Australian House & Garden — June 2017

118 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN

W

hether they were myth or fact, the Hanging

Gardens of Babylon – with their famed

cascading greenery and elegant falls of water

• are worthy of emulation. And that’s exactly what the
  six-strong team of landscape architects from Tract did in
  this dreamy 8x8m design, winner of a coveted silver gong.
  According to legend, the ancient tiered gardens were
  built by King Nebuchadnezzar II to create a mirage-like
  oasis in the desert. The idea behind Tract’s Back to Babylon
  garden was to showcase the power of greenery to create
  a sanctuary in an urbanised environment.

The idea, says landscape architect Helen Wellman, was

to create a lush, verdant and calming plantscape, with every

surface dripping with greenery. “We integrated planting into

both vertical and horizontal planes, at various heights, to

achieve an enveloping, cascading effect,” she says.

Onlookers loved the limestone stairway. Fringed with

thick beds ofHydrangea‘Diamond Rouge’, philodendrons

and large-leafed lamb’s ears(Stachysbyzantina‘Big Ears’),

it led to a peppercorn tree with pendulous foliage. In the

centre of the garden stood an airy white-coated steel

arbour draped in tendrils of green. The entire planting

palette was executed in tonal variations of white and

green. “It’s timeless and it helps create a sense of

sanctuary,” says Helen.tract.com.au

MIFGS HIGHLIGHTS

Timeless green & white

SHOW GARDEN: BACK TO BABYLON

by Tract