Designer and photographer Matt O'Sullivan

Two years ago, Matt and Celine O'Sullivan armed themselves with shovels and joined the grow-your-own food revolution. While Matt has fond memories of helping his grandfather pick veggies as a child, he admits he'd never really exercised his green thumb. It was the imminent arrival of the couple's child, Zoé, two years ago, that ignited their interest in organic gardening and living more sustainably. And they have taken to it with gusto. Detailing the process in his blog, The Veggie Patch Diaries, Matt says the veggie patch now provides a constant flow of fruit and vegetables featuring everything from bananas and basil to turmeric and zucchini. Getting to this stage has taken plenty of planning and loads of hard work. The couple started by tracking the sun's movements across their back yard and cultivating their own seedlings from seeds or cuttings. No-dig beds were created from old sleepers and aluminium frames, while pots have proved the perfect home for herbs and seedlings. For Matt and Celine, who create their own artworks through their atelier, Chez Beauvardia, gardening is very much a family affair. And Zoé has also taken up the cause, spending much of her time helping tend the plants, not to mention picking and tasting the produce. Of course, for the creative couple, seeing their little girl tuck into something she has picked from the garden, makes the effort all worthwhile.

An eclectic mix of pots is home to seedlings and herbs. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Ripe for the picking. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

An old wheelbarrow gets a floral makeover. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

What is the story of your garden?

I’m relatively new to gardening, having only found it a little over two years ago, at the same time we announced my wife’s pregnancy and the coming of our first child. I had early memories as a child myself, with my grandfather (an avid green thumb), digging up carrots and picking fresh juicy tomatoes from the vine. As a soon-to-be father, I thought if I could learn how to grow our own food, it would give Zoé a better appreciation and understanding of exactly where her food comes from. Plus it tastes so much better!
During this time we were renting a home in the sunny suburbs of Brisbane. It featured a large, sun-soaked backyard, along with the decayed remnants of an old raised garden bed, similar to that once laid at my grandfather's. The potential was there for something to be reborn and so the adventure began.
Fast forward a couple of years, Zoé is now almost 20 months old and we have left our original garden behind and work has begun at our recently purchased property on version 2.0 of our veggie patch. 

Veggie gardens need planning and preparation. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

A raised garden bed bursting with healthy crops. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Pots are perfect for growing herbs and veggies. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Silverbeet and marigolds. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

What changes have you made to it over the years?

Our first garden started out small and expanded as our confidence and knowledge of growing grew. By the end of the first four seasons in the garden we were harvesting the majority of our household vegetables in many beds across the property. With this expanded layout, more time was needed on upkeep and watering.
With the new garden, we’ve confined the space to a particular area of the backyard for less maintenance and easier access direct from the kitchen, which was important for us. We have also concentrated more on growing edibles, which first-off we eat a lot of and can quickly add up at the checkout (ie. various herbs and green salads), and secondly crops that have higher yields and are super fun for Zoé to get hands-on with in the garden (ie. cherry tomatoes, radishes and strawberries).
  

Corrugated-iron tanks make great no-dig garden beds. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Fresh strawberries. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

A clever idea for supporting tomatoes. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Zoe tends her patch. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Any big challenges?

In the beginning I would say grasping the idea of seasonal growing was a big challenge. Understanding that just because a vegetable is readily available in the local supermarket at any given time of the year, doesn’t mean that, yes, it will be harvested this month in the patch. The garden is a great place to learn that, with every failure, there is a success, and that hard work and persistence really do pay off.
The other challenge would be the constant battle with the dreaded white cabbage moth. To remain organic, we have created dummy butterflies, which seem to have done the trick, thanks to The Little Veggie Patch Co’s helpful tip in their latest book, 1-Minute Gardener.

Dummy butterflies help deter white cabbage moths. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Nothing beats home-grown tomatoes. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

A flower box bursting with cos lettuce. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

How do you like to spend time in your garden?
By far, my most favourite times in the garden are spent wandering with little Zoé. Although she is only very young, you can’t help but notice already her appreciation of a freshly picked, organically grown tomato.
We don’t have an irrigation system in place and everything is hand watered. I quite like this hands-on approach as it is a great time for us to slow down together, check in on each plant’s progress, discuss and reap the benefits of growing our own.
I also enjoy when friends and family drop by and we get the opportunity to share and talk about what we are doing over a home-cooked meal, straight from the garden.

