A home designed around maximising garden space | Garden Design and Inspiration | Gardening Australia

Tino visits a home designed to maximise garden space and views. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
These days it’s typical to see small blocks filled with large houses in major cities. However, this property and its owners have taken a stand, by putting the garden first and house second. It starts with the verge, full of native plants and a towering Blue Gum against a timber fence backdrop.

Carmel says, “The big focus was providing habitat for the little native animals and the birds because we’re fast losing it around here as people subdivide and just cover their ground with concrete. So instead of chopping trees down, plant more trees. We love them and the birds do too.”

The concept was to have a garden integrated into the house so you can feel like you’re outside and be able to view greenery from every room. “The ambient light comes in and we just live in this lovely, calm environment.” Four courtyards built into the house floorplan each have a different theme. There are native rainforest plants in the shadiest one, another centres around a beloved cherry tree, and from the bathroom, you can enjoy magnolias, camellias and iris.

The architecturally designed, single-story house is also recessed so it sits lower than the main garden in some places, allowing for more privacy from neighbours and a change in levels to create more interest in the garden. Along with the established trees it has also created a warmer microclimate with less wind.

Carmel lived in the house next door for 40 years and became close with the previous Dutch owners of her now home, who left the place to Carmel’s sons. In the main yard they had planted the Blue Gum and a Linden, as a tribute to their new home of Australia and previous home in the Netherlands. Carmel and Richard’s plant palette is a mix of indigenous plants and exotics which pays homage to these original tree plantings. Tied together with lots of stonework for retaining walls and a dry creek bed, it has a beautiful flow that wraps the house in greenery.

Featured Plants:
FLOWERING CHERRY – Prunus cv.
BLUE GUM – Eucalyptus globulus
LINDEN – Tilia cv.
LEATHERWOOD – Eucryphia lucida
BANKSIA – Banksia cv.
DOGWOOD – Cornus sp.
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