Brendan Moar
Sun Herald
Sunday April 13, 2008
Big, brave thinking is needed for gardens, KRISTIE LAU finds.
Brendan Moar doesn't believe in low-maintenance gardens. And don't get him started on limiting the outdoors to just plants and flowers.To this innovative landscape architect, the backyard is worthy of so much more than that. "It's almost like having kids or even a dog - if you don't have the time or energy to give them love, you're not going to get anything back," he says."People are often making very small strokes in the garden, just adding a little bit here and there. They're just not thinking big enough or brave enough."Moar presents the Lifestyle Channel's new horticulture show Dry Spell Gardening, a six-part series in which he and his team uproot and revamp seven family gardens across Sydney. Moar, who has worked as a television presenter since 1999 and trained as a landscape architect, lives in Sydney's inner-west suburb of Newtown and shares his four-bedroom, late-1800s terrace house with three male flatmates. While the home is swarming with typical boys' toys (cartoon figurines, poker trophies, old rescued street signs, etc), it also has a whole bunch of fabulous retro collectors' items. Wooden cabinets come complete with multicolour drawer-knobs, contemporary plastic homewares rest among rich timbers, and a collection of furniture circa1960-1970 sits alongside contemporary seating and abstract artwork.Moar says he adores the diverse fusion of styles. "Shapes and forms in furniture are really important to me; more so than pieces from particular eras. I like smooth, clean shapes so I can offset them with organic, earthy bits," he says. "I like creating a contrast between really beautiful forms and my design style in the garden is exactly the same."Dry Spell Gardening follows Moar's work in the suburbs of Marrickville, Rozelle, Lilyfield, Bondi, Epping, Paddington and Erskineville. He says the team managed to transform every garden into a unique work of art by the end of their two-week renovation. "I like to pull back a bit from the plants themselves and let other structures shape the garden. Then I bring plants in to accentuate the space," he says. "The whole garden really becomes a sculpture."Moar's own garden is an intentional continuation of the home's interior. Attractive aluminium art and simple outdoor seating help to create a usable exterior and it is impossible to get a thorough feel of Moar's home without trailing through the outdoor spaces. A living area towards the rear of the home flows onto a side yard with a large outdoor futon and a brightly tiled fishpond. Large concertina windows allow a spectacular rush of sunlight into the space. Moar says that if home owners can't see their garden from the inside, they will simply never go outside. "You need to make a conscious effort to be drawn out into the garden, and the barrier between inside and out has to be sorted before you start doing exciting things outside," he says.Moar says using easy-maintenance plants will give gardeners more time to stretch their imaginations and ponder further outdoor possibilities. Dry Spell Gardening screens on Thursdays at 7.30pm, and Sundays at 1.30pm, on Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel.
© 2008 Sun Herald
