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Garden design is the planting half of an outdoor project: the beds, the screening, the shade, the understorey, the things that change with the seasons. It overlaps with landscape design and is often bought from the same person, but the decisions are different. Where a landscape plan resolves levels and surfaces, a garden plan resolves what grows, how big it gets, how much water it needs and what it will do to the property in fifteen years.

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In Australia a plant list is closer to a legal document than gardeners tend to realise. Under the New South Wales Biosecurity Act 2015, any person who deals with plants and knows of a biosecurity risk has a duty to ensure that risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised. State priority weeds and prohibited matter must be reported, and regional priority weeds should be targeted and not sold or moved in certain parts of the state. Local control authorities, generally councils, enforce that duty and inspect both public and private land.

The second Australian constraint is fire. The CFA's landscaping guidance puts it in one sentence that should shape every garden plan on bushfire prone land: garden design and layout is more important than the type of plants you choose. Breaking vegetation into separated beds slows fire spread, shrubs planted under trees act as a ladder that carries fire into the canopy, and organic mulch can create a continuous path of fuel leading flames to the house.

Plants you should not put in an Australian garden

Weed law in Australia works through duties and priority lists rather than a single national banned-plants register, and the lists are regional because a plant that is harmless in one catchment escapes in the next. In New South Wales the framework is the general biosecurity duty, with state priority weeds and prohibited matter that must be reported and regional priority weeds that should not be sold or moved in the regions concerned.

For a homeowner the practical steps are short. Ask your designer to check the species list against your region's priority weed list before it is finalised, be wary of any plant offered as fast-growing and hardy for screening, and treat a gift plant or a cutting from a friend's garden with the same care as a nursery purchase. Councils, as local control authorities, will tell you what matters in your area, and a plant removed at design stage costs nothing.

Designing a garden on bushfire prone land

  • Layout first: the CFA's position is that garden design and layout matters more than which species you choose.
  • Break planting into separated beds and groups rather than a continuous mass, so there is no unbroken run of fuel.
  • Keep shrubs out from under tree canopies, because they act as a ladder carrying fire from the ground into the crown.
  • Avoid organic mulch close to the house, which the CFA warns can lead flames directly to the building; river pebbles or crushed rock are the suggested alternatives there.
  • Plan the garden around maintenance access, because regular removal of accumulated plant matter is part of the design working.
  • Check what your fire authority requires around the building before the beds are set out, not after they are planted.

Garden styles that actually suit Australian conditions

  • Native and indigenous planting, chosen from species local to your area rather than from the national palette.
  • Mediterranean and dry-climate gardens, which suit long dry summers and free-draining soils.
  • Subtropical planting, which works through the humid coastal north and looks tired anywhere with a genuine cold snap.
  • Coastal gardens, where salt-laden wind narrows the species list more than the soil does.
  • Productive gardens, which need the sunniest position, the best soil and the most reliable water in the yard.
  • Courtyard and shade gardens, where low light, root competition and reflected heat are the governing constraints.

From brief to planting plan

  • A site visit in which aspect, wind, shade, existing trees and drainage are recorded, not guessed.
  • A soil assessment: texture, depth, drainage and whether it is builder's fill rather than soil.
  • A brief that records how the garden will be used and, honestly, how much time it will get.
  • A concept showing masses, screening, sight lines and circulation before any species are named.
  • A planting plan with species, quantities, pot sizes and spacings that reflect mature size, not nursery size.
  • A soil preparation and mulching specification, which is where much of the planting budget should go.
  • An establishment watering plan for the first summer, which is when new plantings are actually lost.

The mistakes that show up two summers later

  • Planting at nursery spacing, so a bed that looked full on day one is a thicket by its third year.
  • Ignoring mature height, and screening a fence with something that will eventually shade the whole yard.
  • Species chosen from an interstate or overseas photograph for a climate that will not carry them.
  • Planting into unimproved builder's fill and expecting mulch to compensate.
  • No watering plan through the first establishment summer, which kills more new gardens than anything else.
  • Thirsty planting in a region with permanent water rules, which condemns the garden to permanent underwatering.

