NATURAL WONDER

An inspired garden provides the ideal link between a sleek new home and its rugged coastal setting.

- Chris Pearson

Natives, including an existing Metrosideros species hedge, form a borrowed backdrop for the garden. Meanwhile a Chilean myrtle (Luma apiculata) stands sentry in a pot from Kellock Trading at the front door. While an exotic, it is perfectly attuned to the harsh coastal conditions and makes a strong sculptural statement.

The spectacular architecture by Lachlan Shepherd Architects, with its timber battens and off-form concrete, is the perfect complement to this “rugged yet polished” garden. With its larger foliage, a fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) inside the house echoes the tractor seat plant (Ligularia reniformis) in the bed below. 

The Grass Pave permeable driveway by Austral Masonry creates a soft and alluring welcome, highlighted by the off-form concrete retaining wall and bluestone pavers. Tractor seat (Ligularia reniformis) offsets the Chilean myrtle (Luma apiculata) in the pot, while native violet (Viola hederacea) forms a dense carpet underfoot. Hardy silver jade plant (Crassula arborescens), water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina) and lilly pilly (Syzygium ‘Elite’) also share the front garden.