Three Gardens, Three Very Different Approaches

A great landscape should never feel as though it has been applied to a home as an afterthought. It should belong there –  shaped by the architecture, the site and, just as importantly, the people who will live with it every day.

That is something PureGreen Landscapes demonstrates beautifully across three very different Perth projects. From an east coast-inspired garden in Claremont to the grounds of a heritage Subiaco cottage and a lush side passage in Mosman Park, each has its own personality. What connects them is a strong understanding of plants, materials and how a garden will change as it matures.

Claremont

There is a particular kind of garden that stops you at the gate. Lush without becoming unruly, layered without feeling busy, it draws you in almost instinctively. This Claremont garden does exactly that.

Relocating from Sydney, the owners arrived with a clear picture of what they wanted: something softer and greener than the typical Perth streetscape, with an east coast influence and just a touch of the tropics.

 

 

It was a brief that relied heavily on horticultural knowledge. Choosing individual plants was only part of the equation. The real skill lay in understanding how different forms, heights, textures and colours would work together so the garden felt established rather than newly installed.

At its centre is a silver birch, its pale papery trunk and light canopy bringing an airy quality to the garden while casting dappled shadows across the organic stepping stones below. Native violet has begun to weave between the paving, softening the edges and giving the pathway a more natural feel.

At the rear, a large cycad introduces something altogether more sculptural. Its strong architectural form plays against the delicacy of the birch, while miscanthus, copper spoons, New Zealand rock lilies and liquorice plant fill the spaces between.

The contrast is what makes the planting work. Fine foliage sits beside broad leaves, softness beside structure, giving the garden layers that continue to reveal themselves as you move through the space.

White rendered walls frame the planting on either side, making the greenery feel even more pronounced and drawing the eye towards the rear of the garden. It is immersive without being overdone, and already has the character of a landscape that has been there far longer than it has.

Gloster Street, Subiaco

A heritage cottage asks for an entirely different response.

At Gloster Street in Subiaco, PureGreen Landscapes took on the full design and construction of a garden where new elements needed to sit naturally alongside an older home.

Recycled brick edging begins the story at the front garden, picking up on the warmth and texture of the cottage, while organic bluestone steppers form a relaxed pathway towards the entrance.

 

 

Indian Hawthorn ‘Indica Alba’ runs along the boundary fence, joined by three ornamental pear trees that turn golden yellow in late autumn and bring a dramatic seasonal change to the streetscape.

The stepping stone treatment continues down the eastern side of the house, where native violet is gradually spreading between each stone. Buxus balls, tractor seat plants, New Zealand rock lilies and Miss Muffets bring a mix of rounded forms, glossy foliage and variation in height.

Near the deck, a weeping Japanese maple introduces an entirely different character. Its fine burgundy foliage sits beautifully against the cottage’s white-painted timber and gives the sheltered corner a slightly unexpected twist.

Further along, a powder-coated black trellis gate creates a strong transition into the next part of the garden, with white wisteria trained across the structure. As the climber matures and begins to wrap itself around the frame, the effect will only become more striking.

Beyond it lies one of the project’s standout elements: a long run of crazy paving in Luca stone.

Crazy paving can look wonderfully natural when it is done well, but achieving that apparent informality takes enormous care. Every piece needs to relate to the next, creating movement without appearing repetitive or overly planned.

Here, the Luca stone brings its own visual interest. In sunlight, variations through the surface become more apparent, with changes in tone and texture giving the paving a richness that is difficult to capture in photography.

It is the sort of detail that makes you slow down and look twice — and in a garden built around an old Subiaco cottage, that feels entirely appropriate.

Saunders Street, Mosman Park

Not every memorable part of a garden needs to be expansive.

At Saunders Street in Mosman Park, PureGreen Landscapes has turned a narrow side passage into one of those spaces that makes you rethink what would otherwise have been purely functional.

Organic bluestone steppers create the pathway through the area, again softened with native violet running between the stones. On both sides, the planting is generous enough to make the passage feel enclosed by greenery without becoming cramped.

 

 

Tractor seat plants and New Zealand rock lilies bring broad, glossy foliage through the beds, while tall stems of vivid yellow flowers from the tractor seat plants add flashes of colour above the lower planting.

It is a simple combination, but an effective one. The garden changes throughout the year rather than relying on one moment of impact.

Bay trees provide screening along the boundary, bringing height and a strong evergreen backdrop while keeping the space visually open.

At the end wall, Ficus pumila has been allowed room to establish itself. Over time, it will spread across the surface, turning what might otherwise have been a blank architectural boundary into a wall of living green.

And that may be one of the most telling details across all three gardens.

PureGreen Landscapes designs for what a garden will become, not only how it looks on the day the final plant goes into the ground. Trees will develop canopies, climbers will cover walls and structures, groundcovers will creep between stones and planting will begin to knit together.

It is that understanding of time, growth and how people actually experience a garden that gives each of these projects its character. Different homes, different briefs and completely different landscapes — yet every one feels exactly where it belongs.

 

P 0425 873 961 (Sam Brown)
E enquiries@puregreenlandscapes.com.au
W puregreenlandscapes.com.au