How to create a Balinese garden in your backyard

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Best Bali Garden Ideas.

How to create a Bali garden in your backyard and why I wanted one.

Asian inspired gardens are popular in Western Australia because we are so close to Bali  which has become a favourite holiday destination for ‘sandgropers’, and I for one, wanted to re-capture the memories of my travels in Bali and wake up every day to be reminded of them at home. So I hope you enjoy these bali garden ideas and are inspired to create your own Bali garden design wherever you are.

Whether your looking to create a Balinese feel with [easyazon_link keywords=”Balinese stone Sculptures” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]Bali Sculptures[/easyazon_link] or maybe [easyazon_link keywords=”Wind Chimes” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]Wind Chimes [/easyazon_link], or how about some [easyazon_link keywords=”Exotic Plants” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]Exotic Plants and definitely some  [/easyazon_link] [easyazon_link keywords=”Rattan Furniture” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]Rattan Furniture[/easyazon_link], I hope you’ll get some great ideas from this post.

But our back yard wasn’t very inspiring at first. It was actually a bit bleak for my liking, and I managed to kill that lawn after just one season 🙁 So we made plans, and dug it up, laid a square section of paving, and got creative.

The first thing we did was to buy some inexpensive [easyazon_link keywords=”bamboo fencing” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]bamboo fencing[/easyazon_link]. He himself and I are not natural D.I.Y’ers but we managed to roll it around the colour bond fence without too much swearing.

The next thing we did was buy [easyazon_link keywords=”colourful garden plants” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]colourful plants [/easyazon_link] that reminded us of the vivid colours of Bali. We were already lucky enough to have frangipani trees in the garden by the pool (which I’ve nurtured like babies because I love the scent of their flowers), but we added hibiscus, bright petunias, palms and marigold trees.

I was intent on creating a lush tropical haven that took the focus off having close neighbours, lovely as they are.

I wanted somewhere that we could retreat with a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night, so it was an obvious move to add a [easyazon_link keywords=”Gazebo” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]Gazebo[/easyazon_link]. We bought one from Bunnings for about $299, which blew down in a storm, but which we managed to adapt, utilising the top canopy and the overhead structure on top of gum poles that we cemented into the ground.

There are other aspects of a Balinese garden that can be adapted to a suburban back yard to give it a Balinese feel such as the use of incense. We like to burn sandalwood oil and citronella in [easyazon_link keywords=”incense burners” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]incense burners[/easyazon_link] to remind us of the exotic smells in Bali – where incense is burnt to appease and to honour the Gods.

Figures of [easyazon_link keywords=”Balinese gods” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]Balinese gods[/easyazon_link] or goddesses could be discreetly placed under a large plant or in a corner of the garden, in alcoves or or along walls. Look for different textures – you’ll find statues carved in timber, bronze or stone that you could either use as focal points or as backdrops secretly peeping out from behind palms or flowers to give a feeling of surprise.

We love our bright blue temple flags (above), which in WA you can buy in all  colours of the rainbow to suit your own colour scheme.  How about adding [easyazon_link keywords=”garden umbrellas” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]garden umbrellas[/easyazon_link]and water features? Below are some ideas from Bali but if you look around you can easily discover similar for sale in Perth or a regional town in WA.

Tips to create a Balinese feel inside and outside your own home.

Having a dinner party? Then why not scatter fresh petals and flowers around. [easyazon_link keywords=”Frangipanis” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″] Frangipanis[/easyazon_link]are beautifully fragrant for the dinner table, and rose petals look lovely scattered on the ground. How about an exotic orchid as the table centrepiece?

A glass bowl filled with water and floating flowers also makes a lovely focal point on a side table perhaps?

Bright coloured cushions and [easyazon_link keywords=”bamboo chairs” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]bamboo chairs[/easyazon_link] are also in keeping with the Balinese theme. The cushions (about $45 each) are from The Outdoor Furniture Specialists in Bunbury.

Love cushions? Want to get the same sort of look as above. Here’s a link to an inexpensive [easyazon_link keywords=”flower print cushion” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]flower print cushion[/easyazon_link].

Just the thing for your Balinese garden.

Bali is verdant and green. So consider using palms of all descriptions in your garden. Ferns and cordylines give a feeling of lushness.  If you have space to create more of a rainforest feel, then consider staggering their heights, and also use bamboo as well as cycads and aloes.

We use quite a lot of spot  lighting at night to add ambiance and also to highlight certain areas of our patch. You might want to highlight a statue or a water feature. Inside our house we’ve continued the theme with big, bold paintings in bright colours that we’ve purchased on holiday, relatively inexpensively in Bali. The very very first picture in this post shows part of a large [easyazon_link keywords=”Frangipani painting” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″] Frangipani painting[/easyazon_link] that we purchased for about $60 in Ubud.

If you’ve got an inside entertainment area with a wall close to your Bali garden, you might like to echo the theme with a painting.

Water features for a Balinese Garden

Balinese gardens are tranquil places and [easyazon_link keywords=”water features” locale=”US” tag=”souswawri-20″]water features[/easyazon_link] add to the feeling of peace. If you have space you might add a pond with a waterspout, or incorporate one to flow into a pool. If space is limited then add a rustic water feature and surround is with greenery to make it look as if it’s been there forever.

Read the second part in this series and see how our Bali themed garden is changing here: How to create a Balinese garden without going to Bali

Want to read more about Bali? Here are 29 Awesome things to see and do in Bali.

Disclaimer: I was gifted two cushions by Outdoor Furniture Specialists and there are affiliate links in this post. which means I stand to earn a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase from them. ZigaZag website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for supporting my site and keeping the lights on!

What have I missed? Do you have any more tips for creating a tropical or Balinese garden in your backyard?

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