Hi Sheila,

Nice if the church had a bell or at the least some hymns wafting across for Sunday breakfast unless of course you were in church singing!

We don't approach the early stages of design by addressing need. We prefer to know our clients as much as time permits by talking about their life story; childhood, ancestry, passions, sufferings, travel experiences, books they like, art, music, recreational choices. We want to gather a raft of your affections onto which we transpose your needs, what opportunities and constraints the site offers and all the rest of the design stuff you can see on our blogsite if you are interested.

Simplicity may be cheaper, simplicity may achieve a contemporary aesthetic but I'm a big fan of giving our clients complexity. Complexity, if arrived at through the means as described above, will continue to feed you emotionally and intellectually as the years go by. It will cause the garden to unfold in a meaningful way and make room for your own imagination to transport you. Let me ask; music can do this, cinema, literature too but a garden can't?

I challenge you to build on the magnificent heritage established by your own Sir Hans Heysen by taking some risk, putting your own boat on the water, exploring the pleasure of being alive.

Regards

To give accurate, useful landscape advice on Houzz is difficult for a number of reasons. All I'm asking is that you consider your garden as a 'playground' in which your needs can be met through different or unconventional means (as I've described) thereby creating a benefit where there would otherwise be none but servicing your need.

Hi Sheila, what a gorgeous outlook!

i would consider Planting out a low hedge as your boundary the same as the one adjoining the church walls. If your not sure what it is, a local nursery could help with a broken branch, my reason is to try and connect establishment and your homes new landscape, so that it doesn't feel like new and old. I think blending between might be nice.

I would urge you to not keep your boundaries square and obvious, instead, layer in front of this low, dense hedgerow, with perhaps balls of trimmed wistringea, also known as coastral Rosemary, it is soft, greyish green with small little lilac flowers, it's also a native that with tolerate the cool winters and hot summers well. I know it to be a quick grower, and cheap to establish.

clipped into clusters of balls, it becomes sculptural, and I would continue that idea by mass planting around your borders with interesting layers of foliage.

incorporate local stone, which the church is surely built from, in the form of bench seating, random paving, or stone boulders in your beds, ground covers are carefree, interesting and low maintenance, things like euphorbia, with white subtle flowers look like snow on the ground, clumps of lambs ear around pebble pathways are soft, tactile and silver, they blend between the ground cover up to the low lying shrubbery, and the occasional tree.

i would build a post and beam structure out your alfresco with perhaps a Boston ivy planted to cover it, or maybe a wisteria in white, the Boston ivy turns from green to red in autumn and is striking against stone.

reclaimed timbers even railways sleepers might provide the rustic touch the church provides. Being a small area, I think a crushed granite pebbleb could be sufficient in your back area, with gardens not defined with borders, they could cascade over the edges, softening any man made lines, use random stone pavers crazy paving where a harder surface is needed underfoot. It will be low maintenance, and can grow a ground over between them, in time, this will become your greenery to an otherwise almost fully paved entertaining area.

I think the gorgeous gum in your background could provide your colour palette, greys, blues and lilacs, with white as a standout accent in your chosen flowers, if any.

try not to formalise too much, keep things free flowing and create generous beds, so your outdoor area feels a part of the surrounding landscape, and not just put in for barrier. I would use some clever, and cheeky lighting, both in your yard to highlight your topiary balls, your alfresco and that gum tree, so the ghostly trunks are a real showstopper by night, and without fences, spotlight to angle at the adjoining stone church, and highlight it by night to your benefit.

I agree you can tell a story with your landscape, but not everyone wants to delve into a deep and meaningful connect ion with their project, sometimes a story already exists that you just want to sit back and appreciate rather than write a new one.

Be mindful of the church, it's contribution to your landscape and how you can passively connect to it.

i would first get a list together of some plants thT youse locally and are beautiful to you, also look at the churches gardens, and if there's anyway you can link into its architect, or garden in some sort of tribute to it.

good luck, can't wait to see more.

You are so welcome Sheila, I am also an artist, although not as accomplished as you, not making any presumption on your experiences, it seems your site alone has already made the connection to resolve your yearnings to connect with this beautiful structure, and it's symbolic presence will be at the heart of it for you.

I delve into all aspects of design, architectural and interior is my area, but I also love creating things of beauty so landscape and painting is an off side outlet for me.

Rosemary edging and lavender sound very quintessentially English, and will befit the heritage well.

My grandparents lived in a presbytery ground, and I remember walking through settlers graveyards when we visited, I ended up sketching that beautiful church where my parents were married. The old stone chapels scattered across our country are really things of beauty.

your so lucky to have found yours.

i will follow your story and hope to see your final garden when it comes together.

thanks for your kind comments