Home Beautiful
Our Preston garden was recently featured in Home Beautiful magazine
Twists & Turns
A brief forbidding straight lines led to this organic, free flowing garden, offering a restful reprieve from Melbourne’s hustle and bustle. Words by Brittany Smith
This garden looked innocuous when Ed and his family first moved in but it had a surprising secret. Ed, his wife Esther, and their children Felix 12, Bassie, nine and Jasper, six had only been living in the North Melbourne home for a short time when they decided to transform the garden. The grassy lot looked unremarkable with palm trees, red brick paving and a smattering of gravel. But appearances were deceptive as landscape designer Andy Murray and landscape constructor Josh Norman soon found out. ‘The whole back garden had been concreted with grass placed over the top’ recalls Ed. This solved the mystery of why the grass was dying and why water kept pooling under the house. It was clear this bandaid solution needed a deeper fix so the family briefed Andy on and outdoor space complete with a pool, plenty of room for the boys to run around, plus a studio out the back for Ed’s work as a music producer and composer. The final request ‘no straight lines’ adds Ed.
The plant palette
Work began with excavation, which involved removing 32 cubic meters of concrete, then levelling the sloping yard. Andy crafted a palette of herbaceous perennials and native Australian shrubs . This mix ensured no matter the season, the garden was continually evolving ‘Herbaceous perennials are like a tapestry or an impressionist painting’ shares Andy ‘It’s a bit blurry, but you can always see a little detail, it’s loose and structured all at once’
Material world
The existing deck was retained, so the main hard landscaping are the custom pool fence, made of sandblasted steel to create a rusted appearance, and a winding path of ‘Alba’ crazy paving from ‘Better Exteriors’ Plantings elevate the pool fence into and enigmatic feature that blends in with the organic scene. Together with Josh Andy positioned the pool fence in the garden, where evergreen Miscanthus spills out between the vertical fence posts. This means that when viewed from the deck, the pool is evocatively glimpsed, rather than being a standout feature ‘it leaves you wanting more, planing with anticipation in design’ he explains.
In the Zone
The different Zones of this garden tick all the boxes for Ed and Esther. The existing deck houses the outdoor living and dining setting, perfect for entertaining. The pool and grassy areas provide the boys with room to play. And Ed’s studio suits his working from home needs. A herb and vegetable garden complete the connection.
