Airport West
Design by natural garden specialist Alison Dean of Greenshade. Built by the Great Spaces construction team.
Brief
Alison Dean is a well-regarded landscape designer specialising in environmentally sensitive gardens inspired by the Australian bush. The owners of this western suburb residence commissioned her to design a private sanctuary and natural play space for their growing family. Then the Great Spaces team collaborated with Alison to construct and bring this natural garden to life.
Design
The vision for the garden was a natural landscape featuring native plants indigenous to the area’s geographic location. A biodiverse mix of native trees and ground coverings would form a natural habitat, complete with relaxing spaces and a veggie patch for growing produce, linked by meandering gravel paths. Volcanic basalt rocks, common to the western plains, would be used to retain earth on the sloping site to create a level lawn for the kids to play on and boulders to clamber over. We would also need to create a larger deck leading to a new outdoor dining space and erect fencing to screen the view from the street.
Construction
The site featured a significant slope falling from north to south which we needed to clear before commencing hard landscaping. Basalt boulders from RocksPlus were hand-picked, individually placed, and earth redistributed to create a terrace for the lawn and natural niches for planting. Paths were laid out along with rustic railway sleepers to form steps, make raised beds for edible produce, and benches to sit and contemplate. We joined two existing decks to create more entertaining space and better access. Rails, stainless cables, and fixings were installed, along with new stairs and paving to form an outdoor dining space. A slatted timber fence completed the works.
Planting included Eucalyptus pauciflora (Little Snowman) on the boundaries, which will provide more shade, and privacy and create the ambiance of a bush setting. Finally, native grasses, flowering ground cover, and shrubs were planted carefully to appear as they would in nature. The result is low maintenance, biodiverse, sustainable environment with spaces for the whole family to play, grow, explore, and enjoy together. They love it.
