Environmentality, 18 September 2013, Jodie Jackson, DIY Garden Design

Spring has sprung, the chickens are laying , and with all the rain and sunshine we have had it is a great time to think about our outdoor spaces and how we interact with them.

It was a show packed full of information about how to transform your garden, with Jodie giving us lots of advice on where to start and all the things you may need to think about.

Where do you start when contemplating a revamp of your garden, courtyard or as it is in some cases, flat brown block?

Jodie suggests taking lots of photos of your house and land, from all angles.  Indoor to outdoor, across the street back to the house and visa versa.  Print your photos out and lay them on a large piece of paper, get some pencils and voila, start designing!  It is never as simple as that, I know from experience.  Sometimes it takes years to get your ideas from your mind to paper and then into the reality of turning that first sod of dirt or laying a bit of decking.

It is a good idea to understand how much time you will have to spend in your outdoor space.  Do you have the time to maintain a vegetable garden or mow lawn or do you just want somewhere pleasant to sit and talk with your family.  Do you have pets, what sort of space will they need? Do you have natural pathways to build on.  The wider the path the better is Jodie's motto.

Once you know what you would like, it is a great idea to investigate what plants are indigenous to your area.  Using indigenous plants http://www.apsvic.org.au  means you are already one step ahead as they are suited to your soil type and the native birds will love you too.  Your local nursery is a great place to start talking plants.

Blending your indoor and outdoor space is a good way of creating a seamless open home.  Where you can continue your tiling or decking from inside to outside helps create this and gives a sense of space, especially to smaller areas.

Jodie also reminded us to know where our services are.  You don't want to be hitting the gas mains with your pick or concreting over the top of them.

For more fantastic information from Jodie, listen to the podcast or if you would like to learn more hands on skills, Jodie runs a 6 week productive garden masterclass http://www.everydayinthegarden.com

Music played on the show today

Catcall, Sattelites from The Warmest Place album
Josh Pyke, You Don't Scare Me from the Chimney's Afire album
Josh Pyke, Make Me Happy from the Chimney's Afire album
Laura Imbruglia, Awooh from the What a Treat album
Owl Eyes, Night Swim from the Nightswim album

Listen to the show!

NEXT WEEK on Environmentality, we have Lee Scott talking to us about our native bees and Carolyn Overbeek on the latest Enviromental Champions.