A coastal landscape design project

Just beyond the rear boundary of the property stretched a beautiful national park, and Janice had some ideas about making her new garden blend in with this.

"When we lived in the city we used to have pretty manicured gardens with roses and so on," she says. "Now that we were in the country on the coast we wanted something quite different."

Janice spoke to several landscapers, but Peter Shaw from Ocean Road Landscaping was the one whose ideas best matched her own. So she engaged the growing company, which had over 20 years experience landscaping in the local area.

Peter and Janice decided on a planting regime consisting mainly of plants indigenous to the area. The first requirement was to bring in some good-quality topsoil, since the area had suffered some erosion over the years. Once this was in, native shrubs like correa were planted, along with native grasses, and mulch was put down to keep the soil moist. A water-efficient irrigation system was put in just to help the plants get established. 

Over the next couple of months the garden took shape. Several medium-sized eucalypts and casuarinas were brought in. Paths were laid out, with natural boulders for steps. The areas adjacent to the house were mostly kept free from vegetation, in line with fire safety requirements. The whole process was highly collaborative between Peter and Janice.

"Once the initial idea of producing a natural landscape filled with indigenous, low-water plants was decided on, the design of the garden then evolved through lots of discussion," says Peter. "If something didn't quite work then we just went back and changed it."

Janice and her husband are hugely pleased with their new garden. 

"Because it's filled with native plants the garden is very low maintenance, but I can potter around doing things if I want to," says Janice. "And it brings in the most wonderful birds and butterflies."

Peter Shaw

Ocean Road Landscaping

How did you come by the work?

Our company was based in the coastal town where the property is located. The owners had seen some of our work and had liked what we'd done. They were looking for a particular feel for their garden and we'd done some work along those lines in the past. 

What sort of look were they going for?

They had just built a new house on a property that adjoins a national park on two sides, and they wanted something that would complement that natural bushland. They wanted something that looked native and natural and blended into the surrounding countryside, so that meant lots of indigenous plants.

What did the property look like before you started your landscaping work?

It was quite bare, and they didn't have much remnant vegetation worth keeping, apart from a few trees. It had also been quite eroded from water running across the area over the years, so there wasn't much good-quality topsoil left.

So how did you go about landscaping the property?

We brought in lots of topsoil and put mulch down on top of that, then put in plants that were mainly indigenous to the area. We put in some drip-irrigation systems just to help the plants establish themselves. We also designed and constructed some natural-looking paths, using boulders for steps.

Did you consult with the client on the design for the paths and the plants that you put in?

The whole process was very collaborative. Once the initial idea of producing a natural landscape filled with indigenous, low-water plants was decided upon, the design of the garden then evolved through lots of discussion, and if something didn't quite work then we went back and changed it.

Janice

Why did you decide that you needed some landscaping done on your property?

We had just had a house built on a property that is next to a national park. The land needed to be cleared slightly for the building to go ahead, and once that was done the garden was quite barren, with a lot of weedy type things that we didn't like. There were a few trees left but not much else.

Why did you choose Ocean Road Landscaping to design and construct your new garden?

We actually spoke to several landscaping companies as we tried to decide who would be best to do the work, but we just liked the ideas that Peter came up with for the property. We really liked the concept of making the garden blend in with the surrounding area.

How did the landscaping process evolve?

I knew that I wanted a natural-looking garden, so we didn't want anything that looked too solid or man-made. They put in some quite mature trees around the garden, and we decided to use boulders rather than timber for steps in the path. They planted small grasses and shrubs, which have flourished.

How did you decide on the location and design for the paths?

Well we needed them to be practical in terms of getting around the garden, and we needed to keep fire safety in mind. So we kept most of the area right around the house free from vegetation and put in paths which allowed us to just get around the property and have access where we needed to.

Are you pleased with the results of the landscaping process?

We're very pleased. We now have a beautiful, natural-looking garden filled with indigenous plants, which bring the birds and the butterflies in. I would highly recommend Ocean Road Landscaping - they were very efficient and clever and Peter is a real gentleman and so are the rest of the staff.