FOCAL POINTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

A Melbourne garden is brought to life with multiple complementary elements

- Cassandra Elliott

The team at AQL Landscape Design had their work cut out for them with this design brief. The clients wanted their Melbourne garden to really flourish, with a focal water feature plus a social setting for gatherings, plus they wanted to highlight some areas and soften others.

Thankfully, with the help of the Australian Quality Landscaping construction team, AQL met the brief with what they call a “country-themed garden with a contemporary twist”.

Firstly, the idea was to create a country-style garden with a strong emphasis on vibrant flower colour, for visual interest throughout the seasons as well as food production. The team decided to focus on yellow, orange, white and red flowers in one area and blue, pink and yellow in another.

As the design brief asked for focal points throughout, AQL Landscape Design got creative to meet these objectives, explaining that they also always aim to design a space so that it appears larger than it is.

The homeowners initially requested a gathering space (or “chill-out” zone) for the teenagers. The resulting rear sitting deck is now the perfect space for socialising. The timber decking was built around an existing ornamental pear tree, which provides great shade to the sitting area. And the addition of a Corten steel screen contrasts nicely with the existing red-brick wall.