Design principals, Vivid Design

The brief

After a home extension took out most of their rear garden, Melbourne homeowners Lindy and Peter Giddy were keen to enhance the remaining outdoor spaces. At the front, they wanted to move away from traditional box hedging – and a dominant concrete driveway – to a garden that would be visually softer and low-maintenance. They still needed to accommodate cars, but their priority was to bring greenery to the fore. At the side of the home, they were seeking to create a private outdoor dining zone surrounded by plant life.

The solution

Carolyn and Joby replaced the angular concrete driveway with bluestone crazy paving laid in curved paths, hugged by lush green groundcovers. “This gives the entrance a gentler, softer feel,” says Carolyn. They devised a layered planting scheme in greens and whites, including groundcovers ( Dichondra repens, Trachelospermum asiaticum), mid-level plants (hydrangeas, renga renga lilies, Indian hawthorn) and trees (maples and birches). The side deck was transformed with timber screens, thick border plantings, oversized pots, espaliered lemon trees and a cascading rill, fulfilling the Giddys’ request for a water element.

Designer statement

“This garden is soft and textural. It wasn’t designed to be showy, but to conjure lovely feelings when you’re in it,” says Carolyn.