Sustainable Garden Design Perth & Fremantle, Australia
Outdoor Living - Outdoor Room

Creating an outdoor living space is the starting point of every good garden design. All other areas in the garden should be designed with this area being a pivotal point. If possible it is always preferable to design the main outdoor living area taking the northern aspect into consideration. This is the angle of the sun which provides the greatest benefit during winter sunlight hours. In this area it is also worth placing deciduous trees which provide shade in summer and drop their leaves at just the right time in winter to provide warmth.

How should I allocate my budget to my gardening project?
The general rule of thumb passed onto me by a wise landscape architect friend of mine is to always allocate funds to projects which have an immediate impact on your life. This may mean writing a list of priorities and dividing up projects into parts rather than spreading it thinly across the whole garden and not achieving anything substantial. I would always advise clients to spend money on an outdoor living space that makes a house more functional rather than spend it on an expensive water feature which has a lesser impact. In the end this is always a personal choice but I have always found it beneficial to promote function over form. The form of course doesn’t have to be ugly.