A simple and effective terrace garden makeover
Before:
After:
This simple but effective garden makeover transformed a neglected front garden into a smart, low-maintenance entrance. The new garden perfectly complements the style and feel of a character-filled terrace house in St Kilda.
Our brief was to replace the mix of overgrown shrubs with a formal garden that would better suit the house. Because the house would soon become a rental, we needed a design that would look great even if neglected.
We retained the olive tree and made it the central feature of the garden by surrounding it with white and grey pebbles. Keeping mature trees helps make new gardens look established from day one. Similarly, the ‘White Ice’ pebbles complement the muted colours of the house’s facade and add a classic touch. We salvaged a Rhaphiolepis (Indian Hawthorn) from the garden, which we placed in a pot beside the front door. Several succulents also found new homes on the house’s roof terrace.
The hedge is Euonymous ‘Tom Thumb’, a fast-growing compact shrub that can be clipped into a formal hedge or simply left to grow into its natural, neat shape. ‘Tom Thumb’ is a great choice for a low-maintenance garden as it is drought-tolerant, will survive in coastal conditions, and maintains its healthy green growth throughout the year.
The end result is a classic, formal but low-maintenance and drought-tolerant garden that complements the classic terrace. The formal structure incorporating open space now makes the garden appear larger. The restrained colour palette of green foliage with white pebbles perfectly complements the muted colours of the houses’ facade.
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