LANDSCAPE OF THE YEAR AWARDS ENTRANT NSW
Brimming with lush plants, this garden always offers a warm welcome
Designed to ensure a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces, this garden offers a family of eight a private, plant-filled sanctuary. Working to a design by Eve Valensise of Even Spaces, Andrew Holland, Director of Hollandscapes, and his team transformed this property on Sydney’s leafy North Shore into a warm and welcoming haven in which layered textures and lush planting work hand-in-hand.
“For the planting we used a tropical palette which involved selecting plants that would provide a variety of textures, heights, and colours to create a vibrant, multi-dimensional landscape,” explains Andrew. “The infusion of warmth came through the materials’ palette with the inclusion of hardwood decking and Australian sandstone complementing the overall design aesthetic extremely well.”
The rear deck was built using spotted gum, the same hardwood timber used in the home’s construction. “A continuation of the interior kitchen and living area, the deck is the main outdoor entertaining space for the family and the perfect place from which to survey the verdant garden and swimming pool,” says Andrew.
The timber is complemented by the sandstone slabs that were crafted on-site to create organic steppers through the rear and side gardens. The same stone was laid in a crazy paving format to fashion the pool surrounds while large hydrasplit sandstone blocks were used to construct the northern boundary section in the front garden.
The lush side garden features a tropical planting palette that you meander through on your way to the backyard. Syzygium australe ‘Resilience’ (lilly pilly) was used for screening in this area with smaller plants providing contrast and depth. These include Sansevieria trifasciata (mother-in-law’s tongue), Dichondra repens (kidney weed), Blechnum fernandezianum (hard fern), and Alpinia nutans (dwarf cardamom).
“To engender a sense of calm in the midst of everyday life, we created a pond in the home’s internal courtyard,” adds Andrew. “This is an integral element of the project which can be viewed from inside the home on three sides. Sliding glass doors allow the courtyard to fully open up to create one unified indoor-outdoor space.”
So that the outdoor areas can be used — and admired — at night, Hollandscapes installed subtle landscape lighting, adding a whole new level of interest and intrigue to the landscape during the evening hours.
From the extensive soil remediation work that was needed before the lawn or new plants could be installed, to the custom-crafted sandstone-stepper garden paths, Andrew and his team took exceptional care, delivering a series of meticulously landscaped spaces the family adore.
In 2024, the judges of The Landscape Association’s Landscape Excellence Awards were just as impressed with the end result, which is why this luxuriant project received Bronze in the Residential Construction $100,000-$250,000 category.
Contact Details
Landscape Construction: Hollandscapes
Mobile: 0401 072 252
Email: info@hollandscapes.com.au
