The amazing garden that saved this Peppermint Grove, WA, mansion from prying eyes

When this Peppermint Grove, WA, mansion was overshadowed by two new high-rise apartment blocks, the owners called in Tim Davies Landscaping to construct an amazing privacy garden.

Peppermint Grove garden by Tim Davies Landscaping.

Living in the city, we like our back gardens to be a private sanctuary, not overlooked by neighbours. So it was a shock for the owners of this large property in Perth’s upmarket Peppermint Grove to find that not one but two apartment blocks were to be built on neighbouring properties.

The brief to Tim Davies Landscaping was to find a solution to the sudden loss of privacy and at the same time create a more functional and inviting pool area. The result is a sleek and luxurious outdoor space that recently won Outdoor Living Space of the Year, Design of the Year and Landscaper of the Year in the 2023 Awards of Excellence for the Landscape Industries Association of WA.

The new deck and steel structure at the heart of the redesign incorporates the existing pool and spa and was designed around a mature loquat tree that provides valuable screening. Landscape architect Martine Holland raised the level of the new decking to integrate the spa that previously “stuck out”.

“Raising the floor level gave that area more definition and made it more of a focal point,” she explains. Composite timber decking was chosen for its low maintenance and resistance to rot, the light grey tones blending with the adjacent travertine pavers. Taking centre stage, the hero frangipani was relocated a short distance to the required position.

The result is a sleek and luxurious outdoor space. Source: Supplied

The back wall of the entertaining space features a long, low cutout – like an open window – to break up and lighten the mass of the wall.

The L-shaped steel structure that wraps around pool and deck is particularly tall, both to achieve the desired screening against overlooking and to relate to the lofty feel of the house. “The scale of the house is grand, so whatever we did needed to be proportionate with that,” says Holland. “Getting the scale right is a major part of the design challenge – it needs to look right in the space that’s available, but still incorporate all the desired elements.”

Along one side of this entertaining space, a green screen of climbing star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) provides privacy – and fragrance – supported on vertical trellising of stainless steel cables. They’re growing in bespoke planter boxes of 1200mm-high, powder-coated aluminium that, combined with a moat below them on the outside, form part of the swimming pool isolation, minimising the impact of pool fencing. Further along, an interesting mix of Casuarina ‘Cousin It’ and Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ spills out of the planter boxes, with three narrow, ornamental pears (Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’) behind. The back wall of the entertaining space features a long, low cutout – like an open window – to break up and lighten the mass of the wall. “It provides depth of space so the whole structure doesn’t foreshorten the area they have,” Holland explains. “There’s a sense of space and lovely views to the established greenery beyond.”

The wall, clad with travertine tiles to match those on the house, screens a set of raised vegetable beds behind the “window” at a lower level, and conceals a service area with storeroom. A second opening in the wall accommodates a kitchenette with sink, bar fridge and cupboards.

A project of this scale takes time – design work started in 2020 but with the approvals process and a tricky construction phase due to difficult site access for the steel installation, handover was not until May 2022 – just in time to provide defence against the newly completed apartment blocks.

“It’s one of my favourite, most rewarding projects,” says Holland. “We’re grateful for the trust our clients put in us.”

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Q&A

My magnolia always brightened up dull winters with its fabulous blooms but why are there so few this year? I’ve never needed to fertilise.

Norman Moore, Bangalow, NSW

Magnolia flowering seems to be later than usual this year – camellias were too. Your photo showed some buds that will open but disappearing magnolia buds is almost always due to possums, especially on trees like yours next to a fence line. You’ll need to block access to your tree with barriers on the fence top and a tall perspex band around the trunk to stop access from the ground. Mulching and feeding the tree in spring and autumn would help it thrive.

Is my wood heater ash suitable as fertiliser for citrus and vegetables?

Graeme Edwards, Sydney

Wood ash supplies useful potassium and some phosphorus but the significant, soluble calcium in it makes it alkaline, raising the soil pH quickly. Applied sparingly (say a handful per square metre), it can be beneficial if your soil is acidic (5.5 or below) and your plants are not acid-lovers. You can sprinkle an occasional layer into the compost heap.

My avocado is a disgruntled migrant. I’ve given it larger pots, ground planting, sun and semi-shade, and nourished our sandy soil, but it only flourishes briefly then loses leaves and the abundant young fruits.

Margaret Campbell, Bunbury, WA

Avocados don’t tolerate over-watering and are highly susceptible to phytophthora root rot that persists in soil. Yours may be infected, so keeps failing. There’s no cure but ample organic matter encourages good microbes to fight it and Neutrog’s Popul8 shows some promise in trials. Mulch is recommended too. Hot drying winds can also cause leaf and fruit drop.

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