The garden is a place you can experiment with colour and have a bit of fun.

The main colour of this masonry villa, Resene Moonbeam, was extended to the garden wall so that the two act as a frame to an unusual side path made of carved pavers and old mill stones set into white lime chip. The arrangement looks random but actually took many hours for homeowner Sara Noble to create. 

Creating a courtyard oasis in this sloping garden was achieved by using retaining block walls that are then painted in Resene Gravel, part of which you can see on the right. To lead you from the house to the courtyard, a boardwalk finished in Resene Bark from the Resene Woodsman exterior stains range contrasts with the concrete pavers beneath and is joined by a narrow water rill. Along with the subtropical plants and Balinese stone head, it creates a sense of occasion and mystery. The garden was designed by Jules Moore. 

This raised pond has been framed in walls painted with the restful tones of Resene Kabul. The higher wall is treated just like you would inside, by accessorising it with art – in this case, colourful ceramic leaves by Bob Steiner. The garden was designed by Tania Barke of Through the Garden Gate. 

Not content with one colour, architect Pete Bossley and artist Miriam van Wezel chose a multi-coloured exterior to offset the simple yet happy sunflowers planted in front. From the left, the green is Resene Mother Earth, with Resene Sheer Black stain, then Resene Whiteout, and finally Resene Rock Spray (orange). The garden featured in the latest Habitat magazine but also in the book Contemporary Gardens of New Zealand by Carol Bucknell and Sally Tagg. 

Rachael Matthews of Hedge Garden Design & Nursery designed this clever vegetable garden for an Ellerslie Flower Show exhibition. It features a boardwalk finished in Resene Timber and Furniture Gel tinted to Resene Jarrah Tree with a section that lifts up to reveal a compost bin. Other innovative ideas included bean frames made from flax flowers, and a fence painted in Resene Black to gently radiate warmth back onto the plants and help ripen espaliered fruit. 

With some clever design and good camouflaging colour, even something as practical as this wheelie bin locker can look amazing. It’s enclosed by a fence and gate using palings of varying heights and widths, then painted in Resene Silver Sand to match the house. It was a project we did in conjunction with Hirepool in a recent Habitat magazine. [link to magazine, issue 18]

In this garden designed by Lyndell Shannon, the striking Resene Red Berry is used on the bridge-like structure that leads to the front door to create a sense of occasion.  Red flowering plants are also used throughout the garden as an accent colour.