Australian House & Garden – September 2019

(Wang) #1
FA BFOL I AGE
“Thisgardenis allaboutthemix
ofstrappy,structuralandbold
foliage,”saysFiona.Oneofher
favouriteplantsis thisEchium
candicans(PrideofMadeira).It’s
knownforitsstunningflower
spikes,butFionalovesit forits
boldfoliageandbigbunshape.
Totheleftis cardboardpalm
(Zamiafurfuracea) andsilvery
Westringia‘Smokey’.

FIONA ERICSSON & JULIA LEVITT


Co-founders, Sticks & Stones
Landscape Design

The brief
A lovely front garden can play a special
role in the life of a home. In addition to
softening the architecture and providing
a leafy outlook, it’s the first word of
welcome to visitors. The entry courtyard
at left was previously an uninspiring patch
of formal low hedging. The owners of the
Federation-era Sydney home wanted to
enliven the all-important 12x7m space
and enlisted Sticks & Stones Landscape
Design to help. Their brief: to create
a more inviting entrance and a place
to sit and enjoy the greenery.

The solution
The duo at Sticks & Stones transformed the
courtyard into a multi-faceted space with
layered plantings, curvilinear shapes,
leaf-fringed paths, a circular seating area
and pond. Taking cues from the home’s
architecture, they used a materials
palette of sandstone and brick and a
plant palette Fiona (pictured above, left)
describes as “contemporary cottage”,
a style that mixes foliage plants with
flowering species, and strappy plants in
clipped forms. “It’s softer than a formal
cottage garden,” says Fiona. “And
sweeping paths and flowing lines help
create a journey to the front door.”

Designer statement
“Being in this garden is so calming. The
water sounds are lovely and there’s
movement in the foliage.” >

MODERN COTTAGE
The plant palette includes
looser strappy plants alongside
mounded species. Here, a white
crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia
indica ‘Natchez’) is underplanted
with walking iris (Neomarica
gracilis) and clipped balls of
Pittosporum ‘Golf Ball’.

SCREEN TIME
This camellia hedge (Camellia
sasanqua), the only plant
retained from the old garden,
forms a privacy screen. Three
ornamental pear trees (Pyrus
calleryana ‘Capital’) have
been planted (left) to add
height to the screening.


GARDENS HG

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