Midway Garden
‘Midway’ in the Adelaide suburb of Fitzroy is a formal garden designed around a fully restored nineteenth century house. Surprisingly this elegant formality is the work of landscape designer Andrew Quixley, whose lighthearted modern water garden was featured on a previous ‘Burke’s Backyard’ episode (‘Suzi Q Garden’). The contrast between the water garden and the ordered sophistication of ‘Midway’ shows the range of styles one designer can have.
Water
People feel a sense of arrival as soon as they open the garden gate and hear the sound of water. It gurgles and cascades from two slate ponds surrounded by Korean box (Buxus microphylla var. koreana). In his designs Andrew often uses water to counterbalance the shimmering, dry summer heat of Adelaide.
Geometry and structure
Paving, stone walls and carefully clipped hedges give the garden its formal structure: A circular area paved with hand-split bricks marks the front entrance. Dry-packed stone walls surround a sunken garden. The walls are 600mm thick at the base, 300mm thick at the top and 900mm high. They consist of 40 tonnes of stone, and took Andrew and two skilled assistants over two months to complete. No mortar was used, except for the capping on top which is mortared for stability. Expertly clipped box hedges (B. sempervirens and B. sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’) and balls of topiarised plants provide a symmetrical framework for fountains, water features and a collection of 200 roses.
Sunken garden
The back garden features a glass conservatory, sunken garden and fountain. The sunken garden is enclosed by dry-packed stone walls, creating a private, hidden area where people can sit protected from peering neighbours. In the middle of the sunken garden is a traditional pond and fountain, surrounded by dwarf box (B. sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’).
Further information
‘Midway’ will open on October 21-22 from 10am-4pm, under Australia’s Open Garden Scheme. Admission: $4. Phone: (08) 8370 1240. Details will also be on the Open Garden hotline (1900 155 064) in the week before the garden opens. The new Open Garden Scheme Guidebook for 2000-2001 includes this garden and will be available in August. Andrew Quixley Gardens phone: (08) 8365 0062. The May 2000 edition of the Burke’s Backyard Magazine features an article by Don Burke on Andrew Quixley’s garden designs.