Small Courtyard

Creating a garden in a restricted space is a challenge, even for a professional landscape designer! It's no wonder that many people living in the inner city don't know what to do with their tiny backyards or courtyards. Don discovered a wonderful solution to just this sort of problem at a property in the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda. Designer Jim Fogarty had transformed a barren area at the back of the house into a Mediterranean style courtyard. Jim used a minimal approach with only a few different elements, but achieved a striking result.

Design features

A wall fountain against a backdrop of rich sapphire blue tiles dominates the courtyard. This area is an excellent heat trap and a wonderful place to sit in winter. Garden beds each side of the fountain are planted with citrus including lemon, orange and mandarin, and they are kept trimmed because space is at a premium. At the base of the citrus, petunias, violas and blue and mauve Iris x germanica add a touch of colour and spark. The flagstone paving is a beige colour with a terracotta coloured border. These two colours are repeated throughout the whole courtyard. The capping on the raised garden beds, the timber for the pergola and even the top of the dog kennel are all painted a terracotta shade to match the paving. A pokey but sunny side passage only 1-1.5m (3-5') wide has been transformed into a mini apple orchard! A row of Ballerina® apple trees has been underplanted with herbs for use in the kitchen. These compact apple trees were released a few years ago by Fleming's Nurseries. They are columnar shaped and grow about 3-4m (10-12') tall but only about 30cm across when in leaf. They produce good crops of full-sized fruit.      

Further information

Jim Fogarty Landscapes
22 Appleton Street
Richmond, VIC, 3121
Mob: 0419 571 856
Fax: (03) 9427 0489
Email: jimfogartylandscapes@bigpond.com

Ballerina apples are available at nurseries and garden centres. Plants in 250mm (10") pots cost $35-40.

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