There for the picking Take inspiration from this eyecatching inner-city space where vegie crops rule

the old gardening rule of flowers out the front and vegies up the back is getting a rethink. If you have a passion for food and entertaining, then every inch of your garden offers productive potential and, with a little careful planning, you can have a vegie-filled landscape that still looks fabulous. This eye-catching inner-city space uses the contemporary style of corten steel and gravel to elevate its crops to the next level, while retaining plenty of space for family play.

ABOUT THE GARDEN

Sandwiched between a twostorey factory and a laneway, the gardens of this 100-yearold cottage still manage to feel open and spacious, due to their careful planning. Designed by the owner, Lucinda Mcmanus, and constructed by her husband Matthew, the gardens accommodate lots of space for growing food crops – both front and rear – while still offering

a lawn, an alfresco eating area and a separate outdoor cooking zone dubbed the ‘Barbequorium’.

FRONT AND BACK

In the front garden, a west-facing factory wall caused the lawn to struggle, so it was removed and replaced with salt-andpepper gravel and corten steel raised beds, filled with edibles and ornamentals. An existing wide-canopied frangipani and a hedge of sasanqua camellia were retained, while Boston ivy was planted on the stark factory wall to provide greenery and seasonal colour in autumn.

The rear garden, which was originally sloping, has been terraced to create three levels. A paved area adjoining the house accommodates an outdoor dining space, while a separate barbecue area right at the back of the garden was raised up, so as not to interfere with the roots of a mature jacaranda. A lawn divides the two. A fabulous vertical garden on the side wall features grasses, succulents, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ and society garlic (Tulbaghia sp.).