Stunning Backyard Glow-Up | Great Home Ideas

I don't know about you, but when I dream, I have visions of beautiful homes and pretty decor. And I bet you Charlie is dreaming about plants right now. So this week, we're teaming up to transform this dull backyard into a dreamy summer entertainer. Hey Charlie, wake up. We've got dreams to bring to life here. We're getting more puppies. Puppies? What are you talking about? I feel nice and refreshed after that sleep. It was good. Excellent, because we need to create a stunning backyard here. So what are your thoughts? Well, it's a big space, so I'm thinking we can separate out lots of garden rooms. Over there is screaming out to be an outdoor dining and barbecue space. I absolutely agree. So I thought we could define the space and add some height with a pergola. Yes, very nice. And what are you thinking about the laundry over there? Well, it's not the most attractive, is it? So I thought we could definitely screen that out, add in a new clothesline and also a hammock. So it's sort of like a chores to chill zone. Yeah, as you do. And I'm thinking lots of plants to soften all the area and keep this open so we can use it for basketball and volleyball. Perfect. This area is just off the back of the house, so it's ideal for summer entertaining barbecues. I can even see a Christmas party being held here. But we need to give it some wow factor, so I'm thinking of adding a structure, and that's going to be a white pergola. Now, I could just do four white posts in each corner, but that would be pretty simple. So what we're going to do is two posts with some decorative detail, a gorgeous roof that will provide some shade and also add a bit of design flair too, won't it, Scotty? Oh, fantastic. Well, hello there. What is with the hazmat suit? Is this your new look now? No, this is just purely for fashion. You'll see in a minute. You'll notice we've got one, two, three, four different citrus in this garden, and they're displaying a lot of the common problems that citrus get. This one here, for example, has a magnesium deficiency. You can tell by the yellowing in the leaves. So some magnesium and some iron will fix that quickly. It also has some leaf miner, which is the curling of the leaf here. So the best way to get rid of that is just prune it off and remove it out of the garden. This one behind me is a lost cause. It's so nutrient deficient. It's covered in scale. It's covered in borer. The root ball is exposed. I'm going to recommend just removing that one. Now, this one is the reason why I'm wearing the hazmat suit. It is absolutely covered in stink bugs, and when you disturb them, they squirt a smelly stink bug smell. So the best way to get rid of them is actually with a vacuum cleaner. Put a suit on, otherwise your wife complains when you get home that you smell like stink bugs, and simply go around, sucking up as many as you can. On the other side of our raised planter, I'm just marking out for a garden bed. It's going to sweep all the way around so we can get some lovely plants in. Now, I'm going to put one post in the garden bed and then one post on the grass so we can have a hammock that spans the two. It'll be easy to get into, but you'll be surrounded by plants whilst you're relaxing. I love the sound of that. Who doesn't love a hammock in the garden? Fantastic. And while the boys are busy putting the holes in for the percola, I'm going to start marking out the space for the screen, and I'm going to set it in a little bit to allow for access, and I'm also adding a bench seat. This property is actually run by a local charity called the Burdekin Association, and they provide accommodation and support to children and young people in the area, and the house is a vital part of that program. So it's really important that out here we provide a functional space for them, but also one where they can relax and recharge. All right, Hercules. How many posts have you guys got here? Well, there are 18 holes in total, so we could kind of have a little game of mini golf before we film them. Hopefully they're in the right spot. Well, let's hope so. A big back garden can often be difficult to make the most of. That is true, but a space like this also means there's lots of opportunities to be creative, so we've created different zones here that are both functional as well as fun. Yeah, but first things first, I'm going to dig up that lemon tree. It's in a planter box, so we stand a really good chance of lifting it up, getting a big root ball, and moving it over to another part of the garden. Okay. As long as you're saving it, I'll allow that. And can you hurry up and make this thing a bit more fancy? Oh, well, if there's anything I can do, it's make something look fancy. So here with this pergola, we're using posts that are H4 timber, which means they can go into the ground without rotting. But I want them to look a little bit more substantial, so we're going to clad them. To attach the cladding, I'm using this sealant adhesive, and then we're going to nail it in place. And I'm also placing some