Gardening expert Jamie Durie has been designing landscapes and water features, both in his home of Australia and overseas, since 1996. He gained legions of fans as the host of Backyard Blitz, a TV show in which he and his team made over the gardens of unsuspecting Australians. Jamie joins Nate to talk about his design influences and work.
Jamie has authored several books on garden design, and says he has another in the works that focuses on Sri Lankan style. He cites Geoffrey Bawa, one of Sri Lanka's most prolific and influential architects, as one of his greatest influences. Noting that his father is Australian and his mother is Sri Lankan, Jamie says he travels often to the island nation to connect with his roots. "In my mind, it was one of the most inspirational places I'd ever been to," he says.
Jamie also owns a landscaping business in Sydney called Patio, which currently has projects in 11 different countries around the world. In Fiji, where plans are underway for the world's first underwater resort, Jamie's company is designing underwater coral gardens that can be viewed from the resort's 60 underwater rooms. "The plans are pretty inspirational," he says.
