THEBRIEF
XWDstartedconceptualisingthegarden’s
designearlyintheproject,beforeconstruction
startedonthehouse.Mariannesaysthebriefto
thelandscapedesignerswas“fairlybroad”.
“Wewanteda natural,casual-looking
garden,withnativesandsomebird-attracting
plants.Therewasa largeexistinggumtree,a
largeavocadoonthenorthwesternboundary
andalsosometaro,whichwewantedtoretain
astheplantsprovidedsomeexisting sculptural
formonthenorthernside.
“Wealsowantedsomeflowering,pickable
plantvarieties,perhapsoneortwofruittrees
[aplumwasplanted].Wewerekeentomake
a featureofsomeofthelargebasaltrocksthat
wereexcavatedfromthesite.Wealsotalked
aboutfindingsomewherefora vegegarden.
It wasXWD’sideatoconstructa raisedbedout
ofsite-excavatedbasaltrock.They’veplanned
it sothereis alwayssomething in flower.”
THEDESIGN
Aswellasthoseborrowedviews,animportant
partofthedesignrationalewas“tocreatea
gardenfora gardener,”saysXanthe.“Itwas
about creating complexity and layering for
Marianne,wholikesplantsandhadcometo
thisgardenfroma muchlargersite.Shedidn’t
wanttowait 20 years to have an established
gardenagain.
“Mariannewantedcolour,nativesanda
productivegarden.Likemostgardeners,she
wantedeverything!Weusedcolourtohelp
unifythosedifferentaspects.Wealsoused
curvedshapestomakethegardendriftout
intothetrees.Thespacesflowintoeachother,
enhancingtheperspectiveratherthanbreaking
it upintodifferent,clearlydefinedspaces.The
massivelavaflowsfixedusatvariouspoints.
Weworkedwiththenaturallevelsbutalso
manipulatedthemtohelpcreate that flow.”THEPLANTING
MarianneandTerrydiscussedtheirplant
preferenceswithXWD,whichincluded
hellebores,Hydrangea‘Limelight’,ligularia,
andabutilontoattracttui.Overall,theywere
happytobeguidedbythedesigners,who
suggesteda paletteoforangesandblues
throughoutthegardentounifythevarious
areas.Inspring,whenthesephotosweretaken,
driftsofCalifornianpoppies,crucifixorchids,
blue star creeper and morning iris flow betweenthelargerocks,theirboldorangesandyellows
contrastingbeautifullywiththepurple-blue
groundcoverConvolvulusmauritanicus.
Orange-floweringabutilonhelpsscreenthe
housebehind,whilethelarge,shinyleavesof
ligulariaadda greenlushnesstothegarden.
Atthefrontofthehouse,thecolourpaletteis
mainlywhite,astheplantingthereis designed
tohelp“anchorthehouseintothelandscape”,
saysXanthe.“Thegardenthereformspartof
theviewtowardsthehousesowewantedit to
relatetothearchitecture,whereasattheback
theviewofthegardenis fromthehouse.It was
aboutcreatingviewpoints from the house into
thebackgarden.”
MarianneadmitsthatsheandTerryarenot
veryknowledgeableaboutplantsandgardens.
“We’restilllearning.Butwegeta lotofpleasure
fromthegarden– it’sa keypartoftheoverall
feelofthepropertyandthegeneralaesthetics
area combinationofhouseandgarden.I’malso
enjoyingthebirdlife.Andwebothlovehowthe
frontgardenis a riotofvariouspinks,greens
andwhite.Fromsunrise,thispartofthegarden
is hummingwithbeesattractedtotheGaura
lindheimeri, whichlookswonderful flowering
enmasse over the summer.”•THISPAGEVolcanicrocks
fromthesitehavebeen
carefullypositionedas
sculpturalfeaturesinthe
lawnandplanting;lush
ligulariaanddaylilies
surroundthestoneraised
vegebeds.OPPOSITE
Largewindowsina corner
ofthelivingareaallow
thoseinsidetofeelasif
they are in the garden.“We werekeen to make a featureofsome of the large
basalt rocks that were excavated from the site”
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