A Magical Australian Garden With Room to Explore
Step into a landscape architect-designed yard with distinct elements that complement a traditional-meets-modern home
With an ornate Victorian facade and a sleek, modern addition at the rear, this home outside Melbourne, Australia, needed a landscape that could speak to its two distinct architectural styles. Fortunately, landscape architect Ben Scott was more than up to the challenge. He created an enchanting design consisting of rich, layered plantings and thoughtful hardscaping that takes you on a magical tour from one zone to the next. Here, he talks us through how he did it.
Before: There wasn’t much of a design to speak of when Scott and his team started this project. “The garden was extremely neglected. All we had to work with were two beautiful established trees — a liquidambar at the front of the house and an evergreen magnolia at the back,” Scott says.
The liquidambar quickly became the focal point of the design for the front yard, with Scott introducing a rich layering of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses in what is essentially one large garden bed sheltered beneath its broad branches.
“Originally, the client thought to use lawn for the front garden, but I talked them out of it, as I wanted to have it all as a garden bed with a lovely pathway that meandered through it,” Scott says. “The result is a mini botanic garden that works well with the house and the retained tree. It creates a wonderful experience as you walk through it,” he says.
The liquidambar quickly became the focal point of the design for the front yard, with Scott introducing a rich layering of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses in what is essentially one large garden bed sheltered beneath its broad branches.
“Originally, the client thought to use lawn for the front garden, but I talked them out of it, as I wanted to have it all as a garden bed with a lovely pathway that meandered through it,” Scott says. “The result is a mini botanic garden that works well with the house and the retained tree. It creates a wonderful experience as you walk through it,” he says.
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After: The owners’ main objective was to create a landscape that would suit the two very different architectural styles of the home — Victorian at the front and contemporary at the rear.
“They also wanted an herb garden, flowers they could pick for the house, a decent area of lawn at the back and screening for the garage,” Scott says. In addition, their wish list included an alfresco area where they could entertain, and a swing for the liquidambar tree.
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“They also wanted an herb garden, flowers they could pick for the house, a decent area of lawn at the back and screening for the garage,” Scott says. In addition, their wish list included an alfresco area where they could entertain, and a swing for the liquidambar tree.
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The result is a design made up of a series of zones that offer delights at every turn, as seen in this site plan. “The front garden is a wonderful mixed planting palette that works well with the Victorian front and the liquidambar tree,” Scott says. “I created a lovely meandering pathway that takes you through the front garden with steppingstone pavers.”
The side yard herb and vegetable garden has a distinct feel, as does the area surrounding the contemporary portion of the house. “The rear garden is more open, and the alfresco area with the grapevine-covered pergola feels different again,” he says.
Scott took inspiration from the work of landscape architects James van Sweden and Wolfgang Oehme, who were known for designing multilayered and seasonal planting schemes.
The side yard herb and vegetable garden has a distinct feel, as does the area surrounding the contemporary portion of the house. “The rear garden is more open, and the alfresco area with the grapevine-covered pergola feels different again,” he says.
Scott took inspiration from the work of landscape architects James van Sweden and Wolfgang Oehme, who were known for designing multilayered and seasonal planting schemes.
A swing hung from the liquidambar tree is a charming addition to the front yard and is frequently enjoyed by visiting children. “A tree swing is always magical and further embraces connection to the garden,” Scott says.
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Irregularly shaped bluestone pavers lead from the front of the house to the side, where the herb and vegetable garden is located.
Every part of this landscape is used and cherished. “The front garden is a real [puttering] space, and the owners also enjoy the use of the swing there and the armchairs on the veranda, while the rear garden and alfresco area is where they relax and entertain,” Scott says.
“The owners are very keen gardeners, and the way the garden has grown is testament to them,” he says.
A weathered bench seat provides a spot for sitting and taking a breather in the sunshine.
A contemporary entertaining area features a barbecue, an outdoor fireplace and generous seating, making it an idyllic place in which to entertain friends and family.
To provide privacy from a neighboring two-story house, Scott planted noninvasive, clumping bamboo (Bambusa textilis var. gracilis) adjacent to the alfresco area. “It’s a great bamboo variety for Melbourne — fast-growing and ideal for screening where you have a narrow footprint,” he says. Scott used the same bamboo along with Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) to camouflage the front of the rear garage structure.
To provide privacy from a neighboring two-story house, Scott planted noninvasive, clumping bamboo (Bambusa textilis var. gracilis) adjacent to the alfresco area. “It’s a great bamboo variety for Melbourne — fast-growing and ideal for screening where you have a narrow footprint,” he says. Scott used the same bamboo along with Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) to camouflage the front of the rear garage structure.
“I grew an ornamental grapevine over the pergola to provide summer shade to the entertaining space. Being deciduous, it allows the winter light in so the space can be enjoyed in the cooler months,” Scott says.
An L-shaped built-in seating area makes it easy to accommodate extra guests.
An L-shaped built-in seating area makes it easy to accommodate extra guests.
A sweet arrangement of succulents created by the owners sits on the built-in bench.
The outdoor entertaining space is situated directly off the home’s kitchen and living area.
In a marked change to the planting layout at the front of the house, the backyard is simple, clean-lined and open. Scott specified RTF, a brand of tall fescue grass, for the lawn. “It’s a great cool-season grass well-suited to Melbourne’s climate that provides year-round greenery,” he says.
A pleached hill’s fig (Ficius microcarpa var. hillii) hedge is located at the rear of the yard, with a ground cover of Asian jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) beneath it.
A pleached hill’s fig (Ficius microcarpa var. hillii) hedge is located at the rear of the yard, with a ground cover of Asian jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) beneath it.
The hedge is a clever choice for the rear yard, as it conceals the fence without adding bulk to the footprint, while pleaching the plants to expose the lower trunks adds visual depth. (Pleaching is a method of growing trees that involves tying the branches of the trees together and clipping them to form a flat plane above the bare trunk.)
To soften the side boundary of the house, pleached Callery pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) are teamed with Boston ivy and a ground cover of star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides).
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Landscape at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two adult children
Location: Camberwell, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia
Size: Front yard; 2,691 square feet (250 square meters); backyard: 3,821 square feet (335 square meters)
Designer: Landscape architect Ben Scott