My portfolio

Many folk are moving from their large houses and gardens into town houses with small courtyards.  Here is an example that I have just finished designing.  The raised garden bed doubles as an extended seat. Low voltage LED lights set into the wall provide ambience to the area with soft lighting.  The previous boring brick walls have been given a lift painted purple and eventually the Camellia sasanqua 'Hiryu' espaliered against the wall will fill out providing colour in the winter.  Other fragrant plants include Osmanthus 'Heaven Sent' and Daphne odora with a Japanese maple providing a corner accent plant.

It is hard to imagine this garden was dominated with a huge Weeping Willow, its roots taking over combined with bamboo forest.  Wow, what a combination!  Once cleared I designed a gazebo bordered by English lavender, Lavendula ‘Hidcote’ and numerous other fragrant plants.  The existing garden had been abandoned and is now a frequently used pleasant entertainment area for family and friends.

The emphasis in today’s increasingly dry world is for drought tolerant plants.  Keep in mind that not all Australian plants are drought tolerant depending on their area of origin.  Many present a magnificent garden display, as bird attractors and for floral arrangements, such as Banksia aemula seen here.  In planting plans I often combine these with drought tolerant plants from other hot, dry regions such as the Mediterranean, for year round colour and interest.

The modern garden is diminishing in size with limited space for traditional fruit trees.  Other fruits such as the evergreen Feijoa sellowiana or Pineapple Guava can be grown.  They clip very well as screen hedges, have delicious fruit eaten fresh or for jam making and are almost completely pest free.  I can recommend numerous other edible fruits plants from one metre high to three metres plus.

This garden site presented a real challenge with an eleven metre fall from the house level to the rear corner.  I am developing this as a bush garden and is the second such garden for these clients.  Dry creek beds will run when it rains into two ponds.  Bush tracks wind their way around the garden that is currently being planted out.  I will revisit this site on the web in twelve months time to view progress.  It is important to have the right landscape contractors to implement such a garden design.