Contemporary, compact courtyard design
A huge garden umbrella provides all-over coverage to this cosy outdoor courtyard design, providing this landscape designer with an enclosed, low-maintenance garden for his own home.
Beginning with a blank slate, Ami began his courtyard design by planning the decking area. "We managed to fit a sizeable deck in the right-hand side of the garden, which is almost invisible when you look out from the house," he says. "With the water feature in the opposite corner, the rest of the design kind of fell into place."
Although nicely tucked away to one side, the timber decking area is where all the fun happens. With its outdoor dining setting, this space is ideal for entertaining and extends the interior living space of the home. There's a barbeque on the deck and an intimate atmosphere created by high fences.
Ami explains that little touches, such as the positioning of a bench along the back of the courtyard create symmetry between the elements in the garden. "The bench joins the deck area to the water feature, unifying the design," he says. "Those little aspects, that weren't so expensive, make all the difference."
A large garden umbrella spreads across the entire courtyard area and after noon each day, shade from the house also covers much of the garden. "It's a great umbrella; it covers the whole garden," says Ami. "It's a nine-and-a-half-metre area and that's a nine-metre umbrella. It was not made to measure, but we're lucky it fits so neatly."
The plentiful shade helps keep the plants from drying out and protects the outdoor furniture and timber decking from the elements. The small garden, with its hardy trees, hedges and mondo grass, does not require regular watering and is able to survive on occasional rainfall.
With timber and sandstone groundcover, there is no grass to mow or water, though Ami has considered adding some extra greenery. "I'm thinking about adding some artificial grass over the pavers," says Ami. "There are much more natural looking grasses on the market now and it's hard to tell they're not real."
With its low-maintenance design, this courtyard is perfect for the gardener who'd rather relax than tend to his own backyard at the end of a working day.
Ami Bauer, Landscape Designer from Ami-Co Gardening and Home Services and Homeowner
What inspired the selection of plants in this courtyard design?
The garden beds near the water feature were very narrow, so we tried to soften them by wrapping the hedge around the water feature and then greening the wall on the left with plants so it didn't look like a big brick wall (which it is).
What kind of hedge did you use?
The hedge is called buxus. People usually use Japanese buxus, but this one's the Korean type. It's called micro micro and it's a variety that never gets big. It has grown a bit since we first put it in, but won't get much bigger than it is now.
Who was involved in the design process?
I worked with landscape designer Michael Zinn for extra design ideas and to create a two-dimensional plan. I like to have plans drawn up for added peace of mind when the landscape is a blank-canvas like this one was.
Did you have any problems getting council approval for this courtyard design?
We took a lot of trees out when planning the house and garden, as there were some old palm trees where the dining table now sits. The council insisted we put something back, so we put in that central tree. In the end, the tree is really nice, but we won't let it grow taller than the umbrella.
What do you love about this garden?
The huge garden umbrella is great. I also love the water feature and the mood of the space at night.
How do you enjoy the courtyard at night?
It's nice to close the umbrella and open the space right up, so it doesn't feel like you're in a room all the time. But usually we enjoy the indoorsy feel. We chose to make it a room rather than a garden. We have a park down the road and that's where we go if we need an open space.
What are some of the features you included in the landscaping?
We chose sandstone to match the stone used in our house. I was keen to incorporate a multi-level effect for visual interest. With the water feature, we brought in some calming sounds and great underwater lighting.
Featured Outdoor Products
- Pavers - Indonesian sandstone
- Decorative grass - Mondo grass
- Hedge - Korean buxus (micro micro)
- Plants under umbrella - Azaleas
- Decking - Hardwood timber
- Other plants - Agaves
- Plants on wall - Jasmine
- Plant opposite water feature - Camellia
- Water feature statue - Buddha statue
- Water feature - Australian sandstone
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