When landscaping your front garden, making a positive first impression is paramount.
The design needs to complement your home’s facade, have kerbside appeal and fit in with the wider streetscape. Unlike a rear garden, the front yard is very much on show, but it’s not just that you need to consider. A front garden with lush plants, arresting design elements and easy access makes it a welcoming sight after a long day at work.
The owners of this property in Diamond Valley, a rural location on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, engaged Matt Harding and the Outdoor Oasis Landscapes’ team to design and build a front garden that would work with the challenging topography of the site, provide ample space for vehicle access, and exude the relaxed country-coastal vibe they craved.
“The brief from the homeowners was to bring a modern coastal feel to their country haven and make better use of the sloping block with tiered gardens and stonework. For softness, they wanted some curves,” explains Matt. “Incorporating two driveways was also a must. This was to accommodate the family’s multiple vehicles, boats and trailers.”
The five curved retaining walls are standout elements of Matt’s design. “These are a feature that instantly catch the eye as you drive towards the property and they are unlike any other retaining walls around,” he says. “Four of the walls are clad with stone while the main wall in the centre is rendered white. This, however, will eventually become a ‘green wall’ when the creeping fig planted along the base snakes its way up and across the surface.”
For height, there is a 3.5m-tall cabbage tree palm. “This is complemented by an amazing dragon tree that stands front and centre,” says Matt. “On the other side of the garden, a frangipani serves as an additional focal point. Lighting to these garden beds ensures these feature plants can be enjoyed at night. ”A range of different species were used around the base of the palm and frangipani with the aim of introducing a cooling palette of blues and greens. These included hardy plants such as Kalanchoe ‘Silver Spoons’, Carissa ‘Desert Star’, Pittosporum ‘Miss Muffet’ and a few well-placed buxus balls.
“Golden Barrel cactus surround the dragon tree in the front garden bed with more cactus, along with a feature agave, planted in pots next to the curved walkway leading to the patio.”
The patio, the perfect spot to enjoy a relaxed morning coffee as the sun rises, was paved in travertine tiles laid in a French pattern to tie in with the tiles and colour scheme used inside the home. Stone laid in crazy-paving style was used for the steppers that lead from the left-hand driveway across the lawn.
In the 2023 Landscape Queensland Construction Excellence Awards, this project was entered into the Residential 2 Category (projects valued between $50,001 and $75,000) and was Highly Commended.
For more information, visit Outdoor Oasis Landscapes
