the week?  All it takes is some expert advice, a quick landscape sketch design, good plant selection and a band of merry men to install it. We promise that you will love it, your spouse will love you (next to no garden maintenance!) and the Council will love you also (for abiding by the unrelenting water restrictions in place). Take a look at one of our past ‘Formal French’ gardens, adapted to suit our sub-tropical environment. Can you tell the difference between the ‘real McCoy’ and one that’s been adapted to suit it’s environment?


Noosa Springs Formal French Entry - Copyright Tom Robinson Living Landscapes

Below is a Formal French garden from Paul Bangay’s book, ‘The Defined Garden’ - a genius in all things ‘formal’ his gardens always provide inspiration…


Picture courtesy of Paul Bangay garden from his book ‘The Defined Garden’.