Australian homes during this time were relatively simple, with the M-roof cottage, pyramid roof cottage, and the encircling verandah homes being standard across the state. Suppose your house is raised on stumps, features a larger wrap-around verandah, and has a symmetrical staircase. In that case, there’s a good chance the architecture drew inspiration from the colonial period. The best landscaping choices to make these homes look spectacular are;

• Picket wooden fences match the wood materials of these early homes.
• Hydrangeas in the front garden soften the harsh lines of colonial homes, making them more appealing and approachable.
• These homes had large, grassy areas with very few trees close to the property. Trees were a risk for termites, so it was rare to see any near the home itself. 

During this time, the bungalow homes began popping up all over the state. They’re fretwork gable decorations, and beautiful verandas are still replicated and restored in renovations all over Queensland. This was the period in which the Queen Anne home was introduced to Australia, with bay windows, chimney stacks, and steeply pitched roofs. The homes during this time moved away from using wood materials, and we see more brick used throughout. To capture the essence of federation landscaping, you need;

• Large trees such as palm trees, jacarandas, and Royal Poincianas often surrounded these properties, providing plenty of natural shade.
• English homes inspired the brick and timber materials used to build federation period homes, so liberal use of English-inspired florals, such as azaleas, rhaphiolepis, and plumbago was the norm.
• People built brick fences with wrought-iron features to give the properties an air of prestige. 

The interwar period was the time for Queensland’s highset gable homes with their large porches and bungalow influence. It was also the time for Californian bungalows with corrugated iron roofs and low eaves, and Tudor revival homes with oriel windows and quaintly tiled roofs. Common landscaping feature for these homes are;

• There was often use of shrubbery in the front of the homes and garden beds. The shrubs would sit against the houses, growing tall and sitting just below the windows.
• Backyard fruits such as mangoes, passion fruit, and citrus trees were a popular choice for Queenslanders everywhere.
• There was very minimal fencing with more focus on maintained grass and garden beds during this time. If anything, there was a simple path leading up to the home. 

If you drive through Queensland’s older suburbs in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, you can see many of the post-war austerity homes still standing. These properties were built to last, and if you’re lucky enough to own one, you likely enjoy the simplicity of the architecture. With this homes, landscaping is everything. The house is so simple that a fabulous garden can really take centre stage and steal the show. Standard landscaping features of this era were;

• Clean, colourful flowerbeds looked very vibrant and beautiful against the backdrop of these homes. Popular choices were roses, petunias, and daisies.
• There were often lowset brick fences surrounding the property, the exposed red brick looking beautiful against the colourful flowerbeds.
• Simple stone walkways led up to the property and were lined by the garden beds.