A landscape designer's stunning showcase garden | Garden Design & Inspiration | Gardening Australia

Sophie is at Aldgate in the Adelaide hills to visit the home and garden of Jamie McIlwain, a career landscaper who’s been in the game for over 30 years. Subscribe 🔔 ab.co/GA-subscribe
So what does someone who works day-in-day-out creating beautiful gardens for other people do with their own garden? Across the roughly ½ acre site, Jamie has spent 15 years (and some blood, sweat and tears) creating a garden that is not only truly impressive in scale and function, but serves as a reference book to show clients exactly what can be achieved in their spaces, and what various features will look like.
Verge Garden and Entrance:
From the street you immediately know there’s some serious gardening going on here. A beautiful, soft, semi-formal meadow-style garden grabs the attention of any foot traffic.
The planting here is low-care species like sedums, salvias and Agastache that Jamie describes as “upright and pretty”. “It’s a soft colour tone of pinks and whites”. There’s also scattered trees to replace the pines, canny picks chosen for their highly ornamental nature; a ginkgo, a “crimson sentry” maple and a wychwood crabapple.
The entrance to the property is marked by a horticultural exclamation point. Grafted standard liquidambar (cultivar ‘Gumball’) provide visual contrast for an underplanting of various different-coloured cultivars of Buxus, tightly clipped into round balls.
“I clip them twice a year, and I spend a good 10 minutes on each one, but they still look good even when they’re fluffy”. He says structural plantings like this form the “backbone and year-round interest” in a garden, to be complimented by seasonal interest.
Perennial Plantings:
This theme of contrasting perennials with a structural element is continued into the garden proper. At the front of the house, it’s garden beds full of showy summer perennials contrasted with more tight hedging, roses and stonework.
Jamie loves his summer flowering perennials. “People should use them more; they don’t use much water and they’re very giving aesthetically. They come into their own once it heats up when other things are struggling”.
Jamie’s choices are Agastache 'Sangria' and ‘Blue Boa’, Echinops 'Taplow Blue' and various Sedum cultivars. They’re currently flowering and are complimented by larger ornamental grasses who Jamie says are essential to provide year-interest. Here Jamie’s pick is Miscanthus sinensis 'Sarabande' and Calamagrostis ‘Overdam’. “They hang onto their seed heads right into winter, and sometimes you’ll get a morning mist hanging onto them”.
Stonework:
One of the most striking features of the garden at the back of the house is the extent of detailed stonework throughout. Jamie says this was necessary to get the most out of the site, which was originally a steeply sloping lawn due to the Adelaide hills location. Stone retaining walls allowed for staggered garden beds, as well as steps and accessibility. “It’s making unusable spaces usable” says Jamie.
Local sandstone used for drystone-look reinforced walls, pavers, and gabion walls inside recycled mesh is “showing there’s different ways to use the same material”.
Sculpture:
Of course, no garden is complete without a bit of art, and Jamie was worked with a local sculptor to create metal structures that provide both visual interest and practical purpose. A grape vine is pruned to a metal espalier truss, complete with metal grape leaves and bunches of grapes.
Jamie was inspired by the “super tree” in Singapore and so commissioned his own version. A ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ rose climbs over it, and the structure itself bears steel leaves and roses, to fill in when the plant is dormant.
Engine Room:
The rear of the back garden is elevated out of sight from the house, and is what Jamie describes as “the engine room”. There a vegetable garden, compost bays and espalier fruit trees like figs, nashi pear and satsuma plum. One of the highlights is the impressive chook house, made from recycled timber.
Jamie’s hard work has created something that would be a dream garden for anyone and covers just about every base.
___________________________________________
Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content.
Watch more: iview.abc.net.au/programs/gard...
Facebook: / gardeningaustralia
Instagram: / gardeningaustralia
Web: www.abc.net.au/gardening
___________________________________________
This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation KZbin channel. Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3).

[@ren8240]

I love absolutely everything about this garden & the fact that Jamie also supports really old trades such as blacksmithing & Stone masonry is brilliant. Thanks guys, I got so many ideas for my own garden from this episode! 👏

[@GardeningAustralia]

We love it too. Thanks so much for watching. We’re glad it was inspiring!

[@sharonwebb945]

I was thinking same thing!

[@JenniferMoleski]

What an inspiration! I typically like a crazy garden, more cottage style and am not all about the manicured look, but Jamie really blended the two styles together in a way that opened doors of possibility in my mind. I am always grateful for that.

