10 Landscape Design Tips for Brisbane Homes That Architects Swear By
The difference between a good garden and a great one rarely comes down to budget. It comes down to design principles — the same ones that Brisbane's leading architects apply every time they approach an outdoor space. After years of working alongside firms like CPAC Constructions, Toscani Builders, and 61 Property Group on projects across Indooroopilly, Toowong, New Farm, and Hendra, we've distilled the approach that consistently produces landscapes that feel considered, cohesive, and enduring.
These are the ten principles we apply to every project at DG Gardens — from intimate courtyard gardens in inner-city Brisbane to expansive acreage estates in the western suburbs.
1. Start With the Architecture, Not the Plants
The single most common mistake we see in Brisbane gardens is treating the landscape as an afterthought — something to be "sorted out" once the build is complete. The result is a garden that sits beside the house rather than extending from it.
Great landscape design begins with a thorough reading of the architecture. What materials are used on the facade? What are the dominant lines — horizontal, vertical, or curved? Where do the indoor spaces look out to? What is the relationship between floor levels and ground plane?
At our Cadiz project in Indooroopilly, the landscape was designed in parallel with the architecture, not after it. The result is a seamless transition from interior to exterior that makes both spaces feel larger and more resolved.
The principle: Before selecting a single plant or material, map the architecture. Let it dictate the language of the landscape.
2. Establish a Clear Hardscape-to-Softscape Ratio
In Brisbane's subtropical climate, the temptation is to fill every available space with lush planting. But the most sophisticated gardens are defined as much by what isn't planted as what is.
A well-considered hardscape — paving, decking, retaining walls, edging — provides the structure that makes planting look intentional rather than incidental. As a general rule, we work to a 60:40 ratio of softscape to hardscape in residential gardens, adjusting based on the site's orientation, the client's lifestyle, and the architectural character of the home.
In contemporary Brisbane homes, where indoor-outdoor flow is paramount, generous hardscape areas allow furniture, fire features, and outdoor kitchens to be integrated without the garden feeling cluttered.
3. Design for Indoor-Outdoor Flow
Brisbane's climate is one of the city's greatest assets — warm winters, long summers, and enough rainfall to support lush planting year-round. The best Brisbane homes capitalise on this by dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior.
Effective indoor-outdoor flow requires alignment between floor levels, door thresholds, and the ground plane of the garden. Where possible, we eliminate level changes at the transition point, using flush thresholds and continuous paving materials that run from inside to outside.
At our Archer Residences project in Toowong, the landscape was designed to be visible from every major living space, with sightlines carefully managed so that each window frames a considered view rather than a random slice of garden.
The principle: Design the garden as a series of rooms that extend the interior, not as a separate entity that begins where the house ends.
4. Layer Your Planting for Year-Round Interest
Brisbane's subtropical climate supports an extraordinary range of plants — but without deliberate layering, even the most generous planting budget can produce a flat, one-dimensional result.
Effective planting design works in three layers:
Canopy Layer
Feature trees that provide shade, scale, and seasonal interest. In Brisbane, this might be a Jacaranda mimosifolia for spring colour, a Ficus hillii for dense screening, or a Brachychiton acerifolius (Illawarra Flame Tree) for dramatic summer flowering.
Mid-Storey Layer
Shrubs and large ornamental grasses that provide structure and privacy screening. Murraya paniculata, Acmena smithii (Lilly Pilly), and Viburnum odoratissimum are workhorses in Brisbane gardens — fast-growing, dense, and tolerant of the subtropical climate.
Ground Layer
Low-growing plants, groundcovers, and ornamental grasses that tie the composition together. Lomandra longifolia, Liriope muscari, and Pennisetum setaceum provide texture and movement at ground level without requiring intensive maintenance.
The goal is a planting composition that has something of interest in every season — whether that's spring blossom, summer foliage, autumn colour, or winter structure.
5. Use Materials That Age Gracefully
Brisbane's climate is hard on materials. High UV, humidity, heavy summer rainfall, and the occasional subtropical storm mean that material selection is not just an aesthetic decision — it's a long-term investment.
The materials we return to again and again at DG Gardens are those that improve with age rather than deteriorating. Corten steel develops a rich, warm patina over time. Natural stone — granite, sandstone, bluestone — weathers beautifully and never looks dated. Hardwood timber, properly treated and maintained, develops a silver-grey patina that becomes more characterful with each passing year.
