Hillside hideaway
A designer’s eye for detail infuses this lush, textured, canopied melange of structural plants, clipped balls, natives and flowers in northern New South Wales
A landscape designer’s lush garden that skillfully combines sculptural elements with native