LUSCIOUS LANDSCAPE

Give your new home or renovation the finish it deserves with an outdoor spruce up

- CHARLIE ALBONE

Often after a large renovation, the budget doesn't quite stretch to landscaping, resulting in a job that looks good but could look great. That's where your DIY skills come to the rescue! Build a set of steps to create grand entrance and hide an ugly view with a simple screen. Then finish off with an array of flowering plants to brighten up the rest of your garden.

1 GIVE YOUR GARDEN A LIFT

Use steps to bring your garden closer to your home with a range of potted greenery that you can move out of the way when you're entertaining.

2 GO SOFT AT THE EDGES

Curved edging separates the lawn from the garden bed mulch, allowing the dahlias and Persian shield shrubs to flourish with their share of nutrients and water.

3 TAKE TIME OUT!

You can't go past the shade of mature trees over a cosy garden setting as the perfect place to relax and entertain guests.

4 PRETTY THINGS UP

Erect a decorative screen - like these weathered steel panels from the hardware store - to hide ugly essentials such as wheelie bins without making access difficult.

5 FILL A BLANK CANVAS

Dress a bare wall with an informal hedge. Camellia sasanqua likes full sun, grows fast and flowers in autumn and early winter. Add a path around the house by laying stepping stones, here spaced 650mm at their centres, in beds of mortar.

EASY STEPS TO BUILD A SET OF STEPS

Add a striking new design element by constructing a set of wide timber steps clad in spotted gum decking boards.

Gather your supplies

• 140 x 45mm H3 treated pine

• 90 x 45mm H3 treated pine

• 90 x 90mm H4 treated pine posts

• 200 x 50mm H4 treated pine sleepers

• 86 x 19mm spotted gum decking

You'll also need