Food and fun are a must for this lush, green garden
Growing produce and connecting with nature are the inspiration for this abundant kitchen garden. Featuring a large lawn for sports (and cartwheels!), a stone pizza oven and a thriving veggie garden, this beautiful backyard is fit for all ages and needs.
“This family had a passion for growing their own produce and connecting with nature, as well as having fun in the garden. So the garden needed to encourage a life outside for the complete family,” says Steve Warner, principal landscape designer at OUTHOUSE Design. To create this fun outdoor space for the whole family, Steve had to inject energy and structure into the once-tired garden that had “good bones”.
“We needed to create a space for the family to come together, while still having activity zones and, of course, a trampoline!” says Steve. “A garden for all ages and needs has its challenges, so seeking input from all to ensure everyone’s needs were delivered was crucial.”
These needs were vast and included creating a lawn that was large enough to play; space in the right microclimate for food production; an outdoor pizza and fireplace; a storage shed; and a garden design that was not only pretty, but also productive.
Heading into the garden, the circular feature lawn with a recycled brick edge creates a visually strong green hub for all sorts of activities. Its shape allows for deep garden borders and connecting pathway/stepping stones. Each key activity or destination point radiates from the centre, making connection as easy as possible.
A feature pergola using recycled timber and bricks is the ideal location for year-round barbecues, while scented climbing roses create much-needed summer shade and flexible seating caters for all the family. The same timber is also used for the arbours that create a visual link to the production zones. Raised production beds anchor the connecting arbours, which support both seasonal climbers and production.
“Within the design, we upcycled and recycled a broad range of materials, from convict bricks in the garden walls to reinforced mesh for the production trellis,” says Steve. “Recycled timbers were used for the pergolas, arbours and raised planters.”
Further sustainable features included in the kitchen garden are the water tank to capture water from the shed and house to support the garden, and handy compost bins for recycling kitchen waste.
The paved patio area with overhead pergola and pizza oven allows for a flexible footprint to support either large family gatherings or a more lounge-style set-up to sit back on those lazy Sunday afternoons.
Featured plants that create the garden’s lush ambience include Cercis canadensis, Forest Pansy and Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’ Ornamental Pear Tree for year-round seasonal change; Westringia, Aussie Box; Rhaphiolepis indica, Indian Hawthorn; Philodendron ‘Xanadu’; Liriope muscari, Blue Lily Turf; Stachys byzantina, Lamb’s Ears; Lomandra longifolia, ‘Tanika’ Mat Rush; Myoporum parvifolium, Creeping Boobialla; Grevillea rosmarinifolia, Rosemary Grevillea; Loropetalum chinense, Chinese Fringe Flower; Pittosporum tobira, Australian Laurel; Hebe diosmifolia, Dwarf Hebe; Westringia fruticose, Coastal Rosemary for floral, structural and foliage interest.
For seasonal colour and interest, the following were planted: Sedum spectabile, Stonecrop; Salvia nemorosa, Caradonna; Helleborus orientalis, Lenten Rose; Plectranthus plepalila, Mona Lavender; Anemone x hybrida, Japanese Windflower; Ajuga reptans, Carpet Bugle; Nepeta x faassenii, Blue Catmint; Anigozanthos ‘ruby red’, Kangaroo Paw; Thymus serpyllum, Creeping Thyme; Tulbaghia violacea, Society Garlic; Pennisetum alopecuroides, Fountain Grass; Echium candicans, Pride of Madeira; Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosemary; and Rosa banksiae, Banksia Rose.
“The garden is fun, full of personality and doesn’t take itself seriously,” says Steve. “The feature lawn draws you into the garden and acts as a green hub with activity radiating from its core. It just screams ‘get outside’!”
