Overflowing garden beds and layered planting engender a tranquil aura.
Awash with pretty pastel blooms and enticing curvilinear shapes, the gardens that embrace this home in Melbourne’s inner suburbs offer a sense of serenity. The layered planting wraps the outdoor spaces in its lush, leafy embrace while the sinuous outlines of the overflowing garden beds work with the earthy tones and textures of the feature rocks and natural stone paving to create a look that is warm and welcoming.
Working to a design from Horti Couture Landscape Architecture, Gary Wright and the Envisage Landscapes team were able to bring the homeowners’ vision to life.
“What they envisaged for both their front and rear gardens were spaces that would be inviting and peaceful. They needed to be visually interesting and lushly planted but not high maintenance,” recalls Gary.
For the owners, the rear garden didn’t need to be a place for entertaining. Rather, they sought a quiet spot where they could simply sit back, relax and enjoy the abundant planting. “They wanted a private space in the city and the best possible use made of what was a reasonably small area,” says Gary.
“The rear garden can be viewed from the covered patio or the circular paved area tucked into a back corner of the yard. The Eco Outdoor Endicott natural split stone crazy paving gives this corner a relaxed look that works beautifully with the flowing outlines of the garden beds and the organic form of the adjacent feature rocks.”
A comfy chair to relax in, an ottoman for weary feet and a side table to rest a cool drink upon — all nestled beneath the protective canopy of a market umbrella — complete this wonderfully peaceful space.
The carefully curated planting palette is the star of the show and many of the same plants appear in both front and back gardens, creating a sense of cohesion.
A gentle stroll reveals the considered mix of plants, including Acanthus mollis (which, in summer, produces lovely white/mauve flower spikes) and Arthropodium (noted for its billowy white flower stems that emerge spring to summer). Also, feature plantings of Japanese maple and creeping fig, used to clothe the perimeter walls in green.
Envisage planted Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’, a straight and narrow ornamental pear that’s ideal for restricted spaces, along the driveway. The dark-green foliage turns reddish-purple in summer and white flowers appear in spring, adding seasonal interest. The ornamental pears were underplanted with purple-flowering Liriope muscari.
To create a lovely outlook and enable the owners to enjoy their reimagined outdoor spaces as day eases into night, the Envisage Landscapes team installed lighting to the main focal points.
The result is a pair of complementary gardens that engender a tranquil aura.
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