Life in design: Paul Bangay reflects on 40 year career

“Garden design has both ruled and nurtured my life,” reflects star landscape designer Paul Bangay whose own style has evolved over a four decade-long career.

Paul Bangay: A Life in Garden Design has been published by Thames & Hudson Australia. Picture: Simon Griffiths

Paul Bangay is one of our best-known landscape designers, acclaimed for the timeless elegance and superb proportions of his gardens. Over the course of his 40-year career he has written 11 popular books on garden design, including one on his own celebrated Victorian property, Stonefields.

His latest book, Paul Bangay: A Life in Garden Design (Thames & Hudson, $80, out this week) is a reflection on the aesthetic influences that have shaped him. It’s his most personal book yet, covering his early days growing up on a farm, his friends and mentors, his sources of inspiration and what travel means to him. As with all his books, the superb photography by Simon Griffiths is key.

The chapter on his style evolution over the decades is particularly interesting. “Garden design has both ruled and nurtured my life,” reflects Bangay. “I can see my designs becoming softer, more mellow and more relaxed, the older I get.” He cites climate change as the greatest challenge going forward, acknowledging the need for greater sustainability in garden design; this may be “achieved both by appreciating a wilder and more casual garden look and by careful plant selection”, he writes.

Tall, tough and gorgeous

Tall kangaroo paw varieties offer the best garden performance and impact. Compared to the dwarf types, they’re longer lived, flower more profusely and cope better with humidity.

Landscape Scarlet kangaroo paw.

Landscape Gold kangaroo paw.

The ‘Tall and Tough’ range, bred by Angus Stewart, flower through spring and summer on multiple branched stems.

Landscape Tangerine kangaroo paw.

Regal Velvet kangaroo paw.

Q&A

Are there any tricks to stimulate plants to flower for a prolonged period over spring?

Linda Nathaniel, Sydney

Plants follow their own rules but you can boost things a bit. Grow plants that thrive in your climate, in the right spot, with their ideal soil and care. Use a fertiliser with higher potassium and phosphorus levels to boost blooms. Regular applications of Seasol strengthens plants and can improve flowering. Dead-heading (removing the spent flowers) also encourages more flowers in annuals and perennials.

I took pity on a sad, broken, dried-up peace lily, brought it inside and watered it. I gave it a teaspoon of my collagen powder (I had nothing else) and a bit more a fortnight later. After five weeks it had grown mightily and was full of buds. Was it just the TLC or something in the collagen?

Jenny Woodward, by email

Collagen powder contains proteins, amino acids and peptides, derived from animals. Plants can take up nitrogen from these sources, and some collagen powders contain other nutrients. Your TLC was probably the main influence but the collagen powder might have helped. Overall, though, plant fertiliser is much cheaper and properly balanced for plants.

What creeper would tolerate the heat from Corten steel screens fixed to brick walls?

Dean Ward, Perth

Snake vine (Hibbertia scandens) tolerates harsh, coastal conditions, and has large yellow flowers. Bougainvilleas will do well; look for mid-size varieties. Also possible are star jasmine, orange trumpet vine (Pyrostegia venusta), orchid vine (Bauhinia corymbosa)or coral vine (Kennedia coccinea).

Send your questions to: [e-mail]. The best question for October wins Fiskars’ PowerGear X Large Bypass Lopper, designed for strength and comfort, worth $145. fiskars.com.au. September’s winner is Fred Buttingnol of Adelaide for his question about growing edelweiss.

Fiskars’ PowerGear X Large Bypass Lopper