William Dangar’s garden, Mollymook, NSW

It’s not often a garden looks so amazing that people driving by stop their cars and get out to take a closer look.

William Dangar’s garden, Mollymook, NSW. Picture: Prue Ruscoe

It’s not often a garden looks so amazing that people driving by stop their cars and get out to take a closer look. That happens all the time at this property in Mollymook, a favourite beachside holiday spot on the NSW south coast. “It’s a bit of a local tourist attraction,” admits the garden’s designer, William Dangar.

Unusually for an upmarket property, there is no fence separating the house from the street so those stopping to admire can enjoy the clever design and plant selections without trespassing. Yet the home itself is totally private, set along an elongated strip between road and sand dune-backed beachfront.

The property stretches across four blocks amalgamated by the owners, a professional couple with young children and a large extended family. Architects MCK, who designed the pavilion-style house, say privacy was achieved by turning the home’s back to the street and focusing its attention to the east.

William Dangar’s garden, Mollymook, NSW. Picture: Prue Ruscoe

Dangar’s blank, sandy canvas had just one tree, a stately Norfolk Island pine, which rises well above the house from the back garden. He says his biggest challenge was the depth of the front garden: “The street frontage is about 70m but from the front of the house to the road is a full 15m that is all garden bed and no lawn.” He used huge granite boulders, hand-picked and craned into position, to provide strong punctuation points, and a curving stepping stone path of local tallowwood stumps to link the entry and driveway. Overhead, his “macro layer” of trees such as kentia palms, tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) and tree aloes (Aloe barberae) add a protective element.

William Dangar’s garden, Mollymook, NSW. Picture: Prue Ruscoe

The garden beds display a limited number of species chosen for their form and texture (rather than flowers) to form rhythmic drifts of mass planting. These include Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica), Aloe ‘Bush Baby Yellow’, Cycas revoluta, Senecio talinoides ‘Icesticks’, Mauritius hemp (Furcraea foetida), star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Sassy’) and rush-leafed bird of paradise (Strelitzia juncea).

“I wanted it to look like a battle between nature and the built form,” says Dangar. “It has a sense of charm but I strived to make it look as if the landscape could obscure the house if it was left untended.” He also likes that the “wacky” tree aloes “give a bit of a Dr Seuss feel”.

William Dangar’s garden, Mollymook, NSW. Picture: Prue Ruscoe

On the beach side of the house, the private garden is understated, with lawn around the swimming pool, kentia palms for height, and perimeter garden beds that transition subtly to natural bush vegetation. More of the local coastal tea-trees (Leptospermum flavescens) were planted and the adjacent sand dune areas were weeded.

“The client has a great sense of style and focus on details, and there was tremendous collaboration between the team of architects, the builder and us,” says Dangar.

Q&A

To screen a neighbour we planted three eumundi quandongs (Elaeocarpus eumundi) five years ago. They’re 6m tall and lush but starting to thin at the bottom. If we prune the tops, will lower branches sprout? Ursula Lindner, by email

It’s a common problem for tall hedges to thin at the bottom, where they become increasingly shaded, especially if south- or east-facing. Regular pruning of the tops of hedges promotes more side growth. Once the lower branches are gone, it’s almost impossible to replace them. Pruning the tops from now on should help stop the thinning getting worse.

I have a native garden with a north-facing slope covered in weeds. I’ve tried wood chips but the weeds return. Would a fast, cheap groundcover replace the weeds? Lyndall Nelson, Sydney

Weeds are almost always stronger than a desirable groundcover, so get on top of the weeds first. Layer six to eight sheets of newspaper covered with at least 50mm of mulch to exclude light and suppress weeds. This might take a couple of months; you can spot-spray any outbreaks. Then plant your groundcover into holes through the mulch. Try Grevillea ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’ or ‘Bedspread’; Goodenia ‘Gold Cover’ or vigorous kangaroo vine (Cissus antarctica). Top up mulch as needed.

To maximise space in my small garden I place pot plants near established plants. Does this crush or harm the roots? Greg Horne, Perth

Unless they’re huge, heavy pots or they cover a plant’s entire root zone, they won’t harm established shrubs and trees. Roots could even benefit from staying cooler and moister under the pots. It’s a good strategy when root competition prohibits new plantings in the bed.

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Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Website: helenyoung.com.au. The best question for May wins the Ledlenser ML6 portable outdoor light and powerbank with variable brightness and attachment options, worth $179