Australian designers often face the challenge of unifying the old and the new. Considering the abundance of heritage architecture, many have become deft at sensitively melding historic facades with contemporary additions. And while Nat Wheeler knows how to approach this challenge on the inside of the home, it was a different story bridging the gap between the front and back gardens of her California bungalow in Melbourne. “I know and love interiors, but when it came to the exteriors, I knew I needed expert help,” says the director of Norsu Design and Interiors.

Enter Darin Bradbury, director of Mint Design. Responding to the owners’ love of art, Darin leant into visual interest, playing with plants’ sculptural shapes and textures while paying particular attention to their positioning. “We’ve definitely gone for a more structured garden at the front to tie into the classical Cal-bung facade,” says Darin, who drew soft, curved lines around garden beds of topiaried buxus and murraya hedges, with tufts of asparagus ‘Meyersii’ and lomandra bursting through for added texture and a playful touch.

The traditional, manicured front garden gives way to more contemporary plantings at the back. To transition between the two garden styles, a link is created via the side passage, where a path of shapely steppers immersed in a lush green carpet of kidney weed goes past a stunning canopy of Japanese maples.

Creating an inviting outdoor entertaining space at the back was a priority for Nat and her family (which includes husband Daniel, Annabel, 14, and Harvey, 11). “It’s where life happens, with Izzy the dog chasing butterflies, the kids bombing into the pool, and impromptu barbecues with friends,” she says. And Darin’s design helped make it happen.

“There’s not a lot of space for a garden so we had to think creatively,” he says. He artfully arranged an alfresco area, pool and a lawn for Izzy in the compact space, made possible with a sleek concrete terrace.

Nat couldn’t be happier. “The amazing crew completely understood our vision and brought it to life with care.”

Darin’s top tips for small gardens

• Focus on plants at high and low heights first, then add a few mid-height plants if you have space.
• Introduce greenery at eye level and above with hedges, climbers or taller, skinny plants that don’t take up lateral space, such as Tetrapanax.
• Plant a narrow or small tree such as a Japanese maple to grow over time and add ambience with canopy cover.
• Introduce a ‘carpet of green’ at ground level using something like Viola hederacea or dichondra repens.
• Add interesting textures with mid-height plants. Layering different foliages can make any narrow space feel like it has more depth and privacy

PLANT LIST

Trees

• Japanese maple (Acer ‘Osakazuki’)

Shrubs

• Buxus (Buxus sempervirens ‘Sphere’)
• Philodendron selloum
• Ficus (Ficus ‘Flash’)

Succulents/Cacti

• Agave ‘Blue Glow’
• Prickly pear (Opuntia ‘Burbank Spineless’)

Groundcover

• Kidney weed (Dichondra repens)

Climbers

• Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

The Design Team

Mint Design: mintdesign.net.au.

Norsu: norsudesign.com.au.