Faced with nothing but lawn, owners Victoria and Col wanted a useable back yard - a place to entertain and enjoy. Access to the workshop at the bottom of the garden was also important as well as an updated front entrance garden. The planting was to be easy to care for and include some of the owners traditional garden favourites.
Large honed concrete pavers (formed in situ) create a generous path to the workshop, the honed concrete also creates a junction between the garden and the new gravel courtyard. Tristaniopsis ‘Luscious’ (Kanooka Gums) are strategically planted to provide Summer shade and cool the entertainment space. During the cooler months, the low Winter sun floods the garden with natural light. The underplanting is simple but effective at creating a relaxing garden setting, with Lomandra ‘Tanika’ used to unify the space and compliment the group plantings of Daphne, Gardenia as well as a heritage rose.
The front required less hard landscaping to create a welcoming entrance. We kept the front path and reduced the size of the lawn to a small circular space. A copse of fastigiate (narrow) Pin Oaks are used to shade the garden from the hot afternoon sun whilst providing plenty of light during the day to grow an underplanting of David Austin Roses, Gardenia and Sanquisorba. A new timber batten fence creates a more welcoming entrance whilst still screening the busy road.