Garden Tour: A Large Country-Style Garden With Formal Elements
See how a country-style garden in regional Australia evolved and softened the blond-brick home of two keen gardeners
Landscape architect Murray Boissery has worked with this couple of keen gardeners over many years, shaping and trimming, planting and planning an outstandingly responsive setting for their home in Tahmoor, NSW. Here, he takes us through the plant selection, design thinking and evolution of this large, luscious estate.
What are the climatic conditions in Tahmoor, NSW?
Tahmoor has warm summers, which can reach temperatures in the low 40s (celsius), with some humidity, and it often storms throughout February and March. The winter months usually have very cool mornings, around 0 degrees, but will typically still warm up quickly to approximately 16-18 degrees most days.
What kind of soil does this garden have?
The soil is a nice loam as the client has used various compost and fertiliser products on the garden to enhance the soil over the years.
What is the orientation?
The front of the house faces south-east. The rear, north-west.
What other factors affected your planting plan?
The garden featured some extreme micro-climates, with some parts being in very heavy shade, while others were exposed to hot north-westerly sun. This required very different planting choices.
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Tahmoor has warm summers, which can reach temperatures in the low 40s (celsius), with some humidity, and it often storms throughout February and March. The winter months usually have very cool mornings, around 0 degrees, but will typically still warm up quickly to approximately 16-18 degrees most days.
What kind of soil does this garden have?
The soil is a nice loam as the client has used various compost and fertiliser products on the garden to enhance the soil over the years.
What is the orientation?
The front of the house faces south-east. The rear, north-west.
What other factors affected your planting plan?
The garden featured some extreme micro-climates, with some parts being in very heavy shade, while others were exposed to hot north-westerly sun. This required very different planting choices.
Is your garden in need of a refresh? Find a landscape designer or architect near you on Houzz
Brief
The homeowners were always keen gardeners and had spent many years changing and evolving the garden, but felt that it was lacking in overall cohesion. They liked formal/country style gardens.
Were there any exisiting plantings there to work with?
There was only lawn all the way up to the edge of the house.
The homeowners were always keen gardeners and had spent many years changing and evolving the garden, but felt that it was lacking in overall cohesion. They liked formal/country style gardens.
Were there any exisiting plantings there to work with?
There was only lawn all the way up to the edge of the house.
Plantings in the backyard bed
- The low ground cover at the front of the bed is Nepeta x faassenii (catmint).
- The spheres in the centre are Buxus microphylla var. Japonica.
- The taller perennials in the middle of the bed are Salvia nemorosa ‘Mystic Spires’.
- The hedge along the back of the garden bed is Murraya paniculata.
- The climber up the posts of the verandah is Wisteria sinensis.
Can you describe your backyard garden schedule and how it unfolded
- The first plants to go in were the wisteria (climbers) as we needed them to start growing and get high enough to reach the timber posts along the verandah.
- We then planted the Murraya hedges along the back wall.
- We planted the Buxus next in the middle of the garden, being careful where we placed these as they were going to provide the year-round structure to this bed.
- These were very small to start with but they quickly grew and over time were shaped into spheres.
- The Salvias were next, planted on either side of the Buxus to fill in as many of the gaps as possible in order to create a nice full-looking perennial bed.
- The last step was to plant Nepeta x faassenii along the front edge of the garden to create a low flowering border that would grow together with the other plants. Eventually you won’t see any soil, as the catmint makes the Buxus spheres and taller Salvias look as though they float above the front border.
- The catmint was chosen to be a wide-spreading ground cover because it fits in perfectly with the client’s desire for a country feel in their garden. They already had a lot of it spread around the existing garden, but we moved much of it to create big flowing edges of silvery/grey catmint, which would contrast with the green foliage from all the hedges.
Browse more Australian gardens with beautifully designed hedging
- We chose Parthenocissus tricuspidata ivy as a creeper to grow along the bricks near the back steps. There was far too much brick on display and we wanted to incorporate more greenery, so the creeper was chosen for its ability to self-cling to the bricks.