How does your garden inspire you?
Whether it be observing the local bees on their daily mission to gather pollen and pollinate, or witnessing the death and new life of a plant through seasonal change, I’m inspired everyday by our garden. Just the simple act of an early morning stroll through the patch with freshly brewed coffee in hand is the perfect way to kickstart any given day.
Come the weekend, the garden allows me the time to slow down from the busy working week with the family. It’s a place where I can toil away and think freely with a clear mind on new creative ideas and get lost in my thoughts. 

Matt potters in his garden. 

Enjoying the fruits of their labour. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

One of Matt and Celine's artworks for Chez Beauvardia. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

What are your must-haves for a garden?
I would say the success of our edible garden comes down to our green-waste composting. Without our compost bin and worm farm in action, we wouldn’t have nearly enough nutrients to give back to the soil and sustain our plants. Not only are we creating fertiliser, free of charge, we’re doing our small part to better the environment around us.
Another must-have would be some sort of safe haven to protect and nurture your baby seedlings. We originally had a large walk-in green house for this, however recently downsized to our mini home-built cold frame. We made it from recycled materials based loosely on a sketch found in an old gardening journal op-shop find. 
And last, but not least, herbs, herbs and more herbs: We can never get enough of them!

For more information, see www.waxlyric.com, www.chezbeauvardia.com, or www.waxlyric.com/the-veggie-patch-diaries

Dried herbs ready for a tasty dish. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

Pots of basil. Photography: Matt O'Sullivan

The garden is an ideal place to generate new creative ideas. Photography & artwork: Matt O'Sullivan

Seattle artist Bridget Beth Collins

While most people trudge off to the office each day, Bridget ventures into the garden. This is where she spends her days, foraging for flowers, seed pods, berries, stems and leaves that she can reincarnate as artworks. Bridget's delicate and awe-inspiring artworks are composed from deconstructed blooms sourced from her garden, rambles through her neighbourhood and her mother's sprawling "secret garden". But, for Bridget, the garden is more than just her work and she describes her little patch in Seattle as "her everything". She and her husband stumbled upon the magical courtyard hideaway, complete with lilacs and dogwoods, in the middle of the busy city. Bridget has since discovered slate stones and stone garden beds beneath the weeds. She has created a "fleur de lawn", replacing the grass with low-growing wildflowers, and planted window boxes, ensuring pretty blooms are on hand for her breathtaking work throughout the year.

Bridget and son Oliver forage for treasures. Photography: Jamie Spiro

One of Bridget's floral artworks for her business Flora Forager.

What is the story of your garden? 

My husband had always wanted to live in the city, so a couple of years ago we set out looking for a house.  My one requirement was that I could still have a secluded garden. In an area where many houses use the strip of land in front of their house for their garden because houses are so jampacked together, it seemed nearly impossible to fulfill this dream. (As an aside I also said I had to have a rounded door like a hobbit hole, but that was a joke.) We searched and searched, but we could not find the right house. One morning, feeling bedraggled, my husband showed me a picture of a cute little house with red rounded door. We got in the car and rushed to see it. The very first thing I did was wander around to the back yard. There, I found a small overgrown courtyard with a perfect grove of lilacs and dogwoods. I sat down and, though the busy city was all around, I could hear bird song and felt at peace. Before I stepped foot into the house, I knew this secret garden was my very own. 

The pretty facade and front garden of Bridget's home. Photography: Bridget Collins

What changes have you made to it?

The first thing I did was pull back all of the overgrown ivy and periwinkle vines. I couldn't believe it! There were sandstone raised beds and slate stones underneath. The bones were exactly what I wanted. I had a shed made with the old round door from the house, and I put in a winding path. I planted my favorite roses from our last house, a few perennials, and a tiny herb patch. 

Any big challenges?

