Autumn inspirations

Temperatures ease and darkness begins to creep into the late afternoon ... autumn is on our doorstep. Let’s embrace the new season and all it promises.

There is a wonderful crisp clarity in the air only found in autumn. Colours are strong as we wait for the leaves to change, and we welcome back those brilliant blue skies and stunning afternoon light that seems to go on forever. Find inspiration for your outdoor room during this transitional season in the small touches...
 

Plants

Autumn is a great time to do all those little jobs you were too busy to do in summer, like cleaning tools and transplanting plants.

Plants for autumn
• Strawberries: autumn is a great time to plant strawberries so they are ready for eating in October/November. Yum!
• Camellia sassanqua: enjoy the blooms of this lovely plant from Autumn to early Winter
• Aloe ‘Always Red’: a drought tolerant, hardy plant that produces lovely bright red flower spikes in early autumn
• Deciduous trees like Maples (Acer palmatum cvs.) look amazing in Autumn. If you live in a cooler climate, go for a late afternoon stroll and enjoy the gorgeous red, orange and yellow foliage colours of the trees in your area. 
 

Materials

For people who have limited space, are in rented premises or want to create a movable feature, the portable garden is a perfect tool for you to enhance your outdoor room.

Pots and planters can be used to define spaces in the same way walls do. Their positioning can be used to control the pathway through your garden or to mask a view by creating a screen of plants — ideal for hiding garbage bins. One of the main things to consider with potted plants is adequate drainage. Surprisingly there are hundreds of pots available that don’t allow for drainage in the base. Always check for this when making your purchase and be prepared to drill a hole in the bottom and even raise the pot an inch or so off the ground if necessary. As long as a container has sufficient drainage and root space, it can be any material, shape, size or colour that will work with your design.

 

Paint

Vibrant, bold yet inviting colour schemes evoke the sensations of autumn. The chill that cuts through the late afternoon and early morning is like using a bold accent colour within your outdoor room. We suggest combining Rain Cloud and Blueberry Ash with highlights of Start Apple from the Jamie Durie Signature for Porter’s Paints range.

Paint technology these days, both indoor and out, is nothing less than inspiring and your ability to change your outdoor environment with colour shouldn’t just stop at the fence. Check out our local supplier, there are oils, tints, milk washes for decks and timber structures, feature paints for sculptures, pots, statues and fountains, or paving paints for floors, tired concrete and retaining walls. Create a layered, distressed or aged feel by sanding back and using paints with lime sand or even tiny acrylic beads, copper or iron that mysteriously appears to rust a non-corrosive surface.

Colour your world with a paint choice that exudes the same personality as other design choices you have made, and don’t be afraid to experiment and be bold—if you make a mistake, its only a few more hours out of your life to paint over it!

 

Furniture

By incorporating furniture into your landscape you not only save space and allow opportunities for multi-purpose seating and storage areas in your garden design, but you deliver within your design opportunities for a true connection with your garden and nature itself. If you decide to custom-build, take full advantage of the options open to you, such as added lumbar support for comfort, storage space in the voids of bench-seating, and a fold away facility for tables, lounges etc. Using a combination of organic and inorganic materials gives a pleasing result, with the popular mix of timber and stainless steel among on of the most flexible and appealing.

And on the environmental front, let’s not forget that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. It’s a term that holds more meaning these days than it used to because we are all conscious of recycling. But it is true to never overlook garage sales, auctions, recycling yards and even the internet — you never know where you might find ‘just the right piece of furniture’.

 

Soft furnishings and accessories

By taking traditional indoor elements like cushions, curtains and other furnishings and decorative elements such as lanterns and place settings into your outdoor space, you blur the lines between indoor and out with great impact.

What about an outdoor rug? We have just launched a fantastic new range of outdoor rugs, Ground Cover by Jamie Durie Signature for the Rug Collection. Made from 100% recycled polypropylene all the designs have been inspired by the natural beauty of the Australian landscape.