Australian Case Study Garden

Winner of the City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best in Show, as well as a Gold Show Garden award and the keenly contested Horticultural Media was an homage to the Australian backyard and its many incarnations and uses over time. Evoking the laid-back lifestyle for which we have always been famed, the garden, designed by Eckersley Garden Architecture, boasted a loose, organic planting style. Harking back to the gardens of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, the planting palette was a mix of robust natives and exotics with produce gardens integrated into the design to reflect our growing interest in a more sustainable way of life. Importantly, the design used materials and plants accessible to all. From the veggie patch to the gum trees, and from the outdoor fireplace/barbecue to the lawn (just enough for a game of cricket), pond and brick front fence, the garden offered a host of recognisable elements, each given a contemporary twist. Brick (in this case San Selmo reclaimed bricks from Brickworks), a traditional backyard material, provided an informal structure that framed and complemented the soft, sculptural plantings. An organic footprint of broken crazy paving (Luca paving from Eco Outdoor) combined with gravel, linked the spaces, offered textural variation and also allowed planting to ramble throughout. The juxtaposition of the old and the new was engaging. An example of the old was the Hills Hoist; an example of the new, the modern Featherston chairs and Ellis curved bench from Grazia & Co.