A garden for all ages to play in
Designed to enhance the Mediterranean style of the home, this eight-year- old Peppermint Grove garden is well used by the family and their two dogs.
After buying the home and completing a two-year renovation, the owners, with the help of Justin Bajada from Origin Landscapes, started overhauling the garden.
One of the owners described the existing garden, which had extensive paving, as a hot box.
The couple decided to replace it with a relaxed, family- friendly space that was cooler and greener with occasional pops of colour.
The considered design included maintenance areas for pool pumps, clothes drying and storage sheds, all out of sight in their own courtyards.
The garden was recently refreshed by horticulturist Darren Seinor, from Garden Solutions, whose team maintains the garden, which was part of the the Presbyterian Ladies’ College garden open day in October.
Enclosed by a high wall, the north-facing front garden had a lap pool which was transformed into a cooling water feature, one of three in this zone. Rectangles of lawn were added to provide a soft play space and walls were strung with wires to act as climbing frame for scented star jasmine.
Hedges, including triple hedges of viburnum, rosemary and Japanese box, add structure and strength to the design and are enhanced by hedges of pleached olive trees which also feature as espalier, potted citrus trees and topiary.
The makeover also added an alfresco area with a barbecue and pizza oven, which opens to the extensive north-facing garden.
“We love this place,” one of the owners said. “We want our house and garden to be enjoyed.
“The garden works well for a family and everyone likes to come here as our style is warm and relaxed. Our friends often come for lunch and tend to stay for dinner...it’s that sort of place.”
Since they enjoy entertaining at home, outdoor dining spaces include a lunch area beneath a pergola festooned with a wisteria, and long-table dinners for bigger groups of guests, are set up on the lawns.
Strings of fairy lights create a magical ambience at night and during the day smaller pots, filled with herbs, and the bright flowers of red geraniums, mandevilla and annuals such as petunias, provide flashes of colour.
There is a lot of continuity in the garden, created by the use of only terracotta or rusted metal pots and design tricks such as wall-mounted mirrors reflect green views.
In the back garden is a thriving vegetable patch contained within five big terracotta pots. These have been installed with metal tripods which make them suitable for climbing edibles like beans and tomatoes as well as herbs and less rampant vegetables.
A pool at the rear of the property has a water wall flanked by planter troughs with box hedging and purple-leaf plum trees. Further greenery is provided by a mature evergreen magnolia
“We love living here as the house and garden suits our lifestyle. The outdoors creates a good play space for our girls and their friends and, of course, is a great area for the dogs,” the owner said.
Origin Landscapes, 0439 095 247, originlandscapes.com.au; Garden Solutions, 0407 998 291, gardensolutionswa.com.au.
