Kambah Bush Home

A young couple's first home and garden.

A beautiful contemporary house designed by Gina Carmody, from CarmodybyDesign, that backs onto a large reserve. This was a dual occupancy development so the garden design was prepared for both homes.

The owners had some ideas about what the style of garden they wanted and a limited budget to achieve it. In conjunction with the owners, I designed an easy care bush garden with drought tolerant plants that could handle a very active dog, with the owners and extended family doing the grunt work.

The garden is a mix of native and exotic plants. We made the most of existing plantings like the Photinia hedge to maintain privacy, pleaching it to give a more contemporary look. An underplanting of Mondo grass gives Stanley the dog a lush, cool area to rest on. A mix of leaf form, shape and colour provide year round interest.

Dwarf snow gums complement the gums on the reserve and they will grow to give privacy around the fire pit area. The slightly open fence detail gives some view to the reserve and allows breezes to flow into the yard.

Large concrete planters gave instant height to screen the deck and place plantings at a height that are enjoyed from the deck and inside the house.

The owners completed the work with help from family and achieved an amazing garden. They maintained it themselves and are much more confident gardeners. Photos show the garden 18 months after the initial planting and the last photo is the blank block before building.