- The ivy is deciduous, which is perfect in this case as its lush leaves cool the temperature of the house in summer by keeping the heat off the brickwork, while allowing the sun to warm the house in the winter when all the leaves have shed.
- In autumn, the ivy puts on a stunning display with its vibrant tones of orange and red foliage.
- We chose Wisteria sinensis as the main climber along the verandah as it provides a stunning display in spring with very long flowing blooms. The foliage is also extremely tough and provides a lot of much-needed shade along the verandah in summer as it faces northwest.
The front of the house.
What plantings did you choose for this area?
What plantings did you choose for this area?
- In the foreground, you can see Pyrus Calleryana ‘Capital’, which we used as an avenue planting to line both sides of the driveway in the front yard. We underplanted this with a row of Buxus microphylla var. Japonica.
- The garden beds here have stayed the same.
- The long front garden bed sits behind the front boundary, so we planted a Murraya paniculata hedge to screen out the street and provide privacy in the large front yard.
- The large Liquidambar styraciflua in the middle of the garden was planted by the homeowners many years ago.
- The lower front hedge is Buxus microphylla var. Japonica, which wraps around three sides of the front lawn area.
- In between the Buxus and Murraya we mass-planted French lavender (Lavandula dentata).
- Please explain your design thinking and choices
- The first step to providing some cohesion for the front garden was to give it more structure.
- We decided to use a lot of Buxus microphylla var. Japonica (box hedging) to define the garden beds throughout the garden as they thrive in this climate and are fast growing, creating an established feel in a short amount of time.
- We chose Murraya paniculata for taller hedges as the foliage is a nice dark-green colour and they are one of the few hedges that will still produce fragrant flowers even when they are clipped fairly narrowly.
- There is a vast array of perennials consisting of different size and colour varieties of Salvia. They were chosen because they are so easy to grow and they fill out deep garden beds nicely in a short amount of time.
- The client already had many species of these, so we were able to transplant a lot of them and also able to propagate more over the years, as they layer in the soil and create new plants that can be split off and re-planted.
What is the maintenance like in this garden?
- The client does most of the maintenance throughout the year and will occasionally get some extra help to keep the hedges trimmed.
- The hedges need trimming approximately four to five times per year, between September and March.
- Each winter, when the wisteria has lost all its leaves, the client will cut it back quite hard in preparation for the next spring when it flowers profusely.
- Most of the perennials need to be cut back hard in August to prepare them for their spring growth. A second trim around Christmas time is required to remove spent flowers on the perennials, which will encourage more flowering to continue right through until autumn.
The formal courtyard at the side of the home.
How did the plan for the formal courtyard evolve?
This space was originally a very unsightly walkway from the barbecue area to the side gate. The area was sloping from the boundary fence down towards the edge of the house with just a few plants scattered on both sides of the path. It was purely used for utility, however it is overlooked by one of the bedrooms, which presented an opportunity to create a beautiful space to look at.
The area is actually a decent size and allowed me to create two separate seating spaces that break up the functional pathway between the barbecue area and the side gate. This space demanded a fairly formal layout and planting style in order to ensure that the garden looks great year-round. I wanted to create a focal point with the existing crabapple tree and design the garden around it.
How did the plan for the formal courtyard evolve?
This space was originally a very unsightly walkway from the barbecue area to the side gate. The area was sloping from the boundary fence down towards the edge of the house with just a few plants scattered on both sides of the path. It was purely used for utility, however it is overlooked by one of the bedrooms, which presented an opportunity to create a beautiful space to look at.
The area is actually a decent size and allowed me to create two separate seating spaces that break up the functional pathway between the barbecue area and the side gate. This space demanded a fairly formal layout and planting style in order to ensure that the garden looks great year-round. I wanted to create a focal point with the existing crabapple tree and design the garden around it.
The formal courtyard.
