Australia Archives | Sage Journal

Articles—

Australia

Finding the flow | A garden in Melbourne’s CBD

A once-disjointed Melbourne garden has been reimagined with distinct functional zones, layered planting and better connections between spaces.

Andy Murray Landscape Design X Sage Journal - Preston

Gardens

A free-spirited perennial garden in Melbourne

Guides

Field Notes | Winter pruning guide

In Ashley James' latest Field Notes column, he shares the three pruning cuts every gardener should know, his favourite tools, and practical advice for everything from roses and hydrangeas to fruit trees and wisteria.

Sculptural outdoor fireplace surrounded by native planting in a Phillip Withers designed garden in Geelong

Gardens

A Geelong garden shaped by family, friends and coastal living

Landscape designer Phillip Withers has created his own garden to be low-maintenance, accommodates daily family life while also maintaining a deep connection to its coastal surroundings.

Coastal Garden in Inverloch - Victoria Australia

Books, Gardens

A coastal Garden in Inverloch, Victoria

Inspired by the rugged beauty of Victoria's coastline, discover Phillip Johnson's 4-ha garden in Inverloch, featured in book: The Coastal Garden.

Gardens

A South Yarra garden shaped by architecture and seasonality

This Melbourne garden began after a major renovation and extension to the home, which included a new garage and first-floor terrace. The original garden was removed entirely, giving an opportunity to rethink the landscape.

Gardens

A native garden designed to connect a Surf Coast home

Set on a steep site in Anglesea on Victoria’s Surf Coast, this garden by Simon Taylor Landscape Design is thoughtfully connected to its wider coastal surroundings, creating a sheltered retreat for family life, visiting grandchildren and summer stays by the coast.

Bright orange modern furniture sits alongside pool and layered planting in Andy Murray Rosanna garden

Books, Gardens

Natural order | A Rosanna garden with softness & connection

This cleverly designed Melbourne garden has been influenced by the contours of the land and its surrounding plantings. The result is a palette that favours softness, connection and a sense of gentle continuity.

Interior view of a beautifully styled conservatory featuring potted plants, natural light and relaxed outdoor living.

Books, Gardens

A garden room with a view | The Glasshouse at Hillandale

Brimming with an array of succulents, fuchsias and geraniums potted in simple terracotta, this glasshouse sits within Hillandale Gardens in the countryside of Yetholme, NSW

Gardens, People

Enduring romance | Red Hill Cottage

How do you create a romantic cottage garden – with all the charm you would expect – while also facing the realities of hot summers and limited water? Landscape designer Ashley James shows us how careful planting can deliver beauty that stands up to the elements.

Gardens, People

From bare block to cottage garden in the Yarra Valley

From a bare block in the Yarra Valley, Emily Todd has created a romantic cottage garden alongside a productive kitchen garden, complete with chickens. She reflects on building it from scratch and the connections it has fostered within her community.

Jala’s lush boundary planting creating privacy and depth.

Gardens

A Carlton worker’s cottage reconnected through landscape

Landscape designer Josh Arkey of Jala has transformed the garden of Melbourne architects Stephanie Burton and Joseph Lovell’s inner-city worker’s cottage, dissolving the boundary between house and garden.

Gardens

A pollinator’s haven | Beauty in a Cape Woolamai garden

A garden designed for two young homeowners, featuring a pollinator-friendly planting scheme intended to attract bees and butterflies.

Emma Doman Design 2026 MIFGS Show Garden

Events

Barefoot luxury & the restorative magic of nature

Emma Doman looked to her home state of Queensland for inspiration when creating a resort-style subtropical retreat at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

Mat York, In Ratio SHOW GARDEN at MIFGS 2025

Events

A biodiverse, coastal-inspired haven in the city

‘We the Wild’ by Ratio’s Matt York at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (MIFGS) is a resilient garden filled with native Australian planting, designed to bring environmental benefits to its surroundings, and serve to reconnect and restore those who visit.

Ben Saunders X Sage Journal - Thornbury Project

Gardens

A family-friendly Victorian garden planted for wildlife

Ben Saunders Landscapes thoughtfully designed this garden to provide a space where a young family can play and relax, while also creating a welcoming habitat for local wildlife.

Events

Ordered beauty | A mod take on a classic European garden

With ‘Urban Luxe’, garden designer Andrew Stark’s 2026 Show Garden at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show offers a contemporary take on formal European gardens, with clipped structure, symmetry and lush planting.

Events

Climate, culture & migration | A Silk Road-inspired Show Garden

The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show garden, ‘Echoes of the Ancient Silk Road’ by US-based designer, Iftikhar Ahmed, uses layered planting, modular structures and reflective water to invite visitors to slow down and consider the enduring relationship between land, culture and time.

Joel Barnett InStyle Gardens MIFGS 2026 design

Events

Cricket & cement | A Show Garden that remembers a childhood

In a nostalgic twist, this Show Garden at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show is inspired by Joel Barnett’s childhood spent around the Geelong Cement Cricket Club.

Events

A real-life love story at the Show

This year, the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show will host a spectacular wedding ceremony set within an enchanting garden.

Gardens

A garden shaped by heritage at a Toorak home

A Toorak garden designed to complement the home’s heritage architecture while supporting contemporary family living and entertaining.

Garden designer Ashley James tending his rural flower garden in Victoria Australia.

Gardens, People

Introducing Ashley James | Our new gardening columnist

We’re excited to announce the newest columnist to Sage Journal, Australian garden designer, Ashley James. In his first piece, he shares where his love of gardening began and how his romantic, European-inspired style took shape.

Layered perennials and structured beds in Prahran, Melbourne by Saint Remy.

Gardens

A Prahran garden softened by light & layers

The traditional garden at this Victorian-era home in Prahran was redesigned, replacing formal hedging and dominant trees with softer, more naturalistic planting. New paving and features have transformed the front entry and rear courtyard into practical, everyday living spaces.