Country Style celebrates the diversity of modern Australian living, from the country to the coast and is a trusted source of information for Australians who are driven by the dream of a beautiful regional lifestyle.
I get a lot of joy from my parents’ garden. I live in an apartment and my gardening extends to caring for a collection of potted plants – indoor and outdoor – with varying degrees of success. Mum and Dad’s garden features a simple, flat front yard with lawn and hardy plants and a large pandanus tree that can withstand high winds given its exposed, coastal position. At the back of the house is large block that slopes away quite dramatically. Stone masons built walls to create terraces and garden beds. They have built tall fences to protect it from the wind and the bush turkeys next door. Dad himself built a putting green just outside the back door using artificial grass, which has given him and us as a…
TAKE THE FLOOR The Patrick indoor/outdoor rug, from $205, is ideal for covered outdoor areas like patios and terraces. Simply hose it off to keep it clean. Visit rug.com.au SOFA SO GOOD Bring a European aesthetic to your beachhouse or country escape with the Palm outdoor sofa, $3395. The slimline powder-coated aluminium frame and quick-dry foam cushions are made for outdoor living. Visit mcmhouse.com GROWTH PATTERN Featuring over 50 gardens from the UK, USA and around the world, Gardens Illustrated: The New Beautiful, $210, offers both aesthetic and environmental inspiration. Each of the verdant spaces have an eco element, from sustainable designs to plant selections that shelter wildlife. Order via amazon.com.au THE HOT SEAT People-watching, bird-spotting and star-gazing can all be enjoyed from the comfort of the Breu outdoor lounge…
When owners Bryan and Allison sit inside their home watching the wispy grasses outside shimmering and shimmying in the wind, the evocative vista whisks them away to the wild grasslands of the Victorian plains. Yet, enjoying the best of both worlds, the couple lives in Melbourne’s inner north-west, with all the urban conveniences that implies. When they bought their double-fronted Edwardian bungalow in 2018, they encountered a “rudimentary” backyard, according to Bryan – a tidy expanse of lawn fringed by shallow garden beds and a shed smothered in passionfruit vines. “We saw so much potential, as the house hadn’t been touched in decades and it had a west-facing backyard, which held the promise of long, sun-filled summer nights hanging out with friends and family,” he says. “We saw what could…
Everyone has a story like this: “I had an indoor plant once. It died. You too?” Today’s column is brought to you by: That Plant Should Have Tried Harder dot com. Also: It’s Not You, It’s The Plant. And: Sometimes Bad Plants Happen To Good People. Have I set the scene? Full disclosure, I am actually very serious about indoor plants. I have A LOT of them – so many that my husband tells visitors not to stand still in our house or you might find a pothos quietly securing itself to your limbs, or a peperomia trailing down your neck. Indoor plants are a vibe and I’ve been here for it since COVID lockdown and they became my thing. But I can remember when they were not; when my…
Colourful tree canopies and shady copses greeted Sue and Ian Rogan when they purchased six hectares in historic Millthorpe 15 years ago. Located in the Central West of NSW, between Orange and Blayney, the acreage was developed as a tree farm and nursery in the 1990s by the Jeffree family, who are descendants of Paul Sorensen, the renowned landscape gardener and nurseryman. Paul was based in the Blue Mountains, and his legacy lives on in the European-inspired private and public gardens he designed from the 1920s onwards, including the heritage-listed Everglades in Leura. Many trees featured on Ian and Sue’s land can be traced back to the original Sorensen family nursery in Leura, where a cool-climate arboretum inspired botanical designers and home gardeners alike. Sue, 69, and Ian, 70, now…
Beyond the honey-hued stone walls of 18th-century Hunstrete House, tucked away in a 12-hectare deer park around two hours’ drive west of London, lies an arguably even more impressive garden. Belonging to The Pig Near Bath, one of a litter of boutique hotel dotted throughout England’s rolling hills, the almost-one-hectare walled garden features a fruit orchard, greenhouses, raised beds and polytunnels that supply year-round produce to the on-site restaurant. Completing the storybook scene, the dining area is housed inside a Victorian-style conservatory overlooking the grounds, which have proven to be as productive as they are pretty. Whether it’s carrots for spiced carrot soup, garlic for the roasted garlic mayonnaise or marigold flowers to garnish their much-loved chocolate slice, the kitchen garden produce touches every one of the dishes served, says…
