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michaelcookegardendesign

I’ll be pushing and making a lunge to the finish l I’ll be pushing and making a lunge to the finish line to get my garden in order today before it gets its annual mulch next week.
I’m not too proud to admit the inimitable @laura.munt does a far better job of fashioning the old box hedge in the orchard into soft, sculptural shapes, and these gorgeous forms are so and curvaceous I want to run my hands over them!
Blossom time is precious and sometimes brief, and Blossom time is precious and sometimes brief, and with hot days predicted over the week ahead best get out and enjoy them.
#blossom 
#magnoliaathene 
#malusfloribunda 
#prunusglandulosaalboplena
Youth and enthusiasm are a powerful combination. I Youth and enthusiasm are a powerful combination. I was worried when the days began getting warmer quite suddenly and the winter cut backs were incomplete, but after a few days help from @ehllandscaping I’m almost there. Yesterday we worked through the last of the winter garden, today a perch of old recycled sandstone blocks were repurposed to soften the grade on the path to the pond. I enjoyed the banter and observing the team refine and learn new skills and resolve all the questions thrown at them.
Thank you Eden, Josh, JT and Jake for a great job, rest up and have a great weekend. 
#recycled  #spring #australiangarden
It’s early and still dark, ponies have been fed an It’s early and still dark, ponies have been fed and I’m looking at photographs I took yesterday whilst waiting for the sun. My first espresso is long gone and I’m contemplating another. A tall glass of pure white plum blossom sits on the kitchen bench, leftovers from pruning the plum tree yesterday, a reminder that it’s almost spring, and with buds bursting there’s an urgency to finish overdue tasks.  The first sweet pea flowers (Winter Sunshine’ from @veggieandflowergardenseeds ) have opened and they smell amazing, packets of vegetable seeds will soon be in earth enriched with wood ash. 
Time for that second espresso
Last week I was confident and ticking off my winte Last week I was confident and ticking off my winter chores and I woke to the sound of birds singing as they only do in spring and knew I’d need to get my skates on to catch up with bud burst. I smashed most of the grass garden on the entry terrace yesterday, next I’ll finish cutting back perennials on the lower lawn, and then if I get time, the orchard, where the buds on the Santa Rosa plum are growing fatter as I watch. #orlaya #rehmanniachinensis #automower #robotmower #scadoxuspuniceus
It’s become a tradition, our pilgrimage to Mount W It’s become a tradition, our pilgrimage to Mount Wilson @brynmawrestate to prune the hydrangeas and roses (the ones that the wallabies didn’t eat) followed by a truffle lunch harvested the week before from beneath their own holm oaks. This year after we had worked in the mizzling rain, our fingers and toes frozen, Brenda shaved truffles into a delicious risotto. 
Next year we’ll stay overnight so I can cleanse my palate with more than one glass of wine.
It’s mid season but feels like we’re at the cusp w It’s mid season but feels like we’re at the cusp which is gives me shivers as there’s much to do this winter - and it certainly won’t be today. Secateurs, loppers and gloves are packed in the car and soon Cathy and I will be heading up the Blue Mountains to my brother in-law and sister in-law’s beautiful home at Mt Wilson  @brynmawrestate to help Brenda prune the hydrangeas, and I always choose to cut the roses myself, because when roses are pruned correctly they’re a joy to work with. Yesterday at golden hour I photographed Rosa ‘Jean Ducher’ in the secret garden, the last rose to flower here this winter. #rose #wintergarden #australiangarden #sunday
In the south of France a few weeks ago where Picas In the south of France a few weeks ago where Picasso once made ceramics we bought five tiny cups that I carried in my hand luggage, and now back home, from these I take my morning espresso. With jet lag now but a nasty memory after a very busy working week, my head is clear and eyes have returned their focus. The garden calms my mind with its cyclical movement, the waxing and waning of familiar plants and trees I know as old friends soothes me like a balm. 
