California dreamin’ on Sydney’s lower north shore

The location is Castle Cove on Sydney’s lower north shore, but this property channels the vibe of mid-century Los Angeles.

Taste of LA: the entrance to the garden in Castle Cove. Pictures: Nicholas Watt

The location is Castle Cove on Sydney’s lower north shore, but this property channels the vibe of mid-century Los Angeles – thanks in part to a clever transformation by landscape designer Richard Unsworth.

Three years ago, “when we first saw it, the front garden was just grass, a driveway and not much else”, says Unsworth, director of design practice Garden Life. He loved the brief from his client, who explains: “The inspiration for me was the atelier of French fashion designer Isabel Marant in Melrose Place, West Hollywood, where the garden is like this. I loved the plants such as foxtail ferns, cactuses and pygmy date palms in front of the white house.” Unsworth also tapped into his love of Marrakech gardens, combining the softness of palms and grey foliage with edgier cactuses and succulents.

None of the lawn remains

To help cement the new look, Unsworth’s team replaced the narrow columns at the front of the bungalow with more substantial pillars clad in sandstone. He then brought the same stone down into the entry landing and pathways, and resurfaced the substantial driveway in similar soft tones, blending it all together.

Vertical elements

Because the garden is on the south side of the property, shade – particularly in winter – was a factor in selecting plants near the house. Snake plant (Sansevieria stuckyi) and mother-in-law’s tongue (S. trifasciata) cope perfectly, while nearby, pygmy date palms (Phoenix roebelenii) are underplanted with Korean velvet grass (Zoysia tenuifolia) and foxtail ferns (Asparagus ‘Myersii’). In the hotter areas, towering specimens of candelabra tree (Euphorbia ingens) provide strong vertical structure, around which Unsworth has layered metallic-toned combinations of panda plant (Kalanchoe tomentosa), copper spoons (K. orgyalis), silver spoons (K. hildebrandtii) and blue chalksticks (Senecio mandraliscae). “These add body and softness,” says Unsworth. “Panda plant has to be my favourite little plant – it’s such a sweet thing with its fuzzy leaves. And I love the silhouette of the candelabra trees against the white wall of the garage.” Other bold elements are the golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and twin flower agave (Agave geminiflora). Around the plants, decomposed granite rather than traditional mulch covers the soil, helping the distinct forms of the plants to stand out and contributing to a dry, arid feel. In keeping with the theme, no lawn remains.

Succulents feature throughout the garden

Unsworth did keep an original front boundary wall made of stone, planting a row of Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis intermedia), clipped lightly to an organic shape, to define the garden edge. “It holds it all together,” he explains. “Overall it’s a fuller planting style rather than minimalistic, but we weren’t trying to be purists.

Desert vibe

“I think this garden is all about the transformative possibilities of planting,” he adds. “There’s very little structural work – it’s the strong vertical elements of the planting that transform the space and have taken the house to somewhere else.”

The client is very happy with the end result, saying: “Richard chose the perfect plants. We did not lose one and the growth in such a short time, starting with small plants, has been incredible. The garden gives us a lot of joy.”

The City Gardener

The garden is featured in Richard Unsworth’s book The City Gardener (Thames and Hudson, $50)

Q&A

How can I rejuvenate the buffalo lawn on my front verge? It’s struggling, with bare patches in clay-rich and compacted soil around a young scribbly gum. Bronwyn Harris, Sydney

For great lawns you need thorough preparation – tilling to relieve compaction, ensuring the pH is 6-7 and spreading some free-draining, sandy underlay soil. With a tree in place that’s mostly not possible. You could plunge a fork deeply into moist soil to open it up. Gypsum will break up some clays; PowerFeed fertiliser does too and is low enough in phosphorus not to upset the gum tree. Fence out foot traffic until the lawn recovers. Keep it watered, fed and mown, but maintain a clear circle around the tree.

Plants seem to like being with other plants. In arranging my balcony garden should the plants have lots of botanical friends? Linda Nathaniel, Sydney

Plants in groups can create a microclimate with increased humidity and protection from sun and wind, which can benefit all. The roots of plants in soil can communicate with each other – but probably not when they’re in separate pots.

Is it OK to use our old wool carpet as a weed mat? I’ll slash it in places to let water through, and cover it with mulch. Paul Chicchio, by email

Carpet is an effective weed barrier. Wool is a natural product but there might be synthetic fibres or rubber in the backing that won’t break down. Some users report that carpet gets smelly when constantly wet, and it can be a heavy, unpleasant job to remove it in the future. Plus, it’s more difficult to chop holes into for planting than newspaper layers or cardboard.

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. The best question for October wins The City Gardener: Contemporary Urban Gardens by Richard Unsworth ($50) and Dennarque by Bill and Lata Moss ($80)