A garden of contrasts that works harmoniously

Article by Homes to Love

This garden is so abundant and established it looks as though it’s been the life-long companion to the Victorian-era weatherboard home it surrounds

Despite looking like it’s always been there, this garden is a recent development, installed in tandem with the home’s renovation two years ago. The Cheongs retained the Victorian facade and added a contemporary extension at the rear, and wanted their garden to reflect this architectural narrative.

Landscape architect Ben Scott of Ben Scott Garden Design was enlisted to help realise their vision.

Words by: Elizabeth Wilson. Photos by: Derek Swalwell. Article from: Australian House & Garden.

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“We wanted a traditional garden out the front, but relaxed and meandering, not a stiff Victorian garden with hedging,” says Lynn.

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Ben has created lush garden beds at the front featuring plants such as euphorbia, hydrangeas, hellebores (Helleborus orientalis), arthropodium, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy ’and snowball bush (Viburnum opulus). These plants are all tough and well placed to cope with the lower light levels under the tree canopy.

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On summer evenings, when the heat dissipates and the air is infused with the scent of jasmine, Lynn Cheong makes a beeline for the swing hanging from the old liquidambar tree in the front garden of her Melbourne home. Here, she likes to sit and water her plants while marvelling at the beauty around her.

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The foliage of Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’.

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The broccoli-like flowerheads of Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ turn from green to pink to rust.

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Hydrangea macrophylla.

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Every part of this garden is used, gazed upon, cherished. “It’s a garden with lots of interest and it changes a lot throughout the seasons,” says Lynn. “We love the fact that we look onto greenery from every vantage point in our home.”

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Pink-petalled Hydrangea macrophylla.

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Ben has mixed leafy, old-fashioned plants with ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus gracillimus and Lomandra tanika. “The grasses give it a slightly more modern feel,” he says.

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The side gardens also play an important role in the story of this garden. On the north side are Lynn’s all-important raised vege gardens. Made from recycled apple crates and sourced from The Little Vegie Patch Co, these boxes are filled with herbs such as thyme, parsley, oregano, coriander and mint. “We love being able to run outside and grab some herbs while we’re cooking,” says Lynn, who also grows vegetables in two more boxes at the rear of the property.

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The fence is draped in Boston ivy. Planted 1.9m apart, the pleached Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ are underplanted with star jasmine.

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A concrete pot filled with Sedum sits on a bluestone plinth.

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The rear garden is streamlined and geometric with lawn at its centre, surrounded by layered boundary plantings. Slender weavers bamboo (Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’), a non-invasive clumping bamboo that grows up to 7m, was planted along the northern boundary to screen out neighbours. Lynn was unsure about the bamboo at first, but is delighted with the result. “We don’t need to close the blinds now because the bamboo gives us complete privacy.”