Glen Iris was a two-stage project. I designed the rear garden first and then moved on to design the front. ⁠
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It has a cottagey garden feel to it, with lots of movement in grasses and also seasonality. I challenged the client to adopt a little bit of colour in what would have been a mostly green and white pallete. The result is that she really loves the resulting textures and colours of the plants selected.

Another feature of this design I loved was using large organic-shaped steppers to create the pathways to navigate through the main areas of the garden. ⁠
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I also loved how we decided to work within the existing garden framework and kept all the existing established plants and made it work. My lovely client's got an amazing selection of rhododendrons and camellias that people don't normally plant anymore. ⁠ A shame really as these have a lot to offer!
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We tiled the walls of some of the outdoor structures giving it a nice aesthetic was cost effective. It's a project which is still in progress as there are a few features yet to be installed such as a lightbox feature around the pool and BBQ areas tiled walling. ⁠
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I also got to use a plant associated with my childhood - the zoysia grass and created mounded forms for fun, and the clients LOVED it. ⁠ They wanted heaps more but we didn't have the space!
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The front yard was all about getting a spacious feel to the garden whilst still having grass and garden beds and a space to park all of the family's cars. Some older features of the house were retained, such as reusing the existing red brick edging to edge the driveway. ⁠
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We took great care of the existing liquidambar tree as there is an owl family that roosts in it, so even the lighting was placed so as to not disturb them at night but still lights up the tree really well. ⁠
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The clients LOVE fruit trees, so there are many spread throughout the garden in spots you wouldn't think they'd have one in! A wonderful garden to wander and eat your way through, too!