A quiet recovery day ahead and a site visit up the coast to Taree tomorrow 
#sundaymorning #espresso #espressotime #australiangarden
Our bags are packed and in a few hours we will sta Our bags are packed and in a few hours we will start the long journey home. 
The European summer has been a scorcher. We’ve had extraordinary meals in unforgettable restaurants and enjoyed remarkable wines, but the best memories have been those made with friends.
When we’re in France we make an obligatory stop at When we’re in France we make an obligatory stop at Chateauneuf-du-Pape. We adore the wine and the town’s authenticity - a place where there’s as many tractors and trucks travelling through the streets as tourists. We eat lunch in the middle of the town by the fountain, and have supper on a stone terrace under pine trees in the shadow of the ruined chateau overlooking vines growing all the way to the Rhone. A private wine tasting with Valentin @clossaintjean_cdp was an absolute highlight
The Musee Nationale Picasso at Vallauris isn’t far The Musee Nationale Picasso at Vallauris isn’t far away and we arrived just before the doors closed - literally as there was a power failure and the doors shut instantly. Quite amazing to see the chapelle Picasso painted and its inception, and within a short walk we found the most perfect hand made espresso cups to take home so every time I make a coffee I’ll remember the day. #vallaurisceramics #vallauris #nationalemuseepicasso
A day trip to the hilltop village of St Paul de Ve A day trip to the hilltop village of St Paul de Vence to roam the alleyways. We escaped the throngs of tourists and summer heat and enjoyed an amazing meal before exploring the gallery and gardens  @fondationmaeght This was my second visit and it’s unforgettably beautiful and inspiring. If anyone would like to commission me to design a sculpture garden I’m all ears
Supper in a friend’s inspirational garden in the S Supper in a friend’s inspirational garden in the South of France, began with champagne and canapés beneath an ancient olive tree. 
Merci Sylviane x
I haven’t posted for a while now as we celebrated I haven’t posted for a while now as we celebrated a special birthday with friends in the UK and we’re now back in our home away from home in the South of France in the hilltop village of Mougins which dates back to the 19th century. I take long walks each morning to a park on a hill - not all that far from where Picasso once lived where the most beautiful lotus grow wild in the pond and then I return, take a dip in the swimming pool and lie in the sun and do absolutely nothing. For lunch we eat melon and prosciutto, tomato salad with chèvre and ice cold rose’. I’m losing myself reading for hours, taking afternoon naps, drinking utterly delicious wine and staying up late. I’m feeling the return of my mojo 
#returnofmymojo #mougins #mouginsvieuxvillage
Japanese quince is old fashioned, and has a fragil Japanese quince is old fashioned, and has a fragile beauty. 
Appearing in the depth of winter it flowers on leafless stems, and I grow every cultivar I can find including single and double flowers in clear red, crimson, apple blossom (white transgressing to pink) and white. 
It grows in full sun or part shade to about 2 metres and will spread if unchecked, but is best maintained by cutting any old woody stems to the ground after flowering, which results with lots of fresh upright growth. 
Armfuls of flowering stems can be cut to bring inside, and last for weeks in water. 
Grow some, you’ll love it.
##chaenomeles #winterflowers #wintergarden #australiangarden
Good horticulturists are few and far between, and Good horticulturists are few and far between, and I have a growing pride in the teams of excellent gardeners I associate with. 
Regular followers to my posts know that each winter a handful of landscape companies spend a few days working with me in my own garden where I spend time with secateurs in hand alongside them. Some I have known for years, others are new faces but all have a genuine interest in learning. To begin with most don’t say much but listen, after some time I ask what they would do with each plant, how a combination of plants could be improved, should we reduce the height of a shrub, could it look better if we remove a tree or take off a branch? Rhiann and Matthew from @boxbuildinglandscaping spent two days here this week and first up we spent half an hour up on ladders fine tuning the wisteria. It’s a two way street and I’m happy to learn too and Rhiann showed me a different way to prune hydrangeas, later I was called away and left them to themselves and I’m delighted with what they achieved and it gives me confidence that the gardens we design are in great hands.
