The path to the front door is flanked by Boston ivy (on archway),
gardenias and Miscanthus. OPPOSITE Clockwise from top left
Boston ivy cascades over a wall near the entry. The plantings
honour the architecture in a modern way. The rear lawns are
perfectly manicured by the owner; smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria
‘Grace’), aloes and lomandra soften the new brickwork.
A sculpture by Dion Horstmans is a focal point. Canadian maples
stand sentinel beside the pool. A timber bench seat beside the
front lawn is an inviting place to enjoy the garden.B
en Scott, the designer of this garden in
Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, knows how to
make an entrance. When confronted with an
“awkward” ramp to the underground garage, he
turned what could have been a gaping negative
into an inviting plus. He covered the driveway with a steel
arbour festooned with Boston ivy, cocooning visitors in
greenery and casting dappled light on cobblestones below.
“It could have been a black hole, but this arbour gives it
intention and purpose,” says Ben. “And the lucky owners
get to drive through it every day.” That smart manoeuvre
encapsulates the spirit of the garden itself, where Ben has
turned the ordinary into the spectacular.
When he was hired in 2016, the Victorian red-brick villa
was in the midst of a major renovation, with a contemporary
addition on the back and a basement partially below
ground. The only remnant of the original English-style
garden was a tennis court at the back. The rest was a largelyblank slate, with Ben’s design parameters being the heritage
facade, the driveway, the tennis court and the new extension.
The brief, he says, was to maximise the lawn area as
recreational space for a family, now with three girls, taking
advantage of the generous setback at the front, while
creating another lawn and alfresco sitting area at the back.
The garden also needed to reflect two highly divergent
styles of architecture. Accordingly, Ben’s design features
more formal, structured areas facing the street, while at
the rear, it lets its hair down. The front, taking its cues
from the home’s period facade, is defined by deep beds
layered with perennials and hardscaping in rich bluestone
(“such a traditional heritage material”, says Ben). >