A first time gardener, Judi dreamt of a contemporary garden to compliment her renovated Victorian worker’s cottage, but worried if her skills were up to the task. Judi longed for flowers to cut, a lush vegetable garden and a place to entertain in the cool shade of deciduous trees - a lot to ask of a very small garden. As luck would have it, the garden faced North so it was possible for me to design a series of microclimates to satisfy all of Judi’s dreams. The vegetable garden was placed to make the most of the midday and afternoon sun. The perennials are planted against the house so they not only look good from the kitchen, but are also bathed in bright northern light. Two Largerstroemia are planted to create dappled light on the deck and over the lawn, creating cool places to sit and entertain (once they grow a bit more). A third of the garden space is purely practical, for storage and to park the car. Muehlenbeckia has been trained on wire mesh to form a green screen framing a batten gate, creating an intriguing view from the deck towards the carport.
The use of hardy perennials has created a fuss-free garden, beautifully complimenting both the home’s history as well as its new incarnation as a cosy inner-city dwelling.