Nothing but praise for the @boxbuildinglandscaping Nothing but praise for the @boxbuildinglandscaping team that tamed a formerly wild part of my garden behind the nursery where a huge Wedding Day rambling rose with vicious thorns had taken over and romped through the pecan and crepe myrtle - and the orchard too looks so much better and will only need a few minor tweaks before it’s put to bed for the winter. Watching and working alongside Wade, Rhiann, Matthew, Lachlan,Jacob and Oscar who implement and maintain so many of our designs gives me confidence that those gardens are in excellent hands.
I have much to do, and with a mind that rarely res I have much to do, and with a mind that rarely rests, I’ve rediscovered the calming effect of raking oak leaves into neat mounds - which is lucky, because there’s plenty more where they came from…
#falling leaves #sunday
Every project is unique, each garden owner shares Every project is unique, each garden owner shares a different brief so no two are alike. A few years ago we were asked by an owner architect and his partner to design an easy-care family garden for their contemporary home close to the beach. 
Thanks 📷 #Click 2 Property Photography
Clear and cold, a perfect winter Sunday. It’s such Clear and cold, a perfect winter Sunday. It’s such a satisfying feeling seeing a healthy pile of fresh split firewood knowing it will keep the house cosy this winter, and the smell of woodsmoke when I’m walking through the garden is almost as good as the  warmth.
A home garden should be a sanctuary no matter how A home garden should be a sanctuary no matter how small. A safe, secluded escape where meals can be enjoyed with friends and children can grow. This place is timeless, effortlessly cool - it has it all and it’s only three years old.
Carefully built and maintained by the @boxbuildinglandscaping team it will be aired this Saturday night on @bhgaus where the owner and I talk with @charlie_albone.
Yesterday was perfect weather for mooching about t Yesterday was perfect weather for mooching about the garden. I wandered down paths, over wet grass, under trees and through the paddocks, the trees dripping with raindrops. Lots to do but too wet to do anything besides gathering thoughts.
#aloecoppershowers #casuarinagreenwave #acersengokaku #kniphofiawintercheer #banksiaspinulosa
I visit some gardens just the once and never retur I visit some gardens just the once and never return, hoping that the client is happy with the service we provide - others become wonderful long term relationships with the owners and their garden, builders and tradespeople. We get to know each other over time and the resulting garden’s beauty grows exponentially. The vegetable and picking garden is part of this garden that gives unbounded pleasure. Big thanks to @cornerstonelandscaping for not only building the garden but for their generous guidance and tending it as if it were their own, and to our enthusiastic clients Maureen and Mike.
#gardening #australiangarden #vegetablegarden #flowergarden #lovemyjob
Birds and bees are the Sunday soundtrack, the gard Birds and bees are the Sunday soundtrack, the garden enlivened by falling foliage in swoops of orange and gold.
Half of my working days are in the studio with the Half of my working days are in the studio with the rest in the field. This week I revisited a couple on a small acreage on the coast that chose to work through their garden in a series of ongoing projects, rather than a complete design. What began as a sweeping pencil line on our first meeting became a row of timber stakes hammered into the ground on the next. Mike and Kerrie then collected branches from around the neighbourhood and using posts from an old cattle yard and vineyard wove them into the most beautiful fence which leads the eye to the lower paddock. I love this unique collaboration of ideas. 
Thanks for the excellent biscotti and espresso.
Next the vegetable garden
#australiangarden #recycle #garden #lovemyjob
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michaelcookegardendesign

Australian garden designer and author with a love of design, art, plants, wine and horses. I live north of Sydney with a large garden & home studio.

I’ll be pushing and making a lunge to the finish l I’ll be pushing and making a lunge to the finish line to get my garden in order today before it gets its annual mulch next week.
I’m not too proud to admit the inimitable @laura.munt does a far better job of fashioning the old box hedge in the orchard into soft, sculptural shapes, and these gorgeous forms are so and curvaceous I want to run my hands over them!