I believe every courtyard needs a water feature in order to create a calm and tranquil feel, so I repurposed an old cast-iron bath tub that had been sitting around the property for years. We painted it black so the water would reflect the surroundings, and used a Buxus hedge around the base so all you could see was the top of the pond.
What plantings did you choose for this area?
This courtyard is restricted to four species of plants to keep it clean and uncluttered:
The courtyard is great in winter as it is receives late afternoon sun and is protected from the wind, which allows the couple to enjoy a coffee outside on a mild winter’s day. In summer, the shade from the crabapple and a very large deciduous tree from the neighbouring property keeps this space cool (significantly cooler than other parts of the garden).
I believe every courtyard needs a water feature in order to create a calm and tranquil feel, so I repurposed an old cast-iron bath tub that had been sitting around the property for years. We painted it black so the water would reflect the surroundings, and used a Buxus hedge around the base so all you could see was the top of the pond.
What plantings did you choose for this area?
This courtyard is restricted to four species of plants to keep it clean and uncluttered:
- Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Star jasmine’.
- Buxus microphylla var. Japonica.
- Cuppressocyparis x leylandii ‘Leightons Green’.
- Malus ioensis ‘Plena’.
The courtyard is great in winter as it is receives late afternoon sun and is protected from the wind, which allows the couple to enjoy a coffee outside on a mild winter’s day. In summer, the shade from the crabapple and a very large deciduous tree from the neighbouring property keeps this space cool (significantly cooler than other parts of the garden).
- The wrought-iron table with its glass top was found at an antique shop and was selected specifically to fit the space on the small lawn area.
- The star jasmine was trained on wires into a diamond pattern on the brick walls to help soften the brickwork and add seasonal interest.
- In spring when the walls are covered in star jasmine, the smell is incredible walking through this courtyard.
- A Leyland cypress hedge was used along the side boundary as we were desperate to quickly cover the unsightly black Colorbond fence.
- The tall dark green hedge also provides a great backdrop for the rest of the courtyard when looking out from the bedroom window.
The courtyard prior to works.
Construction of this area began in 2011.
Backyard garden growth: The top image shows the garden in 2013 when it had lawn growing up to the dwelling. The bottom image shows the extent of garden growth in December 2017.
The garden in 2015 showing the young wisteria, Murraya paniculata (the hedge at the rear of the garden bed) and Nepeta x faassenii.
The garden in 2016 when the young wisteria and Murraya paniculata had started to fill out and grow into the space.
Do the owners have further plans to modify the garden?
What do you love most about this garden design? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images for your own inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see another amazing outdoor space? Take a look at this transformative Before & After: From Chaotic Courtyard to Lockdown Oasis
- The client does have plans to make further modifications to the backyard, but has put this on hold for now to complete some interior projects.
- Thankfully, this garden is completely irrigated, using a combination of tank and bore water, which the clients had installed when they were going through a period of drought approximately 20 years ago.
- There were many more small planting tweaks made to the garden since it was designed, however the overall architecture of the garden has all remained the same.
What do you love most about this garden design? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images for your own inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see another amazing outdoor space? Take a look at this transformative Before & After: From Chaotic Courtyard to Lockdown Oasis
Who lives here: A couple in their ’60s who enjoy having a large house and garden with plenty of space for when their adult children and grandchildren visit.
Location: Tahmoor, NSW (about 100 kilometres south-west of Sydney CBD).
Garden size: 3000 square metres
Scope of work: This garden has been an ongoing project for me since 2010, with approximately eight different individual stages over 12 years. Some of the different sections of the garden have been tweaked a couple of times, involving rearranging planting positions or selections. This garden is always evolving and there is still more design work to be done in the future to finish off the backyard.
Approximate budget: We had a AU$2000 budget for planting in the garden bed along the back of the house (seen in this image). There was no firm budget for the entire project, but cost was always kept in mind as the overall garden is very large. A lot of the perennial plants were propagated to help minimise the need to buy all new stock.