Avoid materials that look good in the showroom but age poorly in the Queensland climate: cheap composite decking that fades and warps, soft sandstone that spalls in heavy rain, or powder-coated aluminium that chips and corrodes in coastal conditions.
The principle: Choose materials for how they'll look in ten years, not how they look on the day of installation.
6. Treat Lighting as a Design Element, Not an Afterthought
A garden that disappears at sunset is a garden that's only working half the time. Professional lighting design extends your outdoor space into the evening and transforms its entire character — the same garden that reads as lush and green in daylight becomes dramatic and architectural at night.
The most effective landscape lighting works with the architecture and planting rather than simply illuminating them. Uplighting feature trees creates drama and scale. Path lighting guides movement through the garden without creating harsh pools of light. Architectural wall washing reveals texture and depth in stone and concrete surfaces.
We design lighting into every project from the concept stage — not as a line item to be value-engineered out at the end, but as an integral part of the landscape experience. Explore our approach to landscape lighting design.
7. Plan for Privacy Without Sacrificing Light
Privacy is one of the most common briefs we receive from Brisbane homeowners — particularly in the inner suburbs where properties sit close together and overlooking is a constant concern. But the instinctive response (plant a dense hedge along every boundary) often creates more problems than it solves, blocking light, creating maintenance burdens, and making the garden feel enclosed rather than private.
The most effective privacy solutions are layered and strategic. A combination of vertical screening (timber battens, corten steel panels, or dense hedging) at key sightlines, combined with canopy planting that screens upper-level overlooking, can create genuine privacy without making the garden feel like a box.
In Brisbane's inner suburbs — New Farm, Paddington, Ascot, Hamilton — we regularly work with narrow lots where privacy and light are in direct tension. The solution is almost always found in careful sightline analysis rather than blanket screening.
8. Integrate Water Thoughtfully
Water features are one of the most powerful elements in landscape design — they add sound, movement, and a sense of calm that no other element can replicate. But poorly designed water features are also one of the most common sources of disappointment in residential gardens.
The key is integration. A water feature that feels like it was added to the garden after the fact — a standalone bowl fountain, a prefabricated waterfall — will always look exactly that way. The most successful water features are those that are designed as part of the landscape from the beginning, using the same materials and language as the rest of the garden.
At DG Gardens, we design water features in corten steel, natural stone, and off-form concrete that feel like they grew out of the landscape rather than being placed in it.
9. Design for Your Lifestyle, Not a Magazine
The most beautiful garden in the world is a failure if it doesn't suit the way you live. Before we begin any design at DG Gardens, we spend time understanding how our clients actually use their outdoor space — not how they imagine they might use it, but how they genuinely do.
Do you entertain large groups or prefer intimate gatherings? Do you have children who need space to play? Do you want a garden that requires regular maintenance, or one that largely looks after itself? Do you cook outdoors? Do you want to grow vegetables or herbs?
The answers to these questions should drive every design decision — from the size and position of the entertaining area to the selection of planting and the placement of lighting.
The principle: A great garden is one you live in, not one you look at.
10. Work With a Designer Who Understands Construction
Landscape design and landscape construction are different disciplines — but the best outcomes come when they're treated as one. A design that can't be built to budget, or that doesn't account for the realities of site conditions, drainage, and structural requirements, is not a complete design.
At DG Gardens, our design and construction teams work together from the beginning of every project. This means that the design is always buildable, the budget is always realistic, and the finished result always matches the vision. Learn more about our integrated design and construction process.
Key Takeaways
- Start with the architecture — let the house dictate the language of the landscape
- Establish a clear hardscape-to-softscape ratio before selecting plants or materials
- Design for indoor-outdoor flow by aligning floor levels and using continuous materials
- Layer planting in three tiers: canopy, mid-storey, and ground layer
- Choose materials that age gracefully in Brisbane's subtropical climate
- Integrate lighting from the concept stage, not as an afterthought
- Plan privacy strategically using sightline analysis, not blanket screening
- Design water features as integral elements, not additions
- Design for how you actually live, not how you imagine you might
- Work with a team that integrates design and construction from the start
Ready to Transform Your Outdoor Space?
If you're planning a landscape project in Brisbane — whether it's a new build, a renovation, or a complete transformation — we'd love to talk. Our team at DG Gardens brings together design thinking and construction expertise to create landscapes that are as beautiful as they are liveable.
Book a design consultation to discuss your project. We work across Brisbane and South East Queensland, and we'd be delighted to show you what's possible.
