True Blue Design Ideas

The panaromic vistas from this hilltop home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches inspired the owners to create a special garden, one that matched the setting and their striking new home.

Turning to landscape architect Hugh Burnett, the design combines practicality (access on a very steep slope), a desire to create a relaxed ambience and a garden that conveys a uniquely Australian feel.

From street-side, the garden is a sea of plant forms, layers of textural foliage in bands and clusters with colour flushes leading up to the house, high on the slope. Sandstone-block steps wind their way upwards through rocky outcrops, with a landing breaking the journey to rest, play boules or gather around a fire pit.

Grouped arrangement of plants and repeat plantings of low native grasses, combine with taller sculpturally formed plants such as deep-red alcantarea and tall-flowering kangaroo paw mixing with the owner’s favourite exotics, more tropical plants such as Frangipani trees and gingers. Flowering gums and tree ferns enhance diversity and help bring birds, bees, and seasonal shows of colour to enjoy throughout the year.

Photography: Brigid Arnott 

Lightly pruned native shrubs and an all green palette create a sensuous landscape at this part country, part coastal garden on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula created by Robert Boyle. The classical garden aesthetic using Australian natives creates a calm, sculptural space.

Photography: Scott Hawkins

A dilipidated beach shack in the coastal Victorian town of Point Lonsdale was given a stylish makeover by Kate Heppell (co-owner of boutique bedding company Kipp & Co) and her landscape designer husband Mal.

Creating a drought resistant garden was a key priority of the renovation given the family use the residence only on weekends and holidays. Going ‘native’ was an obvious solution, but the predominantly native garden also suits the faded timber and relaxed style of the beach house.  Hard landscaping creates different entertaining zones dotted over the property for the family to enjoy.

Photography: Armelle Habib

The fabulous planting scheme for this home on Victoria’s Surf Coast is entirely indigenous, bringing new meaning to keeping things local.  Landscaping by Hansen Partnership worked with the local shire to highlight how gardens can showcase local flora and set a new benchmark for sustainable garden design.

NPP.