Immaculately maintained gardens complete this charming period home.
Good design is only part of the success equation. Once the plants are installed and the turf laid, the garden must be nurtured if it is to thrive. This property in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell, expertly maintained by Cameron Hainsworth and the ABCAM HORTICULTURE team, is a case in point.
“We were initially approached by the owners of the home while maintaining another beautiful property located in the same street. They had concerns their garden wasn’t performing strongly and weren’t sure why so they wanted us to remedy the situation,” says Cameron.
Thanks to the ABCAM team’s expertise, this is now a flourishing garden that fulfills its original design intent. Large hedges of Ficus hillii ‘Flash’ (a weeping fig) and Magnolia grandiflora ‘Teddy Bear’ afford much needed privacy while the smaller hedges comprised of Rhaphiolepis indica ‘Snow Maiden’ (an Indian hawthorn with white flowers) and Murraya paniculata define each garden zone.
In the narrow spaces where there is no room for large garden beds, Ficus pumila (a climbing fig) is doing a fantastic job of covering what would otherwise be plain fences and brick walls. Then there are the little showstoppers such as clipped Buxus sempervirens (box) and Syzygium sp. (lilly pilly) dotted around the property.
“Our initial challenge was to get the plants to perform as they should,” explains Cameron. “Most of the garden beds were nutrient-deficient so we implemented a fertilisation plan to raise the nutrition levels within the plants and increase the microbial activity in the soil. We then mulched all the garden beds with organic compost to lock-in any moisture and help kick-start the garden’s return to health.”
The team also installed a Techline drip irrigation system with a smart controller that’s hooked up to the local weather station, ensuring it delivers the right amount of water according to the prevailing conditions.
“Working on this garden, especially knowing the condition it was in when we took over compared to where it is today, has been a privilege. It has also shown that you can have the best-designed and -built garden, but if you don’t invest in quality maintenance and expert care to shape the garden as it matures, those drawings on the original landscape plan can be an unrealised dream,” says Cameron.
In 2022, this lush project won the Nic Van Diemen Award in the Victorian Landscape Awards. The judges said: “Though the scale of their entered project was small, the quality of workmanship, Occupational Health and Safety procedures, and attention to detail was exceptional. Cameron’s knowledge of plant health and use of fertilisers and soil additives results in an exceptionally well-maintained garden highlighted by a pruned magnolia hedge and, quite literally, not a blade of grass out of place.”
Photography Patrick Redmond
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