Inside the gardens of Pittwater’s Ripple House

This modern home was designed for a couple to accommodate regular visits from their six grandchildren – and has been shortlisted for one of the country’s top landscape gardening prizes.

Ripple House by Landart and Marker Architecture Design. Picture: Simon Withbread.

Ripple House sits in a spotted gum forest fronting Pittwater, the picturesque body of water at the top end of Sydney’s northern beaches. The 1366sq m property slopes down from the road to the foreshore, encompassing both natural bush and beach, with expansive water views to the west. Such a special site demanded a sympathetic approach for construction of a new house and landscaping that put environmental considerations to the fore. The project, completed earlier this year, was shortlisted in the just-announced Houses Awards 2024 in the landscape category.

“We wanted to make the house recede and blend as much as possible into the landscape, from both the footpath and the foreshore,” says architect Ben Nemeny of Marker Architecture. To do this, the materials used are natural and local to the site, such as sandstone, timber sleepers, and charred or black painted timbers that echo the indigenous grass trees (Xanthorrhoea). Nemeny collaborated with Landart on the landscape design from the project’s inception.

“Landscaping should not be an afterthought,” he says. “So much of our Australian architectural style revolves around access to outdoor spaces and how those spaces complement the interiors.”

Picture: Simon Withbread

Picture: Simon Withbread

Extraordinary efforts were made to avoid impacting the 30-plus mature trees that defined the house levels, landscape levels and location of the driveway. An arborist was involved from the outset, mapping tree root zones, hand excavating close to trees and monitoring tree health. Structural engineers designed suspended slabs; pilings around underground watercourses and tree roots; and the elevated, bridge-like driveway that allows water and air to permeate through to the soil below. A floating timber staircase curves sinuously around a large spotted gum as it descends through the garden, connecting the upper living areas to the lower gardens in a magical way.

Large sandstone boulders from the site were re-used to line the driveway in lieu of retaining walls, and salvaged hardwood was sourced for garden steps. Natives make up 90 per cent of the plant species, with 40 per cent local to the area. Two substantial bush regeneration zones consist solely of locally grown plants, boosting wildlife populations. To preserve natural habitats, any removed tree trunks and hollows were relocated within the landscape, supplemented with nesting boxes for birds and sugar gliders.

Picture: Simon Withbread

The house was designed for a couple to accommodate regular visits from their three children and six grandchildren. “A big driver was creating spaces that are secure for kids’ free play,” says Nemeny. One of these is a lawn area behind the seawall for the families to enjoy water and beach activities. On the bottom level of the house, a rumpus room leads seamlessly out to a pool area that appears to be cut from the sandstone base of the house and feels connected to the bay. An outdoor shower, sitting on natural stone, is one of Nemeny’s favourite parts of the garden. “The large sandstone blocks that form steps to and from the foreshore – part nature and part man-made – embody the architectural expression of Ripple House and the harmony with nature it speaks to,” he says.

Q&A

My Tahitian lime tree has an invasion of borers. After harvesting a big crop, I’ve given it a severe cut back, hoping it will survive. Any suggestions?

Freda Treloar, Sydney

Citrus can be rejuvenated with heavy pruning, even cutting back to a skeleton of branches. That’s usually done in early spring but in coastal Sydney, your timing should be okay. In spring, apply a pelletised citrus fertiliser, sugar cane mulch and keep well watered. Borers attack old and weakened trees. Limes should live for at least 40 years.

Possums have destroyed the star jasmine that covered the fences of my small, shaded garden. What possum-resistant climbers might grow on both fences?

Susan Baldwin, by email

Star jasmine is by far the best flowering climber for covering shaded fences, bottom to top, but possums love it. Most other flowering climbers will romp along the fence tops and leave the sides bare. You could try Madagascar jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda) or one of the Hoya species but success depends on just how much sun each fence gets. Only creeping fig (Ficus pumila ‘Minima’) and ivies will cover the fences, but both attach with suckers, are aggressive and don’t flower. Possums should ignore all these.

Our cannas flower well but the leaves look diseased with orange spots and brown patches.

Elizabeth Loane, Queensland

Cannas are tough, bold plants, but prone to rust, a fungus that can destroy the foliage. If you catch it early, cut off and destroy affected leaves and spray a fungicide such as liquid copper or lime sulphur. Otherwise remove affected canes at ground level. Cannas are normally pruned like this after flowering or in winter to keep them healthy and fresh.

Send your questions to [e-mail]. The best question for August wins a copy of Blossom by Adriana Picker and her previous book, Petal, together worth $90 from Hardie Grant Books. July’ winner is Margot Firth of Canberra for her question about pomegranates

Blossom by Adriana Picker.