I had to hire someone to come and shape the trees for me. I had to cut some way back and that was heartbreaking.  It's taken a couple of years for some of the lilacs to bloom again.

The glorious back yard that Bridget has restored. Photography: Bridget Collins

A sweet herb patch gets an artistic makeover. Photography: Bridget Collins

Bridget replaced the lawn with wildflowers. Photography: Bridget Collins

Your favourite feature?

I have a little stone dragon.  It's as kitschy and silly as can be but I adore it.

How do you like to spend time in your garden?

During the summer it's another room to the house. I drink my coffee in it, have people over for dinner alfresco, and picnic and play in it. 

The stone dragon that won Bridget's heart. Photography: Bridget Collins

A window box brimming with blooms. Photography: Bridget Collins

The Leopard, created from flower petals for Flora Forager.

How does your garden inspire you? 

It is my everything. I have a business called Flora Forager where I use its flowers to create art.  It is my sanctuary when I need a moment to myself. And when everything in life feels cluttered, there's nothing like pulling weeds and organizing my plants to make me feel more aligned. 

What are your must-haves for a garden?

I must have roses, always and always. I love hostas. Thyme is my favorite herb. And I love everything to be really rambling and full. 

For more details on Bridget or Flora Forager, see floraforager.com

A climbing clematis in bloom. Photography: Bridget Collins

The Firebird, an artwork by Bridget for Flora Forager.

Designer/photographer Mariana Garcia-Katz

Mariana runs her photography and design studio M2Matiz from the backyard studio. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

An inviting place to take a break. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

Take an inner-city Melbourne back yard and a designer/photographer with a passion for gardening (and a love of hard rubbish), and you have one quirky, artistic and inspiring garden.

When Mariana Garcia-Katz and her husband bought their home 10 years ago, the back garden consisted of a grass patch with a concrete path straight down the middle.

"We've completely changed the overall look of it," Mariana says. "Apart from the larger established trees, our back yard has been given a huge overhaul ... a lot of hard work, and trial and error."

Mariana says they started working on the garden when Melbourne was in the middle of water restrictions, which is why "we thought it best not to have grassed areas".

Although she occasionally misses the lawn, Mariana finds great joy in tending her bountiful veggie patch, along with her chickens and seedlings.

Mariana has an eye for creating pretty vignettes. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

This enticing backyard was once a patch of lawn with a concrete path down the middle. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

Mariana's beloved pooch, Charley, is a huge fan of the garden. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

A sweet collection of pots. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

How do you like to spend time in your garden?

I love tending to the vegetables in our patches, preparing the soil, planting new seedlings, patiently waiting. Sitting in a deck chair under the feijoa tree is also time well spent. We also have chickens and I could watch them for hours but I think I mostly love looking onto our backyard from our kitchen and dining room. It brings me such a sense of calm.

How does your garden inspire you?

It inspires me to look, really look, at nature's beautiful details (it changes with every season), to be patient and appreciate what nature has to offer.

Happy chickens potter in the run. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

The bountiful veggie patch. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz. 

Pots of herbs with ceramic markers. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

Pretty details add interest and colour. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

The impressive hen house was once a cubby. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

What are your must-haves for a garden?

Having come from a house with a small courtyard, if/when the time came to buy another house, it had to have a bigger back yard. I wanted chickens, vegetable patches, a smoke bush and a gum tree. And I'm happy to say we now have them. CERES Environmental Park has inspired us for many years. I love their use of recycled/reclaimed objects dotted about the place, the 'organic free-flowing' nature of its grounds has inspired me to collect found objects and incorporate them in our garden: old ladders, rusted car rims, old metal gates and frames, for example. All of which, I think, add so much character and make a garden unique.

You can find Mariana's work at m2matiz.com.

Pots are dotted throughout the backyard. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

A rustic lantern finds a home among the mint. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

Mariana is drawn to the rusty, weathered beauty of found objects. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

Old 44-gallon drums make fabulous planters. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

The perfect place for a long lunch. Photography: Mariana Garcia-Katz.

