I caught myself watching one of those lifestyle outdoor transformation shows last night.  It was a local production, and while admirable for its championing of landscaping for a dry climate, I couldn’t help wishing the team had just taken a step back and looked at how those inventors of the urban condition, the Romans, are still doing their inner city courtyards today.  They might make good television, but slatted timber cabanas and funky retro-floral print wallpaper just aren’t quite the answer our gardens are looking for.