across the top there so that it's sealed and no moisture gets in between the timber. Now it's time to work on the roof of the pergola. So we're adding in a series of cross beams that will form squares that I can then add more decorative detail to. My, oh, my, that sounds like it's getting more and more and more and bigger and bigger. Yes, there's a lot of work to do. Do you want to come and help me? I would love to come and help you. But I'm going to go get some plants instead. I knew he was going to say that. Convenient. As an additional design feature in the roof, we're adding in a cross in every second square, and what that will do is provide some visual interest. It will also give some protection from the sun and also be a place to hang some plants or other decorative elements for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas parties. And finally, the last design feature is adding in a rail and some pickets in between the posts, and that's going to make this space feel much more intimate and inviting. For the planting scheme in this garden, I thought we'd go for something really coastal because it's going to be low-maintenance and look great. We've got rounded shrubs, the wastringer, and this oriental pearl, and then to contrast, things like the lamandra and the gaura. But to tie it all together, I'm using the colour silver, and to do that, I'm using Eremophila, you can call it Eremophila or the emu bush as well. It likes really free-draining soil, so it's perfect for coastal conditions, but it also has a lovely mauve flower that appears through summer. To conceal this rather ugly laundry, I'm installing this screen, and the way we're doing that is painting some sleepers and using them as slats the whole way up. I'm going to have some window boxes where we can display pretty things like plants and flowers. I'm putting a bench in, which will be really practical, and also I'm leaving a space for access to the laundry, and then the bench will act as the perfect place to put your laundry basket. Let's see how the new benches work. Hey, Scotty, it's a great day for drying. Do you feel like hanging out some washing for me? I'd love to, but look at my hands full. Sorry. Well, isn't that typical? Just like Charlie. Please don't step on my lights. Okay, I won't step on your lights. This is looking nice. It is, isn't it? And you can see there's method to my madness. It looks good, but also we can hang festoon lights here because it wouldn't be an Aussie backyard party without some lights, would it? Exactly what I was going to say. What are you doing with these? Well, this is an emu bush. Can't you tell? I look like an emu behind them. Is that actually what it's called? That's what it's called because I'm tying all the planting schemes together with the colour silver. So we've got these as shrubs. We've got some silver spoons as sort of a lower planting, and then for our taller accents, these lovely olives. Now, olives make a fantastic tree for a small garden because they stay quite small. You can prune them if they get too big. They've got a great sculptural form, and the silver helps to tie everything together. To add a little bit of softness to our planting scheme, I'm using a plant that used to be called gaura. It's now called onathera. I have no idea why they changed the names of these plants. Its common name is butterfly bush, and it's easy to see why they call it that with these flowers sort of dancing like butterflies above the foliage. Now, this plant is incredibly hardy once it's established. You're not going to need to water it through summer, and it will flower from spring all the way through to summer. So it's a really good little plant to have in any type of garden. Underneath our hammock area, I'm using a plant called dichondra repens. It's going to form a lovely green ground cover that you can step on occasionally. It will grow in sun and shade. Now, you'll notice with our hammock, the posts are leaning out. That is for when, let's say, the more rotund person uses it. It's going to make sure the posts don't come out of the ground. Now, the posts have got a big hole around them, lots and lots of concrete. If you've got sand, the hole needs to be bigger. The moment of truth is about to come. I'm either going to flip on my head or fall asleep. Like every good summer garden, you should apply some mulch. It'll keep moisture in the soil and weeds at bay. What are you doing, resting on the job again, letting everyone else do the work? I'm testing the hammock. Oh, right. Quality control. Very important job. Who doesn't love barbecue utensils as a Christmas present? Tis the season. Hard to believe this is the same fairly boring backyard that we started with. I would say this now is a dazzling display of dynamic design. What would you say? Yes, dear. But seriously, this space now has four distinct uses and it's ideal for summer entertaining and a bit of Christmas frivolity as well. Yes, dear. Does that mean I'm invited on your next garden makeover? Yes, dear. Excellent. I'm going to hold him to that. Oh, dear.