Inside the square

Being involved from the ground up in more ways than one was the secret to the success of this formal courtyard garden.

Landscape architect Scott Brown says in order to maximise the small site, the garden and pool area were planned at the same time as the house design. This ensured key features and services could be put in place during construction.

"It was clear from the plans that the formality of the house would dictate the landscaping," Brown says. "The architecture is distinctly Mediterranean, with both Provencal and Italianate influences. The high-walled garden is typical of these areas, and for this house, it was a way to retain privacy while providing an attractive outlook."

At the front of the property, a high iron gate is set in from the footpath the entrance softened by trailing convolvulus plants and sasanqua camellias.

"The rebate in the front wall announces the entrance, and softens the impact of the fence on the footpath," says Brown. "It also provides an opportunity to introduce the garden, drawing visitors in through the gate."

Beyond the entrance is a formal courtyard, bordered by tall lilly pilly plants that provide a hardy, drought-resistant hedge. Dwarf English box hedging, in a bright emerald green that contrasts with the darker hedge, provides an additional low border. Similar box hedging encloses the key features of the courtyard four Indian bean trees and an architectural sago palm in a central urn.

"The colour palette is quite discreet, as there is so much strength in the architecture of the house," says Brown. "This was also a factor in the choice of specimen trees. The Indian bean trees, which have been crown lifted to create the required shape, have a large, feathery leaf. This softens the formality a little it is not as formal as a clipped topiary. These trees are also more dynamic, with the large leaves rustling with the breeze."

The four trees and the centrepiece are linked by large, square stepping stones.

"The paving helps pull all the elements together visually, ensuring they don't appear as a group of unrelated items."

Both the trees and the centrepiece are fully lit by night from below and above.

Lighting is also a key feature of the pool landscape at the rear of the house. Brown says the lighting here was planned, not just to illuminate the space, but also to provide shadow interest and visual depth. The lighting includes low-voltage lights on the house, which reduce glare, and wall lights that provide ambient light.

The rear was levelled to create a flat area for the pool. This resulted in a series of levels that add further visual interest to the setting. Terraces beside the house are elevated, as are the box hedge borders encircling the poolscape. A large fountain is positioned to ensure it is in a direct visual line from the seating areas within the adjacent family room.

Cream-coloured concrete paving was sandblasted to look like sandstone. A grey border and grey capping tiles on the walls provide visual differentiation.

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Andrew Ashton Inside the square The formal lines of this courtyard garden are softened by the plant