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To Blog

Before & After – Hawthorn Garden Design

April 5, 2020
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Construction, Gardens for Life, Landscape Design, Landscaping, Plants
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Posted by Parveen

The brief

When Cate contacted me, she wanted a garden that would suit her lifestyle and lift her space. Her impeccable taste in her newly-renovated townhouse and incredible interior detail helped shape the outdoor design.

Cate wanted a garden that would flow with the exterior and could be enjoyed both during the day and at night.

It had to feel modern and create an urban oasis of lush plant life so she could enjoy it at all times of the day.

Our Hawthorn garden design

From the garden’s shadows on her window furnishings to the cheerful faces of the clivias and hibbertias that bloom in spring and summer, Cate loves what she’s been able to create.

She comes home smiling at her very own piece of paradise after a hard day at work!

We playfully incorporated sculptural detail not only in the use of different planting textures but also in a vivid red metal artwork in Cate’s choice of pattern to add vigour and detail into her garden spaces.  Cate certainly loves her reds and blues and we love it that she does!  It’s very her!

Shadows in the garden in Hawthorn garden design by Inspiring Landscape Solutions

Shadow play

We selected plants that appealed to her and that would work with the overall look and result that Cate wanted to achieve.  For the rear courtyards, we kept the shape of the existing garden beds as it’s shape made a lot of sense and actually made the courtyard larger than it was (and less angular).  We incorporated raised garden beds to address the extreme macroclimate in her living spaces (heat).  Both the front garden and rear garden get a lot of sun (minus) the frost and we had to give a lot of thought into her planting scheme to make it all work.  Cate loved her lemon and lime trees which give her abundance and we incorporated these existing trees into the final design.  There was also a couple of pest issues we tackled, successfully, to prevent further damage to her lemon tree.  Whatever that was attacking it and stripping its bark, is now finally gone.  Thankfully!

The scope of the project was extended twice – to resurface the frontage steps and to modernise it.  In order to achieve that we researched paving material that would tie into the rest of the renovation (house and garden).  To top if off, we added a little bit of night glamour by incorporating LED strip lighting into the steps.  It works with a movement and day/night sensor so her garden lights up when people passby or visit her.  Giving her the garden wow she so rightly deserves! 🙂

The final phase was to add a garden mural (discussed further below).

Eighteen months on, all plants are now thriving, supported by an automated irrigation setup so that it can function on its own when Cate is away for work or her many travels!

Front Garden

Artwork

Rear courtyard

Dramatic night lighting for Hawthorn East Garden Design

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Hawthorn East rear courtyard landscape design

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Plants - Hawthorn

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Before - Hawthorn

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Before - Hawthorn

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Before - Hawthorn

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In the many years, that I have known Cate, it’s her sense of playfulness and adventure that has made this project really fun for me.  Everything about her interiors and the way things come together functionally is quite well thought and practical (and not to mention tasteful!).  She always takes in  my ideas with great delight and finishes it off smiling and telling me to “have a little fun”!

This is exactly what I tried to create and reflect in the mural of Cate’s garden on her garage door.  From penguins that reflect her garden ornaments (and remind her of her many trips abroad), to elements in her garden that she deeply enjoys!

Her neighbours too have enjoyed the process of creating the mural and passersby – all love it because it’s colourful, different and more importantly, FUN :)!

Garage door mural

Mural - Hawthorn

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Mural - Hawthorn

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Mural - Hawthorn

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Penguin feature in custom mural for Hawthorn East Garden design

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Mural - Hawthorn

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Clivia flowers in Hawthorn East Garden Design

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Hawthorn East Planting Design

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Arabesque pavers in Hawthorn East front courtyard

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Hawthorn East - granite

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Hawthorn East Rear Courtyard

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See how our Hawthorn garden design was actually transformed into Cate’s dream garden.  Discover the key elements that contributed to this transformation!

Other resources

Hungry for more information on whether we are the right landscape designers for you?

Then check out our process and design philosophy to find out more about what makes us tick!

We have been awarded with the Houzz Best of Service 2020 award.

Editorial note – names of the clients have been reflected as per their preference and, at their request, to protect their privacy.  Professional shots of this design will be undertaken around October, 2020.

View from garage of Hawthorn East Garden Design

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Hawthorn East Rear Courtyard

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Hawthorn East 3D Elevation Landscape Plan Front Garden

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Hawthorn East Front Garden Design Side View

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Dramatic night lighting for Hawthorn East Garden Design

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If you need further suggestions or design or plantscaping both indoors and outdoors, please contact us for an onsite 90 minute consultation. 

Refer to our packages for further detail on how we can help you in the consults and subsequently throughout your garden implementation process.

Do check out our write up on adding value to your property through landscaping and biophilic garden design.

