A greeenminded landscape design project

Tiffany wanted to be able to entertain on their new deck, which overlooked the yard, and she was keen to spruce up the space. She and her husband knew the sort of feel they wanted, but didn't have specific plants or designs in mind to fulfill those ideas.

They spoke to several landscape designers, but the one they liked the most was Greg Cooke from Greenminded Landscapes. "Greg communicated to us really well and seemed to understand what we wanted," says Tiffany. 

Greg picked up on the fact that Tiffany and her husband were looking for a low-maintenance garden with a tropical feel. He went out and sourced photographs of certain plants and presented them to the owners for their opinion. He directed Tiffany to a garden supplier so she could select some garden statues as 'accent points' to draw the eye and add beauty and interest to the garden.

And then he and his team went to work. There was one small problem, though: access to the yard was only through a narrow gate at the end of a long narrow path. Greg didn't want his team to be transporting all the tonnes of materials - soil, pavers, plants and other equipment - via wheelbarrows, so he came up with the idea of driving a pair of 'dingoes' - similar to little bobcats - through the house. They would put down tarpaulins and then soil to protect the tiles inside the house and then they would be able to put the dingoes to work in the yard, rotary hoeing the lawn area before putting down the turf.

Although Tiffany was initially dubious about the idea, she gave the go ahead - and it all worked out fine. There was no damage and Greg and his team cleaned up carefully afterwards.

Outside they put down an irrigation system and connected it to a rainwater tank. They planted hedges along the fences for screens, put in a few tropical plants like palms and flaxes, laid out some lawn and some pavers near the house. 

And Tiffany and her husband are delighted with their new garden, and also with their choice of landscaper.

"Greg did what he said he would do, and he did it on time," says Tiffany. "He took our ideas and enhanced them with his own knowledge and advice, and everything has turned out exactly as he said it would."

Greg Cooke

Greenminded Landscapes

What did the clients want from you?

They had just moved into a new house and they wanted to redo the whole garden. They were looking for something contemporary and low maintenance with a tropical sort of feel, and they had a young family and wanted some open lawn areas for the kids to play in too.

How did the garden look before you started work on it? 

It was quite old and tired looking, like a grandma's garden. There were a few old plants that hadn't been pruned and looked untidy. The whole garden had been let go and it was overgrown and just not very inviting. There was a big old aviary, too, which we had to take down.

So how did you go about meeting the clients' brief?

We cleared the whole place out and put in an irrigation system, which was connected up to a rainwater tank. We laid down some turf, put in some hardy plants including some tropical plants and some murraya for a screening hedge, installed some pavers and also put in some sculptures as accent points. 

Were there any unusual challenges involved in the job?

Yes. The access to the yard was terrible; there was only a tiny opening round the side of the house and to get to that you had to go down the drive and then along a long skinny path. We ended up having to drive a couple of dingoes - which are like little bobcats - through the house!

How did you accomplish that?

We put down a big tarpaulin and covered it in dirt and then drove carefully over that. We built little ramps out of dirt and had to manoeuvre the dingoes through a set of glass doors and down into the yard. We were all a bit worried about it but it worked out fine and saved us a lot of labour. 

Tiffany

Why did you choose Greg at Greenminded Landscapes to do the work?

We had quite a few quotes come in from a variety of landscapers, but we chose Greg because he communicated to us really well and seemed to understand what we wanted. He was very detailed, giving us fully realised design plans and different options in terms of plants, along with knowledgeable advice.

And what did you want for your new garden?

We wanted to screen out the neighbours to make the yard more private and we wanted to cover the old fence. We wanted fast-growing plants, including a few natives, and we wanted a few flaxes and palms and sort of a tropical feel. We wanted foliage colour in the garden, but not so many flowers. 

How did you want to use the space? What were your priorities there?

We've got two children and we wanted a space for them to be able to play soccer and so on. We've got a nice deck on the side of the house so we wanted to entertain, and we wanted it to look nice outside and be an attractive space to look at. We didn't want to have to spend much time maintaining it.

What did you think of the plan to drive the little bobcats through the house?

I was a bit freaked out at first. But it was the only way they could do it and they were very professional and very speedy, so we didn't have to put up with it for long. And there was no damage, and they cleaned up afterwards very carefully. It was all worth it in the end.

Would you recommend Greenminded Landscapes to your friends?

Absolutely. Greg is a great communicator, and he was reliable, unlike some other tradies. He did what he said he would do, and did it on time. He took our ideas and enhanced them with his own knowledge and advice, and everything has turned out exactly as he said it would. They were great.