Award winning design produces a clever and beautiful garden
Reaching the front door to this waterfront house, built 8m above street level, is now a beautiful journey.
‘If you want views, you have stairs,” jokes the owner of this house set on a sandstone bluff in Cammeray on Sydney’s North Shore. In fact, the leafy north-facing outlook takes in the crenellated sandstone turrets of the historic Long Gully Bridge, and eastwards the views extend to Middle Harbour.
After 10 years of navigating a set of steep, uneven stairs – which traversed unused and unloved territory – from the street to reach the house 8m above, it was time for major change. The professional couple chose Landsberg Garden Design in Bondi to fix their “terrible journey”, fortuitously just before the first Covid lockdown struck.
The transformation, completed in January 2021, is clever, beautiful and abundant with plants and wildlife. The heart of the garden, which is halfway up the 8m rise, includes generous garden beds and a custom water feature that directs a cascade of water down a weathering steel rill. It starts from the massive sandstone outcrop directly under the house and flows across the garden into a reflection pool. The sound and movement of water set the soothing tone of the garden, as well as cooling it.
Timber decking – designed to accommodate two yoga mats – extends as a bridge over the reflection pool to reach an open, gravelled area containing a fire bowl, a bench seat and a kitchen garden housed in a cluster of raised steel rings. Planting directly into the gravel allows the garden to flow organically around the space, completely disguising the fact that half this area was actually the garage roof. “We had to work within the technical constraints of the garage’s load-bearing capacity, as well as carefully considering the limited soil depths,” says principal Barbara Landsberg.
Some of the original stone walls were kept and repaired, while new retaining walls extend the garden beds and raise soil levels. Bespoke weathering steel panels, with specially created artwork evoking the shapes of coastal rock and water formations, act as balustrades to two flights of steps and create a clear sense of entry.
All the shapes, materials and plants of the garden have been arranged to form an artwork when viewed from the house deck above. In the areas most exposed to sun and wind, natives such as grevilleas, wattles and kangaroo paws thrive, alongside Salvia “Velour Pink”, Echium and whirling butterflies (Gaura). Succulents include Kalanchoe “Copper Spoons”, and Aloe “Big Red” and echeverias that are forming a delightful, dense mat in the gravel.
The succulent-leafed baby sun rose (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium) forms sheets of edible groundcover and spillover. Under the upper deck are shade-loving, lush foliage plants such as Rhapis palms, walking iris (Neomarica) and Philodendron “Rojo Congo”. In a generous garden bed part-way up the stairs, the mix includes a water gum (Tristaniopsis “Luscious”), Gymea lily (Doryanthes), and silver-leafed Persian shield (Strobilanthes gossypinus).
“Every month has another surprise for us with something special showing its glory,” the owner says. Equally happy are the birds, butterflies, bees and dragonflies that now frequent the garden.
“It truly became something far more than we imagined it would,” says Landsberg. “It has transformed a steep climb into a meditation on what it means to be home.”
Q&A
What are some indoor plants that produce flowers to make us happy?Dianne Masri, by email
Cyclamen bear brightly coloured flowers for many months from autumn; some smaller types are fragrant. Their heart-shaped, silver-patterned leaves are a bonus. Put them outside each night to enjoy the cold. Cymbidium orchids produce bold sprays of large flowers in the cooler months to enjoy indoors over 6-8 weeks. Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) live happily indoors indefinitely, flowering for months. Other long-flowering choices are African violets, flamingo flower (Anthurium), peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) and poinsettias.
I’ve battled to control noxious Madeira vine for 20 years, coming from my neighbour who doesn’t. Any solutions? L Smith, Kenmore, Qld
This aggressive, smothering vine produces copious aerial bulbets that fall from the stems to remain viable in the soil for more than ten years. Despite masses of flowers, viable seeds are not produced in Australia. Control is difficult, relying on persistence and hygiene. A new biological control, a beetle, is showing promise. Details at weeds.org.au.
What tree could give much needed shade for our west-facing courtyard? It needs to be fast and fairly dense. June Gormley, Adelaide
Small, fast, tough deciduous trees include dwarf crepe myrtles (Indian Summer series), pretty Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin), and silvery Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolius). Chinese pistacia (Pistacia chinensis) is a little slower. Evergreens include Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakeana), coastal hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus ‘Rubra’) or one of the many small eucalypts.
Send your questions to helenyoungtwig@gmail.com. The best question for May wins a Cozze 13” gas pizza oven with stainless steel paddle and cutter from cozze.com.au. April’s winner is B Stephens of Sydney for the question about phosphorus sensitive natives.