Hi everyone,
Glad
to have you back to view another of my projects, this time a residential
property in Applecross.
Through
the recommendation of a great architect and friend Nanda Day from Day Designs,
I was lucky enough to work on the landscape design and plant selection of an
amazing property in Applecross, which was completed just prior to Christmas
2012.
Working
together we were able to create intimate spaces around the property, each with
its own distinctive characteristics, whilst also having an adaptable program
within these spaces. This is a necessity for modern living, spaces which can
adapt for growing or changing families, which may provide a particular function
today, whilst in a few years’ time it may need to perform an entirely different
function.
This
young family required a shaded, safe and relaxing environment around the pool,
within view of the most widely used areas of the house and with the most
amazing view of the Swan River, Kings Park and Perth CBD as well! They wanted
to emulate a Balinese villa, complete with lush, tropical planting to set off
the variety of fantastic natural stone that were to be used on nearly every
surface, both horizontal and vertical.
Situated
in a very open position next to the river, the challenge was to find plants
that would provide the tropical aspect, whilst being able to survive our harsh
summer sun and both the easterly breezes in the morning and the strong
sea-breeze in the afternoon. No small task!
The
choice for around the pool was fairly easy, finding them a bit more difficult.
Thanks to Ellenby Tree Farm, three beautiful, mature Plumeria species, or
Frangipani’s were sourced from around the state, with a striking tri-coloured
flower called Fruit Salad, a mixture of yellow, orange and pink. The unusual
colour of the Frangipani’s makes them stand out from the usual white or pink
varieties so prevalent around Perth.
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| Above images – 1 –
5. Decking around the pool with feature cut-outs to incorporate the
mature
Frangipani trees.
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With the aim to make the landscape as water wise and maintenance free as possible, synthetic turf (yes - fake grass!) was used in the backyard. Green Planet Grass has one of the most realistic products on the market at the moment. The product name is Saturn II and it looks like couch, so it has a fine green leaf, with a shorter layer of a light brown undergrowth type leaf, which gives it the appearance of real grass.
As the owners have a dog, instead of the usual fine soil added to the turf nap after it has been laid, a special odour absorbent soil was substituted, to combat any possible smells from the pooch favouring a particular area for his toilet.
Ellenby Tree Farm also provided a stunning Draceana draco for the small front garden next to the driveway. This space, being in close proximity to the sizeable water feature near the western gate, required something large and special to balance the big wall and feature pot.
It also had to be able to stand strong winds as this was situated at the end of the passage down the length of the house, which funnels the wind along its length. After an initial settling in period, where it lost a few lower leaves, the tree has settled in and is looking fantastic, as you can see in the photos.
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Above images – 6
– 9. The large front yard water feature balanced by a mature Draceana draco.
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The large front verge, covering over 240 square meters, was another big challenge. The owner wanted to be able to drive a boat across it without damaging the turf, whilst looking green and cool, and meeting all the City of Melville verge requirements. The finished checker type pattern has a large enough gap between the pavers to enable a mower to run straight through for easy maintenance, with the pavers being concreted into their positions so as to not move when driven over. The concrete is low enough in the soil so the turf is able to grow over and hide it, giving a sturdy, yet aesthetically pleasing green verge to enhance the streetscape.
The upstairs front balcony looks over at the neighbour’s house and garden and the busy street. To give the appearance of blending with the next door property similar plants were used – bamboo, in a clumping variety, which will both ‘borrow’ from the neighbour’s garden and screen the balcony from view. The lower plants of Mandevilla Crimson Fantasy and Philodendron Xanadu will provide visual interest with their flower colour and contrasting foliage’s.
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Above images – 10
– 16. The large front verge and other images from around the property.
Succulents
were used prolifically on the rear balcony as the easterly wind and full summer
sun hits all the planter boxes specially built in large sizes to match the
large spaces of the balcony. The planter bowl seen in the top left image is in
the windiest, most exposed position of all the plants at this property – sorry the
image is a bit dark. The succulents in this bowl are all low growing varieties
and are thriving and look fantastic now, they’re a variety of different leaf colours
and types. The low water requirements of the plants have meant there is minimal
water required for the planter, which means almost nothing leaks out of the
bottom, providing an easy maintenance bowl of gorgeous and unusual leafed
plants.
To
build this design I approached to landscaping companies with a request to
tender for the project. The landscaping company chosen was MCL Commercial
Landscaping and Maintenance. They did a fantastic job, fixed any problems that
arose, most of which were through no fault of their own and by the hand of
other contractors on site, but they would rectify or replace the item
immediately. They also offered a 6 week, post-build maintenance program, during
which time they were able to tweak various things like reticulation timing and
length. This service, together with the landscape work, showed me what I great
choice I’d made in offering the chance to tender for the project.
That’s
all from me for now about this property, although if you have any questions
please feel free to ask away. In my
next blog post I will feature a tree, one well suited to our sunny Perth
climate, and give you the characteristics
and benefits and/or drawbacks of it, in the hope to inspire you to plant a tree
tomorrow!
Once
again, thank you for making me a part of your day, I hope your day is fantastic! J
Jenny
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