Inside the Glenluce garden which takes its queues from the gold rush

It’s beautiful to the eye but the real genius of this Victorian garden is the trenches that exist under its maze of paths. Dune-like beds double the soil depth and improve drainage for plants.

Michael Wright and his wife Catherine Rush are the owners and designers of this garden in Glenluce in Victoria. Picture: Michael Wright

Nicknamed “The sand garden”, this innovative property at Glenluce in central Victoria shows what can be achieved with minimal means.

“It’s made of soil, excavation material, gravel, sand and plants; this is a landscape that tries not to betray the hand of design,” says Michael Wright, who with his wife Catherine Rush are the owners and designers. They are landscape architects whose business, Rush Wright Associates, has been designing public landscapes for more than 20 years. Their 3ha property – a former farm, pub and general store site dating from the gold rush era – is a testing ground for their ideas. The sand garden, which covers about 300 sqm, was conceived as a low-maintenance garden that could adapt to a changing climate. It is featured in Claire Takacs’ book Visionary Landscapes and was a winner at the recent National Landscape Architecture Awards.

The garden, on a former lawn terrace, was designed to link the house with the landscape around it. “The long views are important, so you don’t want too much detail in the foreground,” says Wright. Remarkably, they eschewed drawing up a plan, preferring to use an aerial drone image and garden hose to mark out the beds. Inspired by the shifting sand dunes of Wyperfeld National Park in semi-arid northwest Victoria, the meandering, slender dune “fingers” create a set of spaces that envelop the viewer in the plantings. A generous stone firepit area is a focal point, positioned for enjoying the views and stargazing at night.

“The long views are important, so you don’t want too much detail in the foreground.” Picture: Michael Wright

The genius in the approach is what lies beneath, which may change the way people think about run-off and water storage. Under the maze of paths are 30cm-40cm deep trenches, dug into the heavy clay. The soil removed was mounded on either side to create dune-like beds that double the soil depth and improve drainage for plants. The trenches were filled with railway ballast, covered with geotextile and topped with a 15cm layer of river sand. “Because the stone-filled trenches retain water for long periods, the surrounding plants can use it gradually and thereby make the most of our increasingly heavy but infrequent summer storms. And the sand is lovely to walk on with bare feet,” says Wright.

The planting design, intended to be “strikingly arid”, heroes a hybrid grass tree, Xanthorrhoea ‘Supergrass’, that’s arranged in large stands instead of the usual singular specimens.

“We think the ideas here could easily be replicated by anyone and we hope this approach inspires others on limited budgets or with limited water.” Picture: Michael Wright

The couple planted 66 of them, which were grown from seed so they are all foliage and won’t develop true trunks for 20 years or so – something Wright is in no hurry for. “They’ve grown very fast over three years,” he says. “Some are now 1.5m across and flowering for the first time.” He notes that an alternative (and cheaper) plant to use would be any of the lomandras.

The grass tree foliage is fire-resistant, as is the firebreak “hedge” of saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) and the understorey of native succulents. Eucalypts such as E. lansdowneana and E. pulverulenta will be coppiced periodically to maintain a low, multi-trunked, mallee form. Paper daisies, including Xerochrysum viscosum and X. bracteatum in yellows and pinks, provide colour for months and self-sow freely. Near the house, exotic species include grey-leafed succulents and cacti from North Africa and Central America.

“We think the ideas here could easily be replicated by anyone and we hope this approach inspires others on limited budgets or with limited water,” says Rush.

Q&A

Old passionfruit rootstock is sprouting everywhere, taking over my garden. I’ve tried glyphosate and pulling out the shoots.

Dave Hayes, Sydney

The vigorous rootstock used for grafted passionfruit will keep suckering as long as there is life left in it. Constantly pulling off the shoots can work – eventually – but glyphosate (RoundUp, Zero) that gets inside the plant to the roots is more effective. Apply to all new shoots. You can also try suppression, covering the area with cardboard or thick layers of newspaper, plus mulch. Next time, plant a seedling-grown passionfruit, not a grafted one.

What might replace the constantly failing buffalo grass under a giant melaleuca? We want a non-mondo, non-spiky plant that is colourful, tough and lush-looking.

Lynn Collins, Sydney

In moist shade, native violet (Viola hederacea) and kidney weed (Dichondra repens) are good ground covers around stepping stones. Asiatic star jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) and sikkim creeper (Parthenocissus sikkimensis) are both tough and low-care. Somewhat taller and slower is tricolour star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Tricolour’). Canary Island ivy (Hedera canariensis) is tough and fast but harder to contain.

A gift azalea in full bloom looks pot-bound in its 18cm pot. How do I successfully pot it up?

Suzanne Logan, Brisbane

If not “teased out” when planting or re-potting, azaleas’ fine, dense root systems can stay trapped in the pot shape and never spread out. Use an old fork to rough up the roots all over. Separate or unwind any larger roots. For very matted rootballs, slice 2cm off the base and 1cm off the sides, or make long slits down the sides at regular intervals. At the same time, prune the plant all over. Use a quality potting mix for acid-loving plants.

Send your questions to [e-mail]. The best question for November wins their choice of nature-inspired linen cushion covers or pillowcases from West Australian artist Barbara O’Donovan to the value of $150 plus postage. barbaradonovandesign.au

October’s winner is Rod Leonarder of Syndey for his question about lemon varieties