Garden invitation

This design celebrates a natural, undulating groundscape and native plantings at the front, while the rear garden softens forms and brings privacy

The crushed granite pathway meandering through the garden

The view from the house towards the street

The front garden includes entry steppers and a

The front garden as viewed from the street.

The luxuriant zoysia grass with syzigiums in the

This Giant papyrus water plant is in the

Helichrysum is in the foreground with zoysia grass

Designed by Mark Bell, Bell Landscapes

From the designer:

The front garden

This was a completely new build and the entire site was a blank canvas when we started – there were no plants in either the front or back garden when we commenced works.

The front gardens were intended to embrace a very natural, organic and native feel, the aim being to also complement the extensive native bush land directly across the road in Centennial Park.

The planting palette consists of about 90% Australian native species including groundcovers, shrubs, native grasses and various small trees such a Syzigium for screening and Tuckeroos as features.

We created mounds throughout the garden area to create interest and an organic natural feel; we didn't want the garden to be all one level but rather to have it undulating as you would expect in a natural environment.

This was further enhanced by installing a crushed granite pathway that meanders through the gardens for access to the side passage and also assisting in garden maintenance.

The back garden

The rear garden was quite different in that this was to be the main entertaining zone for family and friends so most of the plants were used along the boundaries to screen the fences and add privacy, with the main section turfed for the enjoyment of children and pets.

The paving steppers leading from the front gate are surrounded by groundcovers to add softness and texture and minimise the hard footprint of the pavers.