Rare Pear Studio artist Shani Nottingham

Today, we're venturing into central-western NSW, to Cowra, where artist Shani Nottingham creates lively and colourful artworks that are sure to set your hearts a-fluttering. She runs the Rare Pear Studio from her 100-year-old homestead and is also busy (with some help from her husband, Jason) turning a barren yard into a thriving, rambling wonderland, complete with native and deciduous trees, fences lined with rosemary and a sprawling grapevine that offers shade and beauty. The couple share the garden with their three children, Fynn, Tillie and Rosie, along with two cats (Lolly and Fizzy) and two dogs (Daisy Allsorts and Olive Pip). It is a place where Shani admits she can lose hours, pottering with her cup of tea, picking herbs for dinner or gleaning inspiration for her delightful paintings, collages and installations. But, most of all, this is her sanctuary, the place where she finds peace. 

The symmetrical garden at the front complements the original architecture of the home, more than 100 years old.

Shani's love of nature and plants is reflected in her work. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Tell us about your garden 

My garden is a total work in progress! I do far more in my head than in reality… but it means that when I do get into it, I really appreciate the experience, and I know exactly what needs to be done.

At the moment, parts of the garden are well on the way, and other areas are completely ready to be developed.

This is partly due to only working on one section at a time, which is more manageable for a busy young family, and partly because the house, too, has really different areas, so the gardens have been designed to reflect this. 
For example, the original part of the house is over 100 years old, has French shutters and big bullnose verandas, is very symmetrical and very cute. In contrast, the back of the house is a very modern glass, boxy extension, clad in zincalume and Colorbond.

The difference in architecture will be reflected in the garden, too. We have actually commissioned a wonderful landscape architect and horticulturist, Sally Bourne, to design us an amazing backyard plan. It includes boulders, lots of natural grasses, herbs, flowering plants and a few special trees, winding brick walls (that are reclaimed from a laundry we demolished by hand) that serve also as benches and seating, and a few magical secret paths and sculptural elements.

We will be getting onto it this year with gusto, but we knew many years ago that we would need trees, so planted them a long time ago. So the major plant structures, the trees, are now well advanced and have gone from sticks to actual trees, which means when we do get the back garden under way, it will immediately have a certain maturity about it.

The old wisteria has been given new life with a good prune and a new arbour. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

The deep veranda, which wraps around the house, is shaded by grapevine. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Weathered pots add texture and colour to the deck. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

A glimpse of garden greenery from the bedroom window. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

More of Shani's breathtaking work. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

What changes have you made to it?

When we moved in, 11 years ago, there was no fence, no front garden. Actually, no garden anywhere, just a few heavily borer-infested trees that had to go, a camphor laurel tree, a beautiful wisteria that had been badly pruned and had no support, acres of kikuyu, one orange tree, trying hard to grow, and only one lovely big tree, at the side of the house (an Irish strawberry tree).

Within a week of moving in, the sewerage pipes burst. It meant that our entire backyard was excavated by a huge digger. In hindsight, it was a blessing in a way, because we knew where not to plant trees, and if we had begun spending hours and lots of money developing the garden, and then had to dig it all up, it would have been heartbreaking! So we ended up with really a clean slate, but no time (three very young children and a 2nd degree by distance education) and little cash (spent on the sewerage works!). That’s when we planted some trees, thinking that while we were busy and had less time for gardening, at least they could grow, and when we had time later, at least there would be some structure and shade.

We did landscape and fence the front though, because we felt that by making the front look good, it would give us a sense of ownership and give it an immediate boost. So up went the fence, we planted rosemary so that as you brushed against it there would be a nice smell, twin weeping cherry trees, some roses that had been bought for our wedding many years earlier (dug up at my in-laws house on the Central Coast and replanted in our front garden), an ornamental grapevine, and other bits and pieces.This part of the garden we did very symmetrically, in keeping with the house design, and used more traditional plants.

I also began to imagine what I could do with the bare and ugly rectangle of weeds and grass along one of the sides of the house.

Over time, my husband and his dad built a big pergola for the wisteria, we hired a digger to level it off and scrape out the kikuyu (after several attempts to spray it out), we put in a snaking path, past the row of manchurian pears and the standard gorgeous crabapple we planted years earlier, we used reclaimed bricks for the edges, and I began to source plants from the CWA, farmers' markets, friends and even the odd nursery. Eventually, the dream began to be a reality.

