Blog
Buxus sempervirens
Everyone’s favourite hedging plant, Buxus sempervirens (English Box or Common Box), is the perfect way to formalise any landscape design - and that’s exactly why it was high up on [...]
Noel Kingsbury – Naturalistic Perennial Planting
Back in 2015, Ian presented on ‘Naturalistic Perennial Planting in Australia’ at the Horticultural Gardening Festival. As part of this presentation, he highlighted his Top 10 list of landscape designers [...]
We’re in our ‘Element’ with this fire pit
Sitting by a cosy fire is the perfect way to maximise time outdoors. So the team at Ian Barker Gardens was both delighted and excited when they recently stumbled across [...]
Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha)
Whilst most other summer plants have long given up hope of doing anything productive, the Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) is continuing to showcase its vibrant colour and striking poise [...]
Bay Tree (Laurus nobilis)
Screening and hedging plants are in greater demand than ever, and one particular plant is gaining popularity, with good reason – the Bay Tree (Laurus nobilis). Bay trees make excellent [...]
Hawthorn – Garden Design Project
There is certainly great art in creating a garden that respects a home’s heritage architecture, whilst simultaneously providing contemporary style and energy. Ian Barker’s team have painstakingly achieved this in [...]
Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors
‘A great house is always a strong marriage of architecture, landscape and interiors’, says Rob Mills, Director of award-winning Melbourne based practice Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors (RMA). RMA design [...]
Pieris japonica (Lily-of-the-Valley shrub)
Any plant with japonica (or japonicus) in its name means it comes from Japan, as does this splendid shrub. And where a plant is from can tell you a lot [...]
Himalayan Salt Plate with Holder
If you’re going to have salt, you might as well make it as healthy and as flavorsome as you can. (Remember the old saying of course: ‘Everything in moderation, except [...]
The Delicate Balance between Sun and Light
We love our light-filled outdoor spaces but balancing light with excessive sun can be a tricky landscape design challenge. Ian Barker explains that establishing where the sun is positioned at [...]