TAKEAGARDENTOUR
SamanthaandJim’sgardenwill
featureontheABCTVseriesDream
Gardens, hostedbyMichaelMcCoy.
Watchit onTuesdayNovember 19
at8pm,orcatchuponiView.H G gArdeNS
160 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE&GARDEN
trampolineanda swimmingpool– bothofwhichJimfelt
wouldimposeonthevisualclarityofthegarden.
JimandSamanthacalledonlandscapedesignerFiona
Brockhofftomeshthefamily’sdifferentdesiresintoa
coherentwhole.“Peopleoftenhavedifferentideasabout
howtheywantsomethingtofeelandit’smyjobtofindthat
placeeveryoneis happywith,”saysFiona.
Herfirstdecisionwastoremoveexotictreesfromthe
siteandpreservethenativespecies,inparticularsome
bracelethoneymyrtles(Melaleucaarmillaris) thathad
beenwind-prunedintodramaticshapesovertheyears.
Thesespectaculartreesbecamethebackbonearound
whichthegardenwasstructured.Next,Fionaaddedcurves
intheformofpathsandgardenbedsreminiscentofthe
sweepingcoastline.Togivetheflatblockmoredimension,
thegardenwasreshapedwithgentlyundulatingcontours
inspiredbynearbysanddunes.
Samanthagotherlawn,whichFionablendedintothe
gardenbedsbyplantingswathesofa tuftednativegrass,
dune poa(Poa poiformisvar. ramifer) along the borders.
Max’swisheswerefulfilledtoo:thetrampolineis in-ground
tominimiseitsvisualimpact.Thepool,meanwhile,blends
intothelandscapethankstoa fencemadefromlengthsof
copperpipestrungwithspotted-gumuprightsandshaped
intosinuouscurves.Overtime,theuntreatedtimberwill
greyoffandthecopperwilloxidise,mergingthefencewith
theplantings.“Thewholeideaofa glassorsteelfencein
thisenvironmentis whatputmeoffhavinga poolbut
Fiona’ssolutionswayedme,”saysJim.“Thisis a natural,
curvysortofgarden– justwhatI loveaboutit.”
Ina finalnodtothecoast,reclaimedtimberjettypylons
wereerectedattheentrancetothegarden.“Thepylonsare
oneofmyfavouriteelements,”saysSamantha.“Tome,they
looklikeworksofart.Theystillhaveallthelittleshellson
themfromwhentheywereinthesea!”
Today,thegardenhastheairofa ruggedbeachscape,
mixedwiththefamiliarityofa familybackyard.Together,these
elementsdelivera modernAustraliancoastalgarden.#
FionaBrockhoffDesign,Toorak,Victoria;
http://www.fionabrockhoffdesign.com.