GARDENS
34 SEPTEMBER 2019 GARDENING AUSTRALIA
N
ine years ago, when Justin and
Reed saw their little cottage in
Katoomba for the first time, they
fell in love with it. Although they
initially missed out on buying the property
in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales,
when it was back on the market a year
later, they left nothing to chance and
snapped it up. It was a slightly worn and
torn 1920s weatherboard cottage, but
“the yard was singing to us like a siren
and calling us from Sydney”, Reed recalls.
Justin and Reed had never designed
a garden before, but both were keen to
embrace the region’s cool climate. At the
time, the garden consisted of little more
than an expanse of lawn and a statuesque
maple tree, which they’ve retained. Eight
years later, it’s otherwise unrecognisable.
The front garden, which Justin says is
typical Blue Mountains, features azaleas,
cherries, maples in red and pink tones, and
four huge pines on the boundary that suck
up all the available water and nutrients.
It’s in the backyard that they’ve concentrated
their efforts on creating a four-seasons
garden, as Justin fondly calls it.levels of interest
The rear garden covers an area of about
350m^2. Seen through the wall-sized
picture window in the lounge room, it’s a
breathtaking view that entices you outside
to explore. When you’re out there among
the 1385 plants that fill this relatively small
space, you begin to realise that about half
are not your average cool-climate species.
Justin says he is the “minutia detail man”
obsessed with tulip species, irises and the
Arisaema genus, to name a few. “Reed,
on the other hand, is tree-obsessed,” he
adds. “He has chosen all of them, planting
them in the ground, in pots... you name it,
he’s put a tree in it! He’s really big on
architectural, structural plants.”The back garden is
divided into two levels.
A retaining wall creates
both height variation and
a secondary path besidethe
garage, which is coveredin
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia). The upper garden is framed
by camellia hedges, and accessed via wide,
gentle steps and a curved pathway from
the lounge room deck. The stairs are
framed on either side by a ginkgo tree
(Ginkgo biloba) and a dramatically pruned
tulip magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana).
When both are in leaf, the back of the
garden remains a mystery and the steps
draw the curious further into the garden.
In winter, when the trunks of the deciduous
ginkgo and magnolia are exposed, they
bring a sculptural element to the space.
Beyond the stairs, the circular lawn
is framed by garden beds containing
euphorbias, marigolds, peonies, Asiatic
lilies, avens (Geum spp.), bleeding heart
(Dicentra spectabilis), Mollis azaleas,
salvias and hellebores. Burgundy foliage
is dotted throughout in the form of smoke
bush (Cotinus spp.), Cercis canadensis
‘Forest Pansy’, maples, heuchera, cardinal
flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and pineapple
lily (Eucomis spp.). Water plants are tucked
behind the maple in half wine barrels.
The succulent groundcovers are a
constant and, after some casualties, the
toughest, frost-surviving species remain.
Used throughout, groundcovers prevent
weeds, leaving Justin and Reed with more
time to tend, prune, feed and water.
In this part of the garden, the textural
delight of the various dwarf conifers,
hostas and Amorphophallus konjac really
comes to the fore. The differentiation
creates interest and surprise, while the
sheer number of species in the garden
is mind-boggling.Reed’s
FIVE FAVOURITES- Bloodroot (Sanguinaria
canadensis ‘Multiplex’) - Intersectional peony ‘Bartzella’
(Paeonia ‘Bartzella’) - Purple lance (Astilbe chinensis)
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
- French lavender
(Lavandula stoechas)