HGMY IDEAL HOUSE
72 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
W
ith the construction drawings
forH&G’s home build nearing
completion, the door has
opened to a further design inquiry: what
shape should the garden of a modern
Australian family home take?
Rising to meet this challenge is Richard
Unsworth, landscape designer and director
of Garden Life in Sydney. His layout, seen
opposite, offers a fresh take on an easy-to-
maintain suburban garden. After poring
over the winning home design by Sydney
architect Madeleine Blanchfield and
referring to Camden Council’s planting
guidelines, which govern the house site at
Crest by Mirvac in south-west Sydney,
Richard has drawn up an affordable and
achievable landscape scheme.
“Just as the house is designed to be
family-friendly and flexible, so is the
garden,” says Richard. “My landscape plan
is designed to work for any family at anystage and to encourage them to spend
time outside, relaxing and entertaining.”
In the front yard, a low hedge will take
the place of a boundary fence. “It’s far
friendlier and more visually appealing,”
he says. Richard has recommendedCarissa
‘Desert Star’ for its hardiness and sweet-
scented flowers. Andin a departure from
the norm, massed plantings of herbs and
vegetables mix with ornamentals at the
front of the home.
“Herbs and vegetables deserve pride of
place,” says Richard. “There’s no rule saying
they have to be in the backyard.” However,
he continues, balancing the edibles with
more structured plantings is essential.
“The hedge and clipped ornamentals
alongside the edibles tone down the chaos
of the seasonal highs and lows of the herbs
and salad plants,” he says.
In lieu of stone pavers, the front garden
will be punctuated by groupings of brick.
“I like the texture of brick,” says Richard.PLANT PLAN
GROUNDCOVERS
Kidney weed
(Dichondra repens)
Native violet
(Viola hederacea)
HEDGING
Ficus microcarpa
hillii‘Flash’
Carissa‘Desert Star’
TREES
Ornamental pear
(Pyruscalleryana
‘Capital’)Crepe myrtle
(Lagerstroemia indica
‘Natchez’)KEEPING COOL
The need for mature trees to be
factored into new communities is
pressing, says Jeff Angel,
executive director of the Total
Environment Centre. Urban
heat-island effect occurs when,
thanks to their hard surfaces and
human activity, built-up areas
become hotter than surrounding
rural areas. “Trees are key to
combating urban heat-island
effect, which can be detrimental
to the environment and human
health,” says Angel. Research by
Melbourne City Council in 2013
found that average daytime
temperatures within its CBD are
up to 4 ̊C higher than in
surrounding suburbs; evenings
can be up to 12 ̊C higher. “Shade
trees go a long way towards
tackling this issue and play a
vital role in keeping our urban
areas healthy and sustainable.”“It looks contemporary, but still quite
natural.” The brick pavers continue down
the access path on the north side of the
house, complemented by groundcovers
such asDichondra repens(kidney weed)
and native violet (pictured at right).
A small yet striking tree – likely an
ornamental pear – will be planted at the
front of the house. “A deciduous tree offers
both autumn colour and spring blossom
for seasonal interest.” A feature pot at the
front can be filled withflowers or planted
to complement the distinctive window-
boxes Madeleine included in her design.
In the backyard, crepe myrtles will be
planted along the rear fence and beside the
outdoor-entertaining area. “These trees
will grow to a perfect height within a few
years – not too tall but high enough to shade
the western side of the house,” says Richard.
A generous 4x11m expanse of hardy
buffalo-grass lawn has been allowed for.“Lawn is an asset to any home,” says
Richard. Fences will be softened by rows
ofFicus‘Flash’. “It’s a great hedging plant
that will grow as high as you need it,” he
says. Finally, the boundaries will be treated
to layered plantings ofPlectranthusand
cane begonias for texture and interest. ”
Madeleine’s house design has a strong
connection between indoors and out,
masterfully enabled by a glass pavilion
that hosts the living areas of the home.
“Even a small garden can make a house
feel generous when the inside opens onto
it,” she says. “With large, north-facing
glass doors the garden feels very much a
part of the living space, as does the covered
barbecue area. The result is that the home
feels much bigger.”
A garden provides a dynamic and ever-
changing backdrop to the rooms, she says.
“The house is stylistically pared back; the
garden provides a contrast to that.” >
gardenlife.com.au.‘JUST AS THE HOUSE IS DESIGNED TO BE FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND
FLEXIBLE, SO IS THE GARDEN.’RICHARD UNSWORTH