Thanks so much for our garden Kath,

we love it!

I love this garden too! I love its quirky, modern feel where details are appreciated, the client pushed me to think out of the box more than I normally do. This is a small garden by suburban standards but large by inner city ones. It is shaded by a large Casuarina, Grevillea robusta AND Jacaranda. See image below of the northern sun creeping in.

 

Screening was a big issue in this design and as its a small space it needed to be greened up without encroaching too much on the usable garden area. Basically everything was pulled out except for the large trees.
A new trellis was put in along the northern boundary where the neighbours house makes up the fence. We used large format concrete re-enforcing mesh for this planted out with Kennedia nigricans.

The existing rear colour-bond fence was replaced by recycled corrugated iron built into a timber frame. This has created a fence that is also a feature, where it doesn’t need to be screened and can simply form an interesting back drop to the plants growing in front.

There are 4 x Eucalyptus ‘Blue Veil’ which are going to be espaliered along sections of the fence, this is a weeping grafted Eucalypt which will hang down like a soft curtain. Don’t you think the rusted corrugated iron and the gum leaves were a match made in heaven?

Planted as a low informal hedge are clusters of Gastrolobium ‘Brown Butterfly’, they have green and brown leaves shaped like a pari of wings and flower in a red pea flower, they are also quite striking against the silver backdrop.

A Cycad and Grass Tree are planted under the Jacaranda, they can be easily viewed from inside in the dining room and kitchen and make wonderful feature plants.

Leionema ‘Green Screen’ and Archirhodomyrtus beckleri can be seen above, underplanted with Austromyrtus dulcis, these provide the beginnings of a bush food harvest, that can be built on later down the track.

 

Foliage colour is very important in the selection of plants for this garden, we used plenty of interesting shapes and colours to add interest to the dark and shady corners. Above you can see the Eucalyptus ‘Blue Veil’ with a back drop of Themeda ‘Mingo’. And below the tenacious twining of the Kennedia nigricans as it quickly covers the Trellis.