Any big challenges?

Oh, yes, lots! Time and lack of it. Both of us work, and we have the usual hectic family schedule. Living out here also means limited times of year for planting, before it gets too hot or too cold, and shorter growing periods, and determines plant selection too with the extremes of temperature. Drought, always a very real threat, makes plant choice important. We have had several bad ones, with water rationing, which meant hand watering when we could.

Then, in the last few years, we have added to the chaos by getting two dogs (my first ever), which accounts for holes everywhere and chewed up plants and hose and pots.

Lack of funds! Always so many things to spend money on, sometimes the garden gets pushed to the bottom of the list. But sometimes I think this means you become more inventive, problem solve, and become more wily. I take cuttings, do plant layering, get things from fetes and garage sales, even the local tip.You end up with hardy plants, unusual containers and avoid that “I bought it all from Bunnings” kind of look.

A winding garden path adds an air of mystery. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Shani's eldest daughter Rosie plays on the lush stretch of lawn. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Old teapots make a whimsical mobile. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Shani captures her gorgeous crabapple blossom on paper. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

How do you spend time in the garden? 
My hubby and I often start the day with our coffees in hand, sitting on the veranda, looking at the garden. I will walk around with a cup of something, too, just looking to see how things are growing. I potter, do a little weeding, catch creepy crawlies for my pet green-tree frog and I do love to hose the garden. I wander about picking herbs to use in cooking, but often take longer than I should, as I get distracted by something that needs doing. So soothing!

The kids play with the dogs, swing on the swing, my girls make mud pies and floral soup creations. When they were younger, my son dug trenches (he is a war buff) and they played cubbyhouses, and climbed the Irish strawberry tree. We have dinner on the deck in summer, and lie on it and look at the stars some nights. One of the nice things about this house and garden is you can chase the sun or the shade around the place and find somewhere nice to be.

How does your garden inspire you? 

I always have either greenery, foliage or flowers from the garden in vases scattered about the house; it just makes me happy.

I am always photographing things from the garden for Instagram, and for doing sketches of. So it inspires my art and creativity. In fact, really the garden is an extension of my art and I spend time thinking about what plant combinations will work. In fact, I look at it as I would a painting: what needs repetition, contrast in colour, texture, height etc. The garden also helps to ground me and makes me feel balanced. It also provides us with shade, climate control, privacy, food. It is intrinsic to making our quality of life that much better.

A gorgeous (it's actual name) crabapple standard. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Crabapple leaves starting to change colour and fall. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

The deep, shady veranda is a favourite chill-out place. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

What are your must-haves for the garden? 

TREES! They give a sense of proportion, shade, beauty, privacy, habitat, structure to the garden. We have planted so many and will plant more yet.

Places to sit and contemplate, focal points, whether they be a plant or a feature of some kind. I like gardens with sculptures and interesting things in them. Particularly, when we live in a place where lots of plants shut down over winter, it's nice to have cool things to still look at.

A sense of mystery and magic. I love gardens that want to make you see more and wonder what comes next.

Lots of textures and smells. I love flowers, but I keep coming back to foliage. And if i do have flowers, I like to have ones with a fragrance. We have a beautiful gardenia, which is heavenly, and the wisteria too. Just amazing smells. I like a wide variety of plants. I really do not resonate with lots of hard landscaping (six only types of mass planted architectural designer things). They just look soulless to me.

Herbs, scattered about in the garden. We have gone from having lots of herbs at times, in dedicated herb gardens, to now having a lot less, and having them in pots and as part of garden plantings in general.
And lately, in the last couple of years, my new must-have is lots of different grasses and strappy plants (memories of NZ) and collecting succulents and cacti. Love them! Swoon!

For more about Rare Pear Studio, or to purchase Shani's work, see rarepearstudio.com.au.

Shani has a thing for cacti. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

An installation of photographs featuring blooms from Shani's garden. Photography: Shani Nottingham.

Expansive skies are part of the charm in central western NSW. Photography: Shani Nottingham.