The New Australian Garden by Michael Bates

Author:Michael Bates
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2017-05-25T04:00:00+00:00

Dichondra infills the fractured sandstone path.

This concrete sluice creates the illusion of a leaking pool.

The small sunken courtyard comes to life when people are in the pool.

Every detail within the garden is carefully considered and painstakingly executed.

Hitting the right note

Phil is a composer who likes to use the whole landscaping band. Building the garden was an extended jam session, with all the players taking turns to bounce improvisations off each other during the performance. When all the contributors in the garden-making process harmonise, the finished piece exceeds expectations.

There were times throughout the collaborative process when I tried to calm the composition, removing elements and flourishes that I saw as excessive. But when we delivered the extra layers of garden that I thought would diminish the overall arrangement, most times it made the piece richer and the owners smile.

It’s interesting to look back on how well the final scheme accords with the composer’s original intent. The applauding audience is twofold. The clients and their family have been engaged and entertained – contributing to the cacophony of copper, concrete, water and plants – while the public can appreciate the restoration of this significant house and the reimagining of its garden.

Key

1. Original residence

2. New pavilion

3. Pool

4. Sunken garden

5. Nature strip

6. Eastern lawn

7. Well

8. Entrance vestibule

9. Driveway

10. The Grassy Knoll

11. Broad-leaved paperbark copse

12. Sandstone slabs

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