Georgia Harper Landscape Design & Envirotech

PEACE OF MIND
an experiment in dry tropical style

In recent years, there's been an increase in people wanting a more 'resort/tropical/Balinese' style. It's an attempt to create a holiday feeling to give respite from an ever-increasing workload. Many people try to achieve this look using plants which are inappropriate for the Melbourne climate, and this ultimately leads to a poor result. On top of that, we are in the throes of a severe drought, and this will obviously have long term implications for how we design gardens in the future.

I designed Peace of Mind as an experiment to see if this look could be effectively adapted for the average Melbourne courtyard garden (as well as those in northern states) without using water dependent species.

The extra challenge is to make it a low-water use garden; I believe that water restrictions in Melbourne are going to be a fact of life for years to come (or should be) - so creating a garden that can invoke the tropical style without the excessive water requirements of tropical plants is the most important part of the challenge for me.

Finally, in combining native and exotic plants, I wanted to demonstrate that a garden doesn't have to adhere strictly to one type of planting - all too often, people associate 'native' plants with scraggly bush and unkempt form - and 'exotic' plants with being water hoarders. This garden is attempting to dispel the myth that all natives are dry and brittle looking, and that you can't combine them with other exotic species (as long as you are careful) to create a lush paradise that is light on water use.

The Brief

I based the design on the average inner-city courtyard size of about 6x6m, for a professional couple with an urban sense of style as well as a requirement to create a special place to relax and recharge. I also based plant selection largely on the site itself - an almost totally shaded garden area. The typical requirements of this kind of client and site are:

• It must be able to be created with a realistic budget,
• It must look appealing year-round
• It must be easy to look after & be low water use
• It must be versatile in terms of use for a young urban couple ie space for meditation, for entertaining, space to be together, and space to be apart

The Garden - Peace of Mind

Peace of Mind has been designed to create a calm, inner sanctuary feeling, where one can relax, meditate, unwind and get away from the noise of modern life.

At the entrance to the garden, the visitor is welcomed by a giant pot, over which towers a high timber beam - from this beam, a stream of objects 'showers' into the pot, a kind of kinetic movement, catching the light and creating a 'waterless' feature. Water is again symbolised by pebbles running across the front of the garden, under the tumbled limestone 'step bridge', reflecting ambient light up into the garden area.

Two large platforms form the main structure of the space - the main platform suitable for entertaining or relaxing in the Dedon Yin Yang lounge. The rear platform is a second area for more 'remote' meditation.

These platforms are paved in tumbled limestone, with timber edging, to give a calming, soft and natural feel to the surroundings.

A planter in verdigris copper represents another important element of the stone/earth/air/water/mineral group, adding texture and another level change to the overall layout. The area is surrounded by lush plantings to give the garden depth, and there is a focus on foliage colour and texture.

The overall effect is to be ensconced in a private retreat, surrounded by calming tones, natural materials, therapeutic elements and soft foliage textures. Peace of Mind has been created to show that you can not only have a tropical-style retreat in your small urban space, but that it can be done using low-maintenance and low-water use plantings in a combination of native and exotic species.

The Plan

You can download the plan for Peace Of Mind below - but please note, this plan was developed specifically for the show site, and may not be suitable for another location.

Download the plan (PDF - 209Kb)

Plants List

The plants used for Peace of Mind have been selected for their foliage interest first and foremost, with a colour scheme that is predominantly red, green, and very pale blue (glaucous). Leaf texture varies from the soft blue-green leaves of Yucca and Dietes, to the smooth dark reds and purples, Cordyline compacta, and Cordyline nigra, and the rich greens of Ficus lyrata, Dracena marginata and Thysanolaena maxima.

Species were also chosen on the basis of availability to the average person.

The overall result is a planting scheme that meets the criteria of a tropical / low water use / low maintenance garden with plenty of contrast and depth.

Other plants used include:
Tristaniopsis laurina
Ficus lyrata
Thysanolaena maxima
Eleaocarpus reticulatus
Dietes grandiflora
Dracena marginata
Festuca glauca
Cycas revoluta
Cordyline nigra
Yucca sp.
Cordyline compacta
Lomandra longifolia
Helleborus

Materials & Other

The materials and furniture used for Peace of Mind are as follows:

Paving
'Capris' Tumbled Limestone from Eco Concepts, edged in Jarrah

Day Bed
Dedon 'Yin Yang' daybed from Domo Collections

Water Feature
Large Pot from water Features Direct, post and feature custom made

Garden built by Envirotech Constructions.