When designing a garden on a 1000-square metre block, it’s tempting to allocate large expanses to a lawn. In this garden however, Ben Scott Garden Design has created distinct zones reflective of the accompanying home’s varied architecture.
The inspiration for the entire project began with an existing mature Liquidambar tree. Ben designed the project (literally and metaphorically) around this tree, with the front garden essentially forming one large garden bed beneath its outstretched branches.
Ben says getting plants to grow under this tree, while managing the full sun conditions elsewhere in the garden, was the most challenging part of this project. He explains, ‘Although your palette of plants is restricted, you can get plants to grow under established trees. It just requires strong horticultural knowledge.’
Another inspiration for the garden was the work of landscape architects James Van Sweden and Wolfgang Oehme, who designed similarly layered and seasonal planting schemes. ‘I think the front garden references their ideologies and work, with botanically rich perennials en masse with strong seasonal interest,’ says Ben.
The rear garden is much more pared back, working with the simplicity of the house’s contemporary addition. Attention has been paid to screening plants such as bamboo and Boston ivy, which shroud the built outdoor elements with greenery, and offer privacy. The deciduous mature ornamental grapevine on the rear pergola provides summer shade, while still allowing light through in the winter months.
This garden was completed four years ago, over which time the plants have matured and adjustments have been made. ‘Good garden designers will get 95 per cent of it right, but there is always five per cent that needs updating to suit the specific onsite microclimates and conditions,’ says Ben. This garden will continue to beautifully evolve over the decades, serving generations to come.
The front garden is tailored to the home’s ornate Victorian facade. Photo – Simon Griffiths
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Helleborus orientalis, Ajuga ‘Catlins Giant’, Viburnum opulus ‘Sterile’, Lomandra ‘Tanika’, Verbena bonariensis, Liriope muscari are among plant species in the front garden Photo – Simon Griffiths
More species in the front garden include Hydrangea quercifolia, Euphorbia wulfenii, Miscanthus sinensis, Eupatorium atrorubens, Hydrangea macrophylla, Plectranthus ecklonii, Lilium philippinense, and Arthropodium cirratum. Photo – Simon Griffiths
The front garden essentially forms one large garden bed beneath the outstretched branches of an exisiting Liquidambar tree. Photo – Simon Griffiths
Pyrus chanticleer are used as pleached deciduous hedges along the side boundaries. Photo – Simon Griffiths
The rear garden is much more pared back, working with the simplicity of the house’s contemporary addition. Photo – Simon Griffiths
All the built outdoor elements have also been designed by Ben Scott Garden Design. Photo – Simon Griffiths
This garden was completed four years ago, over which time the plants have matured and adjustments have been made. Photo – Simon Griffiths
The home’s renovation was designed by Ilario G Cortese Architects. Construction by Simon McCurdy Landscapes. Photo – Simon Griffiths
