How To Design An Australian Native Garden

Building an Australian native garden is a great way of embracing local building traditions and blending in with the local scenery. A well-designed garden can also boost the resale value of your property if you ever decide to sell or lease it out, as your garden is more likely to be low-maintenance and optimised for its local climate. Because there is no single design format for an Australian native garden, you can also add plenty of personal touches to your backyard.

As proud purveyors of essentials for any great Aussie backyard, our team at Outback Fencing know all about building beautiful native Australian gardens. In this blog post, we’ll list some ways of doing just that. Keep reading to learn more about the fencing styles, plants and garden fixtures you need to build the ideal Australian native garden.

• Install Garden Fencing to Secure your Australian Garden
• Plant Native Australian Flora In Your Garden
• Add A Pool To Ward Off The Heat In Your Australian Garden
• Tailor Your Native Australian Garden To The Local Weather

Install Garden Fencing to Secure your Australian Garden

When building an Australian garden, you need to choose a low-maintenance fence that not only blends in seamlessly with your desired aesthetic but also protects your native plants from the harsh Australian elements. A strong fence boosts your family's privacy, acts as a barrier to the outside world and simply makes any native Australian garden look better. Luckily, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Australian-style fencing options here at Outback Fencing.

If you’re looking for the perfect fence for your garden, we highly recommend Colorbond fencing. Colorbond is a material that was designed specifically to perform well in rain, winds, or droughts, as this Aussie-made steel is resistant to rust, mould and corrosion. When using Colorbond, there’s no need to worry about the torrential downpours or sweltering heat that are so prevalent in Australia. And for those who live in high fire risk areas, you’ll be happy to hear that Colorbond steel also has an ignitability index of 0, which is crucial for protection against bushfires.

Our range of Colorbond fence panels also allows you to choose from a wide range of colours, allowing you to select a style that suits your garden. When designing an Australian garden, choose a natural, earthy colour like Cottage Green, Woodland Grey and Wallaby to really complement the natural tones of your striking banksia shrubs, vibrant wattle trees, and your towering gum trees.

Colorbond isn’t the only fencing material that suits an Australian native garden, however. Aluminium and PVC are two other fencing options that are easy to maintain, resistant to the native elements and feature a sleek, aesthetically pleasing look. If you live in the countryside, star picket fencing is another great low-cost option you can easily install around even the largest rural estates. Although star picket fence panels may not protect your garden against the elements as much, this fencing solution can aid in limiting pest access to your garden – a must if you’re planting edible crops like finger limes or Davidson plums.

Plant Native Australian Flora In Your Garden

Australia is characterised by its biodiversity, which includes a wide variety of native flora that ranges from gum trees to Australian indigos. Take advantage of the wealth of native Australian plant life to beautify your garden and boost your home’s street appeal.

To recreate a bush aesthetic in your garden, make sure to add plenty of local shrubs like thyme honey-myrtles, West Coast Gems and New South Wales Waratahs. These shrubs are all extremely hardy and require minimal watering. Planting local trees like gum trees and ivory curls allows you to create a beautiful focal point for your garden and complements your other plant life.

We also highly recommend adding a touch of colour to your garden by planting flowers like Australian honeysuckles, flannel flowers and Australian indigos. A major benefit of choosing native Australian flowers is that they’ve evolved to survive in the local climate, which means you won’t need to put in too much extra effort to keep them alive.

You can also enhance the dimensionality of your garden by planting native Australian creepers and climbers like wonga-wonga vines, grape ivies and coral peas. These colourful creepers are well-suited to PVC fences in particular, as PVC’s minimalist aesthetic draws the eye towards your plants, acting as a pristine white backdrop that really showcases all the colours of your climbing plants. Similarly, the modern horizontal slats of our aluminium slat fence panels also pair perfectly with the verticality of climbing plants. Consider which design style best compliments your unique Australiana-inspired garden to make the right decision for your backyard.

Pro tip: to create a flourishing Australian native garden that still looks neat and tidy, plant your flowers in PVC planter boxes, which feature a simple, elegant design that allows your flowers to be the stars of the show. Invest in high-quality planter boxes to bring out the beauty of the flowers in your garden.

Add A Pool To Ward Off The Heat In Your Australian Garden

Prepare to cool off in Australia’s sweltering heat by updating your pool for summer. A swimming pool gives you and your family a place to hang out when the temperature rises and to get some exercise. Pools are also a great centrepiece for any Australian native garden and can really impress visitors who come around to your home.

Installing a sturdy fence around your pool is vital. Pool fencing prevents dirt and wild animals from infiltrating your pool, and also stops pool water from reaching the rest of your garden. A sturdy pool fence is also a crucial backyard safety feature for your garden if you have young children.

Two of the most common pool fencing materials used in Australian native gardens are aluminium and glass. Aluminium fences contribute to the sleek, modern look so many Aussies love. When you choose an aluminium pool fence for your garden, you also won’t have to worry about rust or corrosion, no matter how much water ends up on the fence.

Glass pool fencing is another wonderful option for any Australian garden. Glass looks elegant and contemporary, and can add a touch of luxury to your garden. The transparent nature of glass pool fencing also lets you keep an eye on the kids while they’re having fun in the pool.

Pool decking is another swimming pool essential for native Australian gardens. A spacious deck gives you room to walk around barefoot without getting soil on your feet and also gives you somewhere to place deck chairs and other poolside furniture.

If you’re looking for a high-quality, low-cost pool decking option for your native Australian garden, we highly recommend Trex composite decking. Trex decking gives your garden the aesthetic appeal of wood without the added upkeep requirements. This specially designed decking material is immune to rot, no matter how much water it comes into contact with.

A pool is likely to be one of the centrepieces of your Australian native garden, so you definitely won’t want to cheap out. Browse Outback Fencing’s catalogue for top-quality pool fencing and decking today.

Tailor Your Native Australian Garden To The Local Weather

Australia is home to some of the most unique climate conditions worldwide. The country’s weather can range from scorching heat in the summer to freezing cold in the winter. An Australian garden must be built with these conditions in mind.

Building a weather-resistant Australian native garden starts with your fence. It’s vital to choose a fence that can withstand the heat and the cold, and that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to maintain. If you live by the sea, you’ll also want to choose a coastal fencing option that won’t rust or corrode when it comes into contact with water.

While Australia’s weather can be unpredictable, our warm summers also provide great conditions for spending time outside. Thus, it makes plenty of sense that Australian native gardens feature plenty of large outdoor spaces for recreation. These might include barbeque pits, gazebos and mini playgrounds.

When designing a native Australian garden, always remember to keep the local weather conditions in mind.

~

As one of Australia’s top suppliers of fencing products, planter boxes, pool decking, and other features and accessories that make up Aussie backyards, Outback Fencing should be your first point of reference when looking to lay the groundwork for a bush-inspired garden space. Our Australian-made products are of the highest quality and can take the visual appeal of your native Australian garden to another level.

To learn more about our range of garden design products and how to incorporate them into an Australian native garden, feel free to contact us online.