Our passion your garden! xx

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Parveen

Recent Posts
  • Modern cottage gardens in Melbourne
  • Gardening with passion! The story behind Sophie and Daniel’s garden
  • Gardens for life – the story of Cate’s garden
  • Clivias
  • Creating a family garden with amazing aesthetic – Gurnik and Sarah
Instagram

ilandscapesolns

Probably my favourite view of this design and prob Probably my favourite view of this design and probably one of my best experiences of 2020.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
It belongs to a lovely couple I've come to know and who have worked tirelessly in making this design come to life.  My role here was as designer, plant enthusiast and a helping hand in empowering them to take the step to do it mostly on their own with some assistance.⁠⁠
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I love the fact that they continue to share their enthusiasm and garden updates with me whenever they can.  Really brightening up my day whenever I hear from them and seeing how the garden continues to mature! 💚⁠⁠
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The backbones to this garden were strong so we kept the large trees and resurfaced the deck, modernising it's look (but remaining consistent with the house). ⁠⁠
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Styled with some new pots and added new undergrowth plants that will survive the shade and heat in this garden, after properly documenting and understanding what didn't work in the past.⁠⁠
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So here you have it - a layered approach using curves (which I love and keeping the original structure of the garden intact (why waste money and some plants you can reuse)!⁠⁠
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And yup - I've used some of my usual favourites in this one - see if you can spot them! ⁠⁠
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Can't wait to take some professional shots of this garden later this year come Spring!! 💚💚💚
Garden Statues and Ornaments.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Do you Garden Statues and Ornaments.⁠⠀
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Do you have any in your garden?⁠⠀
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I love seeing these in my client's gardens as they are heaps of fun and add so much personality into a design!⁠⠀
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This lovely creation was by a client's parent who loves creating 3D mosaic pieces and came all the way from NZ!⁠⠀
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Do try styling your outdoors with some wonderful pieces like these and it really doesn't have to be something new - upcyle and use your imagination to create something wonderful and unique!⁠⠀
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Have a go and let me know what you come up with! 💚
Grasses.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ One element to design I real Grasses.⁠⠀
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One element to design I really love using is to incorporate different types of "grasses" into my designs⁠⠀
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I find them easy going maintenance wise and if used properly, quite visually and physically textural.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Here is an example where I've used about 5 types - from broader leaved versions to thin and wispy flowering types! A couple of my favourite's have a quirky "Mr It" type effect! ⁠⠀
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Which grass types appeal to you? And what do you love about them? 💚⁠⠀
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to be Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. ⁠⠀
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Beginning makes the condition perfect ... and anytime is a perfect to play in your garden! 💚
Do you have a favourite nook in your garden that y Do you have a favourite nook in your garden that you can relax in?⁠⠀
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Perhaps somewhere to read a book or a magazine or to just laze about?⁠⠀
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These things are important when designing your garden as it's not only about creating something special to look at but also creating a space to be part of and to immerse yourself in. ⁠⠀
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What is your favourite gardening spot and how do you spend time in it? 💚 ⁠⠀
A snippet from a favourite design from 2020! ⁠⠀
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Completed last Sept and about to arrange for some professional shots of it soon!⁠⠀
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Probably the best part of the design for me was to see my client's fervour around building the nautilus feature and actually making that happen!  You'll have to see it in real life to believe it as it not only looks amazing but gives her a sense of pride whenever she drives home!⁠⠀
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No more a boring front garden with a square grassed area but something unique to come home to, surrounded by plants that make her happy and a garden she loved designing for herself! 💚
This is one thing that continues to fascinate me!⁠⠀
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I LOVE it when ferns unfurl.  It's almost magical and done with such grace of movement!⁠⠀
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From the alternating leaf pattern, the prominent lateral veins to the spores that finally appear underneath their leaves, it's so well planned and amazing!⁠⠀
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Isn't nature simply beautiful!!? 💚⁠⠀
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What's your favourite fern?
Feature pots for smaller spaces or courtyards. ⁠ Feature pots for smaller spaces or courtyards. ⁠⠀
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The decision is a little trickier than you would initially think but here are some tips that can help!⁠⠀
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🌿Colours - lighter to make the area larger⁠⠀
🌿Size & number - would also depend on what you intend to plant and the aesthetic you'd want to create but if space is really limited I'd perhaps chose a single reasonably sized pot (to facilitate good root growth) that would allow for some layering of plants⁠⠀
🌿Opening - what  I mean by this is the "mouth" of the pot.  This has practical implication for on-going repotting and maintenance.  The wider the opening the easier to repot down the track!⁠⠀
🌿Texture - i love the earthy ones as they feel natural and similarly anything with laid stone or are handcrafted just adds that something extra but these tend to be expensive!⁠⠀
🌿Type - chose the look that compliments the overall style and aesthetic for your space.  For example, you'd not want to chose an ultra modern geometric pot for a farmhouse style cottagey space!  The pot here was chosen to compliment the earthy paving colour and was in line with the shapes of other structures in the courtyard!⁠⠀
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What are your key styling tips!  Do share! 💚⁠⠀
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⁠Slow and steady gets there eventually!⁠⠀
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Finally my dwarf senecio has got to a reasonable size and is looking very adorable at the moment!⁠⠀
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What especially I love about it is that it has a rounded growth and almost 'shines' at night against the moonlight which is why I've planted it next to the path!⁠⠀
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What's your favourite succulent? 💚⁠⠀
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Before & After - Hawthorn Garden Design | Inspiring Landscape Solutions