Our lifestyles have changed considerably since our parents, and even more so than their parents. We want to accomplish more, see more, experience more and generally ensure that our life is expensed as spontaneously as our buying habits.

With this change in ideology, our priorities shift and what our parents may have defined gardening as is no longer the benchmark for how we garden. We have garden tools now. Loads of tools. We no longer need to turn compost with a fork and some elbow grease. We just rotate the handle. And we certainly won’t be raking up the leaves this autumn as we either don’t have deciduous trees because we turned them over to conifers, palms and grasses, or we have a Cyclone Rake to do it for us.

As you begin to plan out your garden design this is one question you will need to keep in the back of your mind. Marrying up your lifestyle with your dreams of a beautiful garden is better done at this stage than when you’re halfway through your first landscaping feature.

Here’s a novel idea-instead of chopping down a tree to make way for patio furniture, how about shaping the trees in your backyard to be chairs?

Artist Richard Reames of Oregon has been practicing this art which he calls “arborsculpting” for several years. Through a process of careful bending, grafting, and pruning, Reames guides the living tree into a preconceived form.

Sometimes the result is practical-creating a table and chairs-and other times artistic, but it always makes you say, “Cool.” Check out the images of his other creations. My favorite is the boat!

He frequently gives speeches to landscapers and gardeners and has written a book about his techniques called How To Grow a … Living FurnitureOriginally from On The Level by Dave 

We started a new project this weekend (like we didn’t have any others already on the go). Alas, we didn’t get too far though before the weather, social commitments and general weekend laziness forced it to the bottom of the feeding chain. We’re about to start building the first of two garden water features.

This one is very formal and will take up the complete side of the fence that is showing in the photograph. It starts from the where the crab-apple tree garden ends and will run the length of one section of fence (approx 2.4m – 7.87ft). It will have two levels, the upper one almost reaches the top of the fence and will contain the pipes for the water to flow through while the second one will contain the pond and an assortment of water plants and various fish.

The first stage of this project is to pour the concrete slab for the water feature to be founded on. In order to do that I need to connect the reticulation pipe that will run from my shadehouse (another future project) to the main irrigation pipework. The electrical cable, though not connected yet, was already dug in prior to the turf being laid and will be hidden from most views. This cable will power the water flow and may also be the source for some low voltage lighting.

The preparation for concreting is being done now because I need to mix some cement for the paving in Deb’s garden room. The paving has all been laid now and will need to be lifted and cemented into place.