18/08/2025
The Journey of the Designer’s Own Garden
Part 1: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Recently we moved to a smaller property within the eastern suburbs Melbourne. Wonderfully this is an opportunity to design, build, plant and nurture a new garden.
The garden was designed and landscaped some years ago to enhance the previous owner’s lifestyle. The hard landscaping is generous and connects seamlessly. However, I need space to plant a more diverse number of species. Getting more light into the garden will be critical to the growth of many new plants. Some of the hard landscaping needs repair, due to normal wear and tear and some large tree roots.
Many trees and hedges were planted to cool the house and provide privacy. Hedges and screening trees include Cypress, Pittosporum, Privet – Ligustrum,and Elaeocarpus. The Cypress and Pittosporum provide great privacy and will require regular shaping. The privet is a w**d and was making it difficult to get out of car in a narrow driveway. The Elaeocarpus had been left to grow tall with minimum leaf growth below the top half of the trees.
Other trees include a favourite of mine Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ which complements the brick house, an attractive Australian native Angophora and a Crepe Myrtle surviving in its shadow.
At the rear is an attractive and functional deck for alfresco dining. Beyond this was a small courtyard including light coloured exposed aggregate and seven ornamental pears. There is also a large legacy palm tree which grows within a small, raised garden bed. A small garden on the south side was planted with low maintenance Cordyline Stricta which have vigorous root systems.
Issues include a water tank being installed outside a window which spoils the view along with a broken pump, concrete which has lifted next to a Callery Pear, fence posts which have moved next to the driveway, plus some broken and sunken steppers.
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