Excavating 18 tons of earth created the opportunity for this small courtyard to take on some real depth, variation and the feeling of being insulated in our own little world — despite both neighbours' houses sharing the same walls.
This is one of the two courtyards at my own home. Situated on the southern side of the two-storey townhouse, the courtyard gets very cold and minimal light in winter. I wanted to embrace these circumstances and design a garden that will love the shade and become moss-filled in time. The living area was designed to be hard-wearing, with recycled bluestone off-cuts used for the paving — accommodating ten people, a firepit and a barbeque to warm up the chilly winter nights.
Plant choices
The plant choices in this garden were an enjoyable move away from my background of endemic native-style planting; blending natives with chrysanthemums, oriental lilies, a magnolia, daphne and dahlias to make sure that both myself and my partner (an artist who loves bright colours) are happy.
I planted small understory grasses and forbs underneath the boardwalk before installing it, to maximise the total growing area and the garden's ability to store more water in the ground for drier times.
Colour change
The walls were rendered to change the atmosphere of the space in early 2024.
I take on a limited number of commissions each year — gardens, courtyards and interiors, Australia-wide.
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