Sheoak Design

I was delighted to find my first spray of wattle blossom this week. You can always smell them before you can see them.

Spring is imminent!

Wattle blossoms are an important source of food for some VIP locals; bees, native birds and many insects 🐝🦜🪲

Did you know there is a National Wattle Day? It’s September 1st, the first day of spring.

Wattle is a symbol of renewal, resilience and it sports the classic Australian colours of green and gold which is why it is the Australian national floral emblem.

Wattles do live up to their reputation as a symbol of renewal. They are what is known as nitrogen fixers, they draw up fertiliser from deep underground to reinvigorate soil and act as a natural fertiliser. This is why they are so beneficial after bush fires and often the first to spring up.

So if you have an area that needs some reinvigorating, you could plant wattle to do the heavy lifting. Note that most common wattle are quite short lived due to the energy they put into growing fast and blossoming very quickly. It varies a lot but expect them to live from 7-25 years.

This is what playing with your garden design can look like. Playful shapes, colours and textures that create a space of adventure and discovery. Yet it is all anchored with earthy, natural materials and form.

It is going to be a very special outdoor living space for this family.

If you could have ANYTHING in your garden, what would it be?

I have always dreamed of having a secret walled garden, while my wife has always wanted a little grassy knoll for rolling down, perhaps with a little hidey Hobbit hole tucked in behind for a creature studio.

Here are some of my favourite native plants that keep the bees busy in Mornington Peninsula gardens.

Bees and bee keepers are having a very hard time of it. We might not be feeling it yet but if bees don’t thrive our whole food chain collapses.

Imagine if every household planted just one of these this winter/spring?

If you include Frankston City - controversial I know 😆 but I live in Frankston so I’m biased - that would be around 150,000 new bee loving plants down the entire Peninsula.

🐝 Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), red blooms, hardy shrub or small tree
🐝 Native Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa), white-mauve flowers, blooms almost year-round
🐝 Cut-leaf Daisy (Brachyscome multifida), mauve ground cover, a bee favourite
🐝 Grevillea ‘Moonlight’, cream flowers most of the year, birds love it too
🐝 Red or Pink Flowering Gum (Corymbia ficifolia), red-orange feature tree, summer blooms (pictured but this is a Calypso Queen variety)
🐝 Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa), gold flowers through autumn-winter
🐝 Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca thymifolia), compact shrub, nectar-packed blooms
🐝 Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos), red-yellow tubular flowers, adds height

Are you in?🐝✨

Take a look at what a design can look like on paper versus implemented in a physical space 🙌✨

This construction is still fresh, it was completed in late 2025.

I can’t wait to see what another year of growth can do to fill out this dynamic outdoor space.

The vision for this Mount Martha garden was to create a landscape that felt immersive, relaxed and full of discovery, one that encouraged wandering rather than simply moving from one place to another. Designed to complement the new Hamptons home, the garden replaces traditional lawn with generous, layered planting and a network of meandering paths that connect a series of outdoor destinations.

Natural Australian bluestone crazy paving forms the primary paths and entertaining areas, while bluestone steppers and compacted crushed rock create more informal garden walks. Hidden throughout the landscape are places to pause, including a barrel sauna nestled amongst planting and a curved Wistow stone seat gathered around an outdoor fire pit.

The planting is rich and diverse, combining Australian natives, ornamental grasses, flowering perennials and lush ferns to create a garden that changes with the seasons. Contrasting foliage, bursts of colour and plants that sway in the breeze bring movement and life, creating a garden that feels established, inviting and deeply connected to nature.

Have you got questions about the landscape design process?

Comment below or send me a DM ✌️

Don’t we all?

Creating a lush garden bed in a Mornington Peninsula garden takes a bit of finesse.

Our mediterranean, hot, dry, summer/cold, wet, winter climate means that the plants that thrive locally tend to be more drought tolerant with smaller foliage that is generally lighter in colour. Definitely not what comes to mind when you consider the word ‘lush’.

So the large, dark, glossy leaved shrubs, palms, vines & Alocasia that you see in QLD, NSW & even S.E. Asia will not grow as large or look as healthy down our way. Sorry, we’re just too far from the equator.

Honestly? They might not make it at all depending on your unique property’s microclimate, soil conditions and exposure to wind, sun & rain.

It is possible with dense planting of more mature and established plants to intersperse some of these plants with natives. This can create a micro-climate that helps to retain moisture and warmth, giving some of those humidity & sun-loving plants a chance to thrive.

Taking into account the size, colour, shape and foliage you can create a gorgeous layered effect with our own Mornington Peninsula spin. Think silver foliage and surprising stalky flower heads paired with a palms. Large evergreen tussocks aren’t what you think of when you hear the word ‘lush’ but they can also bring some dynamic movement, shape and fullness to these garden beds.

There is my two cents for the day.

Signing off.

Nick