This small garden has a heap of interest crammed in and is a true reflection of the owner. Sometimes it's allowed to grow a bit wild and other seasons it’s manicured. The plant choices are about leaf shapes over flowers and greens instead of colours. It's appeared on ABC Gardening Australia, Better Homes and Gardens, House and Garden magazine and opened for the Melbourne Garden Design Fest.  Check out the video from ABC Gardening Australia: www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/small-spaces-big-ideas/9434522

This owner loved gardening so it was imperative the landscape design could accommodate as much planting as possible within a small space. The solution was a courtyard which could utilise a carspace when needed but also be used as a beautiful entertaining space when not. Using vertical surfaces for planting, corten screening and over sized bluestone paving off a large deck the garden flows seamlessly from inside out.

This one’s tiny. It started with a protected tree on a interesting lean which was carefully decked around, along with building hidden storage, an entertainers bench, new plantings and sourcing thousand year old Chinese gates creating atmospheric space for a large cocktail party or intimate dinner.

This concept was to create a private oasis on an unused triangular block where the planting could either be left to grow a bit wild or be maintained when chosen. The soil was full of rocks and junk left over from development requiring deep excavation to get anything to grow.  The slightly over grown look is my style preference however when it's clipped once a year it takes on a formal personality that then softens back over the following months. The provincial styling follows the colour and textures of the architecture to achieve a weathered bayside feel that remains attractive through all seasons. This garden has featured in several design publications.

This small front space required screening from a busy road. It’s designed to compliment the Arts and Crafts architecture and quirky enough to fit the owners style. Design consideration was also given to how it’s viewed from a above. The garden is whimsical with wavy plantings and bespoke elements that give it a personality of its own. This garden has appeared in several landscape publications and on ABC Gardening Australia and Better Homes and Gardens. 

An architect asked me to design his own front garden. The brief was that he didn't want it to look 'designed' or like a new garden. Rather more like one that had always been there since the 1930's. So this garden's new, but it looks old. 

You meet the client for the first time and notice there's a lot of kids bikes at the door! You know they are going to want fake grass and low maintenence but have to make it work. So this garden is dog friendly, kid friendly and pretty much maintenance free. But it’s totally private and adult enough for a cocktail party. It’s got a pretty cubby house with a clear view from the kitchen window. A large trampoline is hidden away in a corner and a massive old tree trunk chainsaw carved to create a stunning bench seat. Kid friendly. Family friendly!

This client has fairly electic style and a great knowledge of design. The house had undergone a fabulous renovation by Multiplicity and used unconventional design practices to create 'one off' style. It was important to continue the style of the architecture into the garden. Existing elements such as concrete paths were cut into large 'Flintstone' style pavers with quirky plantings chosen for year round interest, texture and unexpected pops of colour. The challenge was to incorporate the clients collection of Australiana into the scheme, so there's a grass covered hill complete with statues and a lotus shaped sculpture made out of opp shop recycled plates.

Swimming pools can totally dominant a garden. In Melbourne where the weather dictates their seasonal use they end up looking pretty chilly for the rest of the year. My approach with designing pools is to maximise their impact for the whole year. Here the interior of the pool was tiled almost black to reflect the sky and it was located alongside the house to look like a wrap around moat when viewed from inside.

A design savy client needed a landscape design that created privacy from the neighbours as there is no dividing fence. With any swimming pool there's lots of ugly filters and pumps that need good access but disguising. The solution to cover the pool equipment was to build a series of large billboard sized walls with printed graffiti images, in this case their children, that could easily be changed when they wanted a refresh. Along with lush layered planting and oversized pots to create height the end result is a very private low maintenance garden with an X-Factor. 

The client has a love of all things rusty and being an artist wanted to incorporate her artworks into the garden. By dividing the space into a series of connecting egg shaped rooms the result is a garden that allows art objects to each have their place. The plant selection is unexpected and all about leaf shapes rather than flowers. This project was very collaborative resulting in a uniquely styled garden. Of interest is a decorative wall made from flattened pieces of rusty metal, recycled brake pad planters and a cost effective screen made from cat food tins. This garden has been opened to the public as part of Melbourne Garden Design Fest.

This Toorak lady had a makeover designed by architect, Richard Swanson with a 30’s Hollywood feel. As the new renovation encroached on the outdoor space there was very little left to accommodate a pool as well as plantings which wrap around the house creating privacy from the street. Every available space has been squeezed with sizable plants that look like they have always been there along with a dramatic black pool that reflects the sky.

This temporary installation called The Look is an activation space designed for TAC and installed at the Australian Open and later at Southgate. With road safety themeing and a design solution allowing it to be easily erected and taken down this lush oasis utilises stackable milk crates, furniture made from road signs and walls of vertical planting with tennis shoes used as vases.   

This virtual garden of Babylon was designed and installed at the Australian Open. I designed the graphics and the tennis ball furniture along with 100 square metres of vertical lush gardens and a soothing waterfall as a escape from the Summer heat.

This pop-up space inside Trades Hall was designed as a bar during The Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Enclosing the space, an upside down hanging garden with designed milk crate seating containing vertical garden walls and photographic images transformed a loading dock into a intimate venue.

All projects start with precise plans for hardscape (what shapes and materials are used) and plantscape (what and where the plants are going). Before final plans are created heaps of rough scribbles to explore all possibilities are presented. This process usually uncovers options never considered before and ensures clients are completely comfortable throughout all design stages.