When engaged to design this front garden in Thornbury, Melbourne, BWLA were presented with a blank canvas.
Apart from an existing concrete driveway, the design studio had free rein to create a new garden that would soften the property’s built elements.
‘The existing facade of the house has quite a strong presence, so softening it with planting was crucial,’ says BWLA director Bethany Williamson.
Naturally, the planting needed to respond to the site conditions — namely a north-facing aspect — and the lifestyle of the clients.
‘The front garden was not a space that would be used, but rather a space that was seen from the footpath and as you approached the front door,’ explains Bethany. ‘For this reason, we designed it to look the best from the front door, so that the visitor could turn back and have the best view across the planting.’
BWLA specialise in creating plant-focused garden spaces. In this project, they selected a layered palette comprising various heights and textures, as not to overpower the relatively small space.
‘We’ve created a plant palette using a mix of grasses, perennials, ground covers, and shrubs so there is something to look at during each season. Interest can come from the textures of the foliage, flower colours or seed heads, so we try to have a mix of each,’ says Bethany.
‘If you choose plants and trees that will grow too big, it will make a space feel out of scale and uncomfortable, and will require much more maintenance to keep the plant/tree at a particular size, so a good understanding of plants is crucial.’
A mature deep pink crepe myrtle sits at the garden centre, surrounded by a circle of native violet, and interplanted with bulbs that will pop up throughout the year. The curved layers of planting radiate out from the circle of violet, increasing in height towards taller shrubs and grasses around the outside edges.
Plants include dwarf feather grass (Miscanthus), Jerusalem sage (Phlomis), smokebush (Cotinus ‘Grace’), Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), autumn joy stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephium ), ‘Little Jess’ (Dianella), cut leaf daisy (Brachyscome multifida), and ‘big ears’ (Stachys byzantina).
The success of this garden is evident in the love it’s received from not only the clients, but neighbours, and passersby. ‘People often stop and look over the fence to take a better look,’ says Bethany. ‘We aim to bring joy to the lives of our clients by designing a beautiful space for them, but it’s lovely to know we’re also bringing a little joy to people walking by.’
