FORMAL

Tempe

This garden was a blank canvas after extensive renovations to the house, the outdoor cabana and the studio. The clients had some specific ideas of what they wanted in their garden, which has made the outcome all the more successful.

The brief included a green garden with some formality, plant interest and a softness to the overall result ; a lawn area for family play and space for a large cubby house and slide for the children.

The design was centred by a beautiful white flowering Magnolia tree (Magnolia denudata), as the main focal point, under-planted with white annuals. Automated irrigation to all of the garden, including ​pots, has ensured the success of this lush, low maintenance garden for the family to enjoy.  

Plants included Maples (Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku') for canopy and hedges of Orange Jessamine (Murraya paniculata), Gardenia (Gardenia florida 'Augusta'), and evergreen Hydrangea (Dichroa febrifuga) to soften the boundaries.  The white Magnolia tree is stunning in flower on bare branches in winter and early spring, with a bright green leaf through spring, summer and autumn.  This tree and the Maples give a sense of seasons in an otherwise tidy and leafy green garden.