The Gardener’s Log
I’ve always believed that gardens are stories first — written slowly, shaped by hand, and revealed over time.
I began my writing career with Home Beautiful Australia, where I wrote a monthly gardening column for more than two years. That experience taught me how to observe closely and write honestly — to capture not just what a garden looks like, but how it feels to move through it, live with it, and return to it season after season.
Since then, writing has become an extension of my design practice. It allows me to explore the quieter layers of gardens — memory, emotion, ritual, and the subtle beauty that emerges when a space is given time to settle.
Published work
My writing has been featured in respected Australian garden and lifestyle publications, where I contribute thoughtful editorial that sits somewhere between design, storytelling, and lived experience.
Whether writing about a private garden, a broader design philosophy, or the act of making itself, my focus remains the same: to tell stories that feel grounded, human, and quietly considered.
A work in progress
I am currently writing my first book, which brings together my experience as a garden designer and maker with my love of words.
It explores how gardens are created, how they evolve, and how they become part of daily life — not as finished objects, but as living, changing companions.
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The Gardener's Log
NOVEMBER
This month, we meet our new columnist who talks us through what’s on the to-do list in the backyard.
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The Gardener's Log
DECEMBER
Find out what to sow and what will grow in the garden this month with Ashley James expert’s easy guide.
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The Gardener's Log
JANUARY
January delivers an abundance of blooms, but there’s still plenty on our expert’s summer to-do list.
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The Gardener's Log
FEBRUARY
This month, the team at Home Beautiful and I are celebrating all things Australian. What better way to do that than being in the garden.
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The Gardener's Log
MARCH
March marks the beginning of autumn, but while your summer garden fades, your winter plot is just getting started.
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The Gardener's Log
APRIL
With the warmth of summer waning, April ushers a well-deserved rest into pockets of your garden, but there’s still plenty to plan now.
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The Gardener's Log
MAY
Each year, Ashley leaves his home garden to visit show gardens at Australia’s most beloved horticultural festival – here.
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The Gardener's Log
JULY
It may be tempting to wrap yourself in winter woollies and stay warm indoors, though July is prime time for pruning.
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The Gardener's Log
AUGUST
With only one month until spring is officially here, August is the last chance to give your plants a winter prune and shape your garden for summer
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The Gardener's Log
SEPTEMBER
As we bid farewell to winter, the garden stirs with life, beckoning us to welcome the embrace of spring’s warmth. Here’s how to prepare.
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The Gardener's Log
NOVEMBER
Being a gardener in the springtime is an enchanting experience. The cold of winter has faded away and the garden is awakening.
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The Gardener's Log
DECEMBER
As the sun climbs higher in the sky and the warm days stretch into balmy evenings, summer calls us to savour its embrace.
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The Gardener's Log
JANUARY
The New Year offers an excellent opportunity to evaluate any alfresco areas you may want to transform or update.