Night and day

Converted city warehouses are not usually associated with gardens and greenery. But as this project shows, a little imagination can go a long way when it comes to greening up an urban space.

When owner Bev Fidler moved from a waterfront property, she wanted to re-create a similar sense of tranquillity for her new home in a former industrial warehouse.

Designer Richard Kelly of Urban Exotic says the rear courtyard needed to be a sophisticated, sensual space that also paid homage to the urban nature of the setting.

"There are many Victorian terraces in the area, and the courtyard is bordered on one side by an 8m-high brick wall," says Kelly. "But there is existing greenery to the rear. Mature canopies of poinsettia, mango and fig trees, intertwined with colourful pink and orange bougainvillea, became the backdrop for the garden. These vibrant colours interplay with the changing light and seasons, and form an active part of the overall design."

To create a more open space, Urban Exotic removed existing posts supporting an overhead balcony, replacing these with steel trusses. The geometric form of the space was then defined by a series of raised planter boxes and a sunken garden element reminiscent of conversation lounges of the late '60s and '70s.

"The sunken garden is paved with chocolate-coloured pebbles in a vortex motif," says Kelly. "This is a reference to tidal pools and the fact that the sunken garden also acts as a water retention pond during severe downpours."

At night, lights within the stone-clad seating illuminate the pebbles, which look like the phosphorescence left by waves on the shore.

A sculptural water feature forms the centrepiece of the garden. Water trickles down a series of porcelain sculptures of varying heights. These are "planted" in a pond interspersed with water plants such as Schoenoplectus mucronatus (triangular sedge), which has a vertical growth habit that contrasts the more horizontal garden elements. Kelly says the copper-coloured flower heads of this plant inspired the design on the house shutters and drainage grates.

A carved sandstone wall with a flower motif forms the backdrop to the sculptures. The wall sits proud of the high brick wall, which is visually softened by ficus creepers.

Pleached Michelia doltsopa Silver Cloud trees line the edge of the garden.

"The owner wanted a soft, scented garden," says Kelly. "These trees have white, scented flowers and silver-white foliage, which has a luminescence at night."

The trees are underplanted with a white-flowering winter rose interspersed with an aromatic white creeping thyme species. This trails and cascades over the walls and softens the masonry surfaces. Other species include white iris, a soft-mounding dwarf Japanese cedar, white native violets and the strongly scented Chinese star jasmine creeper.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes