Murrakaia

We received an email from a reader named Dane recently, and as today is a holiday here in Canada and I'm wishing I could be hanging out at my sister's cottage enjoying the scenery instead of home doing work and chores, I thought this was a perfect post (that might however have me in tears). Thought you would love this property. An old friend of mine Jenny Inch owns this home, she is a landscape designer (as you can tell from the images). This remains the most beautiful home I've had the pleasure of visiting, and the gardens are amazing. Enjoy! Enjoy we shall! Murrakaia is located in Dulong, Queensland, Australia and is currently for sale. It's located on 3 private acres and the home features two large bedrooms, a generous study, two bathrooms and two living areas, and it's only 90 minutes from Brisbane. The landscaping is out of this world. It's absolutely gorgeous and Jenny is obviously talented in that area. 

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Landscaping at its finest

Spring is finally here and I'm super excited to see green stuff outdoors! Seeing so much dirt and snow and dormant vegetation gets seriously depressing by the end of winter. An email from Jeffrey of Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture could not have come at a better time. I blogged his gorgeous outdoor spaces here and here, and this time he wanted to share his latest project in Shell Beach, California. It's a one-bedroom guest house with a LiveRoof and it's a DREAM. Who cares what the interior looks like when you have this outside? I'd be living outside. Just pitch me a tent somewhere...or I'll claim one of the hammocks. (Photos by Chris Leschinsky)

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Franchesca Watson

A garden is evolving, never really finished as it grows and matures. South African landscape designer Franchesca Watson, who trained in the performing and decorative arts before embarking on her lifelong love affair with plants and gardens, brings drama and beauty, sophistication and casual elegance to her outdoor canvases. She connects owners with their little piece of nature through stylish contemporary and neo-classical designs. A beautiful art form perfected by this artisan landscape designer.

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Escape from winter

It's been quite some time since Jeffrey of Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture sent us photos of his latest work. (See previous post here). He emailed recently with a few projects he has recently completed that had me momentarily transported to a land where the grass is green, plants are thriving and it's not below freezing. Just in time for winter! :-) Oh, to live in the tropics like Jo and enjoy the outdoors year round. Anyhoo, these wonderfully landscaped properties are located in California (Santa Barbara, Nipomo, Cayucos and Montecito).

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Warm weather, garden dreaming

It is the end of the week and a girl's mind turns to gardening. Well this girl's does. As the days grow longer and the temperature rises, the leaves burst forth on the branches and long forgotten bulbs shot "surprise" as they pop out of the soil, my day dreams of a lush and lovely backyard may just come true. They would that is if I left them in the creative hands of Sydney-based Secret Gardens. Perhaps a bright yet shady backyard retreat like this first garden in Randwick? Or a more sophisticated and casually elegant garden that marries contemporary landscape with a traditional home in Kensington? Either would be perfect.

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