Landscape designer, Jim Fogarty, transformed a steep, sloping backyard with no useable space into a beautiful and functional entertaining area. His design includes a formal pond, with an arbour surrounded by a rose garden. The planting is elegant and romantic, in keeping with the Tudor style of the house. Jim and his team removed around 100 cubic metres of fill from the site. The existing split-level paving was replaced with a large, sandstone paved area for entertaining. A retaining wall, complete with built-in barbecue, was constructed from Besser Blocks, and then rendered. A small arbour was built on the top level to mirror the existing pergola along the back of the house. The arbour is surrounded by a rose garden. A formal pond provides the main focal point from the central dining room. The planting consists mainly of colourful perennials, including penstemon, gaura, bergenia, convolvulus, stachys, anemone and achillea. Jim describes the garden as “classically English”, with romantic planting to suit the Tudor style house and existing hedges.
The owners, Bob and Christine, found the excavation phase fairly worrying, particularly since it rained a lot and the backyard looked like a quagmire. However, they trusted Jim and are now reaping the benefits, having just held a party complete with opera singer and grand piano! Their son, Tim, loves the new backyard because there is plenty of space for him to have a game of cricket with his mates. The cost of the renovation was around $30,000, which Bob said was money well spent. In fact, he thinks it has already paid for itself, both in terms of lifestyle enhancement and property value.
Contact information
Jim Fogarty Landscapes 22 Appleton Street Richmond Vic 3121 Phone: 1300 888 916 Fax: (03) 9427 0489 Mobile: 0419 571 856 Email: [email protected]