SILVER LINING

This contemporary native garden design enjoys the tick of approval from council without scrimping on style and structure

- TENEAL ZUVELA

When Jane and Andrew began renovating their heritage-listed weatherboard property in a leafy East Melbourne suburb, they were eager to give the landscape just as much attention as the home.

“The existing garden was completely overgrown and had been uncared for, for many years,” explains Andrew. The couple, who live here with their three adult children, Patrick, Tom and Sophie, plus two Miniature Schnauzers, envisioned a welcoming garden at the front and a functional outdoor living space at the back, complete with a swimming pool and wide lawn.