Modern front and rear gardens exceed expectations.
The modern family wants it all and why not? They want a space to entertain in, a pool so they can cool down in summer, and somewhere the kids can play. Thanks to Grant Tattersall, director of Grant’s Landscapes, the owners of this property in Sydney’s outer-western suburbs have all of this — and a great deal more.
The homeowners’ brief was for a modern, low-maintenance rear garden that would be a “showpiece”. Grant came up with a space-maximising, contemporary design with a relaxed resort-style vibe that makes every day feel like a holiday.
In the front garden, the key objective was to ensure the design complemented the architecture of the home and provided the property with maximum street appeal. In the backyard, nestled beneath the raked roof of a pergola, is an above-ground spa. Stone veneer-clad walls add visual warmth to the space, making it cosy and inviting year-round. From the comfort of the spa, you can look across to the generous adjacent pool or back to the covered outdoor entertaining spaces at the rear of the home.
The paving is bluestone, its natural tones complemented by the trio of richly coloured merbau hardwood screens in the pool area, as well as the poolside timber deck. This is contrasted by
the vivid green of the no-mainenance artificial lawn and the crisp white of the raised rendered masonry planters.
Some of the same materials were used in the front garden, ensuring a sense of cohesion. Here you will also find white built-in planters, timber deck-style platforms that lead to the front door and a bright green lawn, but this time of Matilda buffalo grass.
Grant carefully considered the planting palette for both rear and front gardens. The feature plant in the rear garden is a striking dragon tree. This claims centre stage and is underplanted with Little Ruby Alternanthera, a groundcover with deep-burgundy foliage. Little Ruby can also be found in a bed running along the side of the deck in the front garden.
Flanking the spa there is a raised planter overflowing with nandina, a plant that is awash with new red foliage each spring. Continuing the theme of bold colour there are six red-flowering crepe myrtles in the front garden with a groundcover of white-blooming jasmine as a counterpoint.
It was essential that the gardens presented a pleasing outlook from the home at night and had the right mix of task and mood lighting to make them safe and welcoming spaces to use during the evening hours. After dark, feature lighting in the garden beds and LEDs in the timber decking in the front garden combine to create an appealing nightscape.
Now, the young family who call this property home enjoy a series of seamlessly connected, beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces — and they couldn’t be happier.
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