[@sharonwebb945]

There nothing not to love in this garden. So many examples of what a landscape gardener can create all together in one location and all working together so harmoniously! I really love the manicured combined with the billowing grasses and perennials. Loved the wrought iron and Pierre de Ronsard roses and all the sculptures and stonework- magnificent! All the different levels and examples of pathways ❤❤❤

[@sydneykasmar]

Absolutely stunning garden and kept meticulously. The rock work and iron work are as stunning as the plants.

[@GardeningAustralia]

It’s really beautiful. Thanks for watching!

[@tedhodoba3637]

Beautiful garden! I was surprised to see so many North American natives being used. Of course gardeners from all over the world use plants from all over the world.

[@jamesh.maloyjr.6940]

wow this is a super garden, the stone walls, the paths. Even the "gumballs" are striking. could have easily been a thirty minutes or more tour. The different levels are really great.

[@mimakate]

This garden is impressive. It’s so neat and intentional yet beautifully warm and inviting.

[@athomewithelisa]

Absolutely loved this story, watched it 3 times

[@GardeningAustralia]

We’re so glad you loved it 😊 thanks for watching!

[@LandscapeArchitectureTV]

Beautiful. Shared your video on Landscape Architecture TV. Thanks.

[@ashd2799]

I need this tour to be an hour longer, I want to know everything 😆

[@TheArtisticGardener777]

Truly gorgeous! I really love seeing plants growing in Australia that I use here in the East coast of the USA. Makes me feel so connected!😊

[@anm1190]

Beautiful garden. ❤

[@starlightshimmery]

This is so inspiring. Such a beautiful garden

[@GardeningAustralia]

We find it so beautiful! Glad to bring some inspiration to your day 😊

[@PunmasterSTP]

Such a beautiful and amazing place to be! It’s clear that the designer had skill and passion. It was…Australiawesome! 👍

[@GardeningAustralia]

Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed watching

[@soniatriana9091]

The designer is an amazing artist with anything outdoors!! I also imagine he’s an all around designer - his home’s interior must be equally stunning & complimentary to his beautifully landscaped exterior!! What a pleasure to see this property & hear Jamie’s explanations, his clients are lucky people!! As are his neighbors!! Great host/great show!! Thank you👍🏻🤗👏🏻👏🏻!!

[@GardeningAustralia]

Absolutely! Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@lorrainel2314]

One of the best gardens showcased on the program ❤

[@GardeningAustralia]

Thank you! That’s so lovely to hear 🌱

[@huggy-Bear]

He just seems like a great guy with a wealth of knowledge

[@SeaTurtle515]

He possess the heart of a true gardener. 🌿🐝

[@MsSlushatel]

Awesome garden, pleasure for eyes

[@chongseitmooi2593]

Impressed garden design.vry well maintain

[@sunitashastry5270]

A beautiful show garden.

[@GardeningAustralia]

So beautiful! Thanks for watching 😊

[@KLMN890]

Beautiful

[@chrishoo2]

Thanks for beautiful video,. Congratulations for creating an inspirational garden. Greetings from Portugal!

[@GardeningAustralia]

Thank you very much!

[@margaretmaguire3329]

Best ever

[@Lik3ToSing]

This is one of the most impressive garden I ve seen. So many elements into it

[@GardeningAustralia]

Agreed!

[@kristinaorton1047]

So incredible . What a truly talented designer . Perfection

[@GardeningAustralia]

Couldn't agree more!

[@mygardeninbloom]

What an amazing garden! 🍃🌳🌾🌼

[@GardeningAustralia]

Thanks for watching!

[@noratruong7816]

So wonderful garden. Love it.

[@vickimorris3957]

Absolutely love this garden!! ❤

[@GardeningAustralia]

Thanks so much 😊

[@enatp6448]

Beautiful!

[@voodootele]

I am from SA, who is the blacksmith that made those sculptures?

[@janicemunn4220]

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@teenee4]

There's a wholesale nursery in need of a savour. If you live in SA, you might know it around the Dry Creek area 😉 🤔 before a construction company buys it out for the land.

[@rairai7964]

What's it called?

[@jamessmith4681]

nice

[@jackdavid167]

Gardening Australia used to be about diu aussie backyard, now gotta be a millionaire, 👇

[@user-yz1eg6cy4p]

🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤😊。

[@Codingforce]

I dont like it. It looks like a nursery. This a shocking case of anti-nature-garden.