An idyllic island landscape design
Landscape designer John Harper is based in Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays and a large part of his design work has occurred on nearby Hamilton Island. He has designed numerous gardens for private residents of the idyllic island, as well as completed works for the resort itself. So when Peter asked his architect who would be the most appropriate designer to take care of the landscaping of his island holiday house, it was only logical that he recommended John. Peter wanted a low-maintenance garden that would grow well in the local climate. "We love tropical plants, so we asked for a tropical garden," says Peter. "And we wanted some lawn areas for the kids to play on." They also wanted to be screened from their neighbours. John listened carefully to Peter's ideas and then set about creating a garden which has a pleasantly formal tropical feel around the house itself and a wilder, more natural 'bushy'" feel closer to its edges. "It gives a feeling like the boundaries between garden and natural vine forest are blurred," says John. "You've got that formal garden with all the tropical plants and the pool and the lush lawn surrounded by thick native woodland, which is a nice effect." Building the house required the construction team to clear the thick and tangled bush and then terrace the steep slope, and John used local boulders to shore up the garden beds and give a natural feel to the landscape. He encouraged indigenous plants to grow close to the boundaries of the property, and put in tropical palm trees, hibiscus hedges and beautiful green lawns to enhance the more formal areas of the garden. "We're in a sub-tropical zone here, and that gives us a really good palette of plants to work with," says John. "Most tropical plants grow here pretty well, as well as quite a few things you wouldn't be able to grow further north." Peter and his family are now based in Hong Kong, and although they don't make it down to Hamilton as often as they'd like, they love their property on the island and intend to hold onto it forever. "The whole concept of the house is about getting away from it all and being surrounded by peace and tranquillity," says Peter. "The garden is a large part of that. It was great the way John turned our ideas about a tropical retreat into a physical reality." John Harper Have you done much work on Hamilton Island before? I have. I've been working on Hamilton for something like 12 years, doing designs for private residents and also for the resort. I've probably done between 50 and 100 jobs on the island, so I know the climate pretty well and what works there and what doesn't. How does the climate there affect your designs and the sorts of plants you can use? We're in a sub-tropical zone here, and that gives us a really good palette of plants to work with. Most tropical plants grow here pretty well, as well as quite a few things you wouldn't be able to grow further north. The island uses recycled sewerage water so we have to be canny with our irrigation. What did the job involve? They were having their house built on what was a tangled bushy slope, so it was all a new development. The architect and builder needed to terrace the property because there was quite a steep slope, so once that cutting and filling was done we worked within that with our designs and planting. What was the client's brief to you? They use the house as a holiday house, so they wanted it to be fairly low maintenance. They wanted a really pleasant area just around the house and around the pool, with lawns and tropical plants like palm trees, and they also wanted to ensure privacy with lots of screening trees. What sorts of plants did you put around the boundaries of the property? We planted the area below the property and around its boundaries with indigenous plants which grow naturally in that area. They screen the property really well and the gradual blurring from natural vine forest to formal garden makes the whole property blend in well with the natural bush. Peter Why did you choose John to do the work? He was recommended to us by the architect who was building the house. He told us that John had done a great deal of work on Hamilton and was clever at designing tropical-style gardens that stood the test of time. How did the property look before building and landscaping began? It was a steep slope covered in lantana and scrub. The vegetation was so thick that it made it quite hard to work out where the best views were and where the lie of the land was. Looking at it then, it was hard to work out exactly what we had to work with. What was your brief to John? The house is our holiday house, so we wanted something that was fairly low maintenance but interesting. We love tropical plants, so we asked for a tropical garden. Privacy was important, so we asked for tall plants for screens on the boundaries. And we wanted some lawn areas for the kids to play on. Are you pleased with the finished work? Absolutely. We love the garden and the way it's evolving. The plants have really grown and they complement each other so well. We really like the way John was able to make the more formal parts of the garden blend in with the natural bushland at the edges, almost like the boundaries are blurred. Was John easy to work with and would you recommend him to others? He was terrific. He has great plant and design knowledge and he did a great job. The whole concept of this house is about getting away from it all and being surrounded by peace and tranquillity, and the garden is a large part of that. It was great the way John turned our ideas into a reality.
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