What the garden will ask of you once it is in

Every garden plan carries an implied labour budget, and the most common failure is that it goes unstated. Clipped hedging, seasonal colour, productive beds and anything trained or espaliered are high-attention elements. Mass-planted groundcovers, established natives and well-mulched beds are low-attention once they close over.

Ask the designer to mark the plan with those categories and to describe what the first three years look like: what needs watering and for how long, what gets cut back and when, which plants are expected to fill gaps and which are short-lived and will be replaced. On bushfire prone land, add the maintenance the CFA guidance implies, because a fire-aware layout only works if plant matter is not allowed to build up.

Garden Design: frequently asked questions

Can I be penalised for a weed growing in my garden?

In New South Wales the obligation is the general biosecurity duty under the Biosecurity Act 2015: any person who deals with plants and knows of a biosecurity risk has a duty to ensure it is prevented, eliminated or minimised. State priority weeds and prohibited matter must be reported, and local control authorities such as councils enforce the Act as it relates to weeds and conduct weed inspections on public and private land. Other states run their own declared pest frameworks, so check the list for your own jurisdiction.

What is the most important decision in a bushfire garden?

The layout. The CFA states that garden design and layout is more important than the type of plants you choose, and its specific advice is to break vegetation into separated garden beds or planting groups to slow fire spread, keep shrubs from growing under trees where they act as a ladder into the canopy, and avoid organic mulch near the house because it can create a path of fuel leading flames to the building.

Should I plant only natives?

Not necessarily, and native is not the same as local. A plant native to Australia can still be poorly suited to your rainfall, soil and humidity, and a few Australian species are serious weeds outside their home range. What tends to work is choosing species that suit the actual conditions of your block, favouring things that occur locally, and checking anything unfamiliar against your region's priority weed list before it goes in.

How much should I spend on soil preparation?

More than feels reasonable, particularly on a newer estate where the topsoil was stripped and the garden beds are building fill. Plants in prepared, drained, properly mulched soil establish faster, need less water through their first summer and survive the losses that otherwise force replanting. Money moved from larger pot sizes into soil preparation almost always produces a better garden two years on.

When is the best time to plant a new garden in Australia?

Generally in the cooler part of the year in your region, so roots have time to establish before the first hot, dry stretch. Planting into the front of summer means the garden spends its most vulnerable months under the most stress, and the watering required to carry it through may not even be permitted where permanent water rules apply. Where the climate is monsoonal the timing follows the wet season instead, so ask a local designer rather than applying a national rule.

Sources

  1. NSW Government: Control invasive weeds and the general biosecurity duty
  2. CFA: Landscaping for bushfire
  3. AILA: Registered Landscape Architect pathways

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the cost of garden design

Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:

  • Size of the yard and the scope of the design
  • Grading, excavation and drainage work
  • Hardscape materials, such as stone, pavers or wood
  • Plants, sod and soil
  • Access for machinery
  • Removal of old materials, trees or stumps
  • How often visits are scheduled for ongoing services

How to compare garden designers before you hire

  • Choose a company that does the kind of work you need, since design, lawn care, tree work and hardscaping are different specialties.
  • For big projects, ask for a site plan or drawing before work starts.
  • Ask how they'll handle grading and drainage so water moves away from the house.
  • For tree removal or large pruning, look for a qualified arborist with liability insurance.
  • For ongoing services like lawn care or snow removal, get the visit schedule and what's included in writing.

Questions to ask garden designers before you hire

  • Can I see a plan or drawing before you start?
  • How will you handle drainage and grading?
  • Will you have underground utilities located before you dig?
  • Does any of this work need a permit, such as for a retaining wall, fence or tree removal?
  • What plants or materials do you recommend for our climate and my yard's sun and shade?
  • Do you guarantee plants or sod, and for what conditions?
  • Can you show me proof of liability insurance?

When to call a pro for garden design

  • Water that pools near the house or in the yard after rain
  • A tree that is leaning, cracked or has large dead branches over the house or a driveway
  • A retaining wall that is bulging, leaning or cracking

Garden design permits and local rules

Some garden design work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.

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