Blossom time is precious and sometimes brief, and Blossom time is precious and sometimes brief, and with hot days predicted over the week ahead best get out and enjoy them.
#blossom 
#magnoliaathene 
#malusfloribunda 
#prunusglandulosaalboplena
Youth and enthusiasm are a powerful combination. I Youth and enthusiasm are a powerful combination. I was worried when the days began getting warmer quite suddenly and the winter cut backs were incomplete, but after a few days help from @ehllandscaping I’m almost there. Yesterday we worked through the last of the winter garden, today a perch of old recycled sandstone blocks were repurposed to soften the grade on the path to the pond. I enjoyed the banter and observing the team refine and learn new skills and resolve all the questions thrown at them.
Thank you Eden, Josh, JT and Jake for a great job, rest up and have a great weekend. 
#recycled  #spring #australiangarden
It’s early and still dark, ponies have been fed an It’s early and still dark, ponies have been fed and I’m looking at photographs I took yesterday whilst waiting for the sun. My first espresso is long gone and I’m contemplating another. A tall glass of pure white plum blossom sits on the kitchen bench, leftovers from pruning the plum tree yesterday, a reminder that it’s almost spring, and with buds bursting there’s an urgency to finish overdue tasks.  The first sweet pea flowers (Winter Sunshine’ from @veggieandflowergardenseeds ) have opened and they smell amazing, packets of vegetable seeds will soon be in earth enriched with wood ash. 
Time for that second espresso
Last week I was confident and ticking off my winte Last week I was confident and ticking off my winter chores and I woke to the sound of birds singing as they only do in spring and knew I’d need to get my skates on to catch up with bud burst. I smashed most of the grass garden on the entry terrace yesterday, next I’ll finish cutting back perennials on the lower lawn, and then if I get time, the orchard, where the buds on the Santa Rosa plum are growing fatter as I watch. #orlaya #rehmanniachinensis #automower #robotmower #scadoxuspuniceus
It’s become a tradition, our pilgrimage to Mount W It’s become a tradition, our pilgrimage to Mount Wilson @brynmawrestate to prune the hydrangeas and roses (the ones that the wallabies didn’t eat) followed by a truffle lunch harvested the week before from beneath their own holm oaks. This year after we had worked in the mizzling rain, our fingers and toes frozen, Brenda shaved truffles into a delicious risotto. 
Next year we’ll stay overnight so I can cleanse my palate with more than one glass of wine.
It’s mid season but feels like we’re at the cusp w It’s mid season but feels like we’re at the cusp which is gives me shivers as there’s much to do this winter - and it certainly won’t be today. Secateurs, loppers and gloves are packed in the car and soon Cathy and I will be heading up the Blue Mountains to my brother in-law and sister in-law’s beautiful home at Mt Wilson  @brynmawrestate to help Brenda prune the hydrangeas, and I always choose to cut the roses myself, because when roses are pruned correctly they’re a joy to work with. Yesterday at golden hour I photographed Rosa ‘Jean Ducher’ in the secret garden, the last rose to flower here this winter. #rose #wintergarden #australiangarden #sunday
In the south of France a few weeks ago where Picas In the south of France a few weeks ago where Picasso once made ceramics we bought five tiny cups that I carried in my hand luggage, and now back home, from these I take my morning espresso. With jet lag now but a nasty memory after a very busy working week, my head is clear and eyes have returned their focus. The garden calms my mind with its cyclical movement, the waxing and waning of familiar plants and trees I know as old friends soothes me like a balm. 
A quiet recovery day ahead and a site visit up the coast to Taree tomorrow 
#sundaymorning #espresso #espressotime #australiangarden
Our bags are packed and in a few hours we will sta Our bags are packed and in a few hours we will start the long journey home. 
The European summer has been a scorcher. We’ve had extraordinary meals in unforgettable restaurants and enjoyed remarkable wines, but the best memories have been those made with friends.
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