Stickybeak of the Week: Charming Cottage Garden in North Carlton
The owners of this cottage garden grow vegies, herbs, and fruit to delight their family and friends
When a couple of avid gardeners bought a lovely original Victorian cottage in the Melbourne suburb of North Carlton to restore, they envisaged a landscape design that would not only reflect the original Victorian character of the house, but one that would also serve to complement the contemporary extension they planned to add to the rear of the property.
The couple both work from home and love to spend time in the garden. They especially like to grow fresh vegies as this has always been part of their family life. To continue the family tradition, a large vegetable garden was on top of their wish list for a low-maintenance garden. Additionally, they wanted flowers they could pick for display indoors to feature in the front garden all year round. Through word of mouth, they found the very experienced Alistair Ripper of Gardens of the Sun.
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: A older couple who are keen green thumbs
Location: North Carlton, Victoria
When: The garden was constructed from July to October, 2015
Size: Turf area 100 square metres, paving 70 square metres, gardens 150 square metres
Designer: Alistair Ripper, Gardens of the Sun
The couple both work from home and love to spend time in the garden. They especially like to grow fresh vegies as this has always been part of their family life. To continue the family tradition, a large vegetable garden was on top of their wish list for a low-maintenance garden. Additionally, they wanted flowers they could pick for display indoors to feature in the front garden all year round. Through word of mouth, they found the very experienced Alistair Ripper of Gardens of the Sun.
Garden at a Glance
Who lives here: A older couple who are keen green thumbs
Location: North Carlton, Victoria
When: The garden was constructed from July to October, 2015
Size: Turf area 100 square metres, paving 70 square metres, gardens 150 square metres
Designer: Alistair Ripper, Gardens of the Sun
In the early stages of the project, Ripper spent several hours listening to the clients’ needs. The design went through a number of drafts, so that the owners were able to provide feedback. Ripper then proposed several solutions to the design challenges and eventually defined one that was practical for the site and yet would meet the owners’’ expectations. “I like that this garden is the result of a cooperation with maximum input from the client,” Ripper says. “After all they live in it every day.”
Additionally, the couple were willing to try new things, such as placing twin custom timber rose arbours in the front and using bluestone blocks to build the retainer wall in the rear garden.
The planting in the twin square feature garden beds, pictured here, creates a cottage garden feel and, says Ripper, was inspired by the landscape designs of Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.
Additionally, the couple were willing to try new things, such as placing twin custom timber rose arbours in the front and using bluestone blocks to build the retainer wall in the rear garden.
The planting in the twin square feature garden beds, pictured here, creates a cottage garden feel and, says Ripper, was inspired by the landscape designs of Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.
The garden, prior to the purchase of the property and renovation, was run down and covered with ramshackle sheds and workshops, including an old stable in the backyard that was demolished. The driveway and carport that dominated the front garden were removed, and the owners decided to create rear access for a double-car garage as seen here. This freed up the front garden for landscaping, with only pedestrian access.
The heavy clay soils of North Carlton posed a significant issue for long-term plant performance and drainage on the site. “As always when working on a site directly after the builder has completed, there is rubbish throughout the landscape areas and compaction to deal with,” says Ripper of the challenges he faced in this project. “We used a two-tonne excavator to re-level the site and cultivate the garden areas. The excavator also dug drainage trenches.
“As the site has dense clay substrate, drainage was an important consideration,” explains the landscape designer. “We addressed this issue by raising the garden beds, ameliorating the soils with gypsum and adding bulk with a premium blend of topsoil.”
The heavy clay soils of North Carlton posed a significant issue for long-term plant performance and drainage on the site. “As always when working on a site directly after the builder has completed, there is rubbish throughout the landscape areas and compaction to deal with,” says Ripper of the challenges he faced in this project. “We used a two-tonne excavator to re-level the site and cultivate the garden areas. The excavator also dug drainage trenches.
“As the site has dense clay substrate, drainage was an important consideration,” explains the landscape designer. “We addressed this issue by raising the garden beds, ameliorating the soils with gypsum and adding bulk with a premium blend of topsoil.”
Looking towards the backyard one can see the rejuvenation that has occurred. “An existing walnut tree (Juglans regia) in the rear garden was derelict, so we formatively pruned it, improved the soils and fertilised it,” says Ripper. It is again thriving now (as seen here), 18 months after the garden was established. Additionally, you can also see passionfruit vines climbing over the brick walls of the garage. The warmth retained by the brick helps the vines to grow and the fruit to ripen.
For the retaining walls, Ripper used the large bluestone foundation blocks from the old stable. Each of the stones weighed roughly 150 kilograms and was shaped by hand and moved into place by machinery.
For the retaining walls, Ripper used the large bluestone foundation blocks from the old stable. Each of the stones weighed roughly 150 kilograms and was shaped by hand and moved into place by machinery.
Ripper and his team custom-designed and built the timber pyramidal rose arbours as eye-catching features. Colourful flowers, such as catmint (Nepeta cataria) in the foreground, embellish the front garden beds all year round.
The homeowners enjoy making jams and preserves for their family and friends, including rhubarb chutney and the husband’s pickled young walnuts for sandwiches. These delicacies require fresh herbs, so the vegetable garden is stocked with a variety of herbs such as thyme, chillies, rosemary, lemongrass, oregano and basil, all growing in full sun. Taking up about one third of the rear garden area, the vegetable garden has been positioned to be exposed to natural sunlight all day long.
The couple, however, needed more herbs than the garden could accommodate. “Due to limited space, we used stepping stone pavers for the paths and planted herbs in the gaps between the pavers,” explains Ripper. “We maximised the space and added the benefit of fragrant walkways. Plus, when flowering, the creeping thymes form colourful carpets which are wonderfully ornamental.”
The vegetables have been planted by the keen gardeners and include, for example, crops of tomatoes, salad leaves, carrots, beetroot, eggplant, zucchini, squash, beans and peas for the summer. In winter they grow broccoli, cauliflower, and salad greens. The rear garden also features a citrus orchard including oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, figs, nectarines, quinces and apricots.
How to create an orchard in a small garden
The couple, however, needed more herbs than the garden could accommodate. “Due to limited space, we used stepping stone pavers for the paths and planted herbs in the gaps between the pavers,” explains Ripper. “We maximised the space and added the benefit of fragrant walkways. Plus, when flowering, the creeping thymes form colourful carpets which are wonderfully ornamental.”
The vegetables have been planted by the keen gardeners and include, for example, crops of tomatoes, salad leaves, carrots, beetroot, eggplant, zucchini, squash, beans and peas for the summer. In winter they grow broccoli, cauliflower, and salad greens. The rear garden also features a citrus orchard including oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, figs, nectarines, quinces and apricots.
How to create an orchard in a small garden
The planting mix for the garden is based on what might have graced Victorian gardens in the 1800s. “The owners showed me a historical photograph of the house that indicated the property was planted with roses and flowering herbs. It also showed a central path in the front garden,” says Ripper. Influenced by this image, he designed a cottage-style garden full of colour, texture, and tangled plantings.
The mixed perennial plantings as seen here include catmint in the foreground, flag iris, beardtongues (Penstemon spp.), beeblossom (Gaura spp.), stonecrop (Sedum spp.),dianthus and sea-lavender (Limonium spp.) in the middle.
The mixed perennial plantings as seen here include catmint in the foreground, flag iris, beardtongues (Penstemon spp.), beeblossom (Gaura spp.), stonecrop (Sedum spp.),dianthus and sea-lavender (Limonium spp.) in the middle.
The main colour scheme chosen for the cottage garden is pink, blue, and white, although purple and pink dominate in the square feature beds.
Ripper explains that he always tries to select plants for his clients’ gardens based on the following characteristics: that they are sustainable over a long period, are drought tolerant, preferably don’t require irrigation, and are low maintenance. Other equally important considerations for plant selection, however, are the micro-climates he finds on the site, the soil type, drainage, influence of built structures (the house and/or outbuildings), shadows, temperatures, rain and exposure to both sun and wind.
Finally, Ripper says the garden needs only two maintenance visits per year, involving pruning back, lawn care and fertilising, to keep it in good condition.
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What do you love best about this cottage-style garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Browse a gallery of Victorian gardens
TELL US
What do you love best about this cottage-style garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
MORE
Browse a gallery of Victorian gardens
The boundaries have been planted with upright ornamental pears (Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’) to provide privacy. “The homeowners initially wanted evergreen screens, but we were able to negotiate them towards deciduous trees,” says Ripper. “In some circumstances, evergreen hedges are the right choice. However, on most sites they tend to take up too much light and to make the garden appear smaller.
“I favour deciduous trees for their qualities of autumn colour, spring flowers and the sculptural beauty of their winter branches – something often overlooked,” Ripper adds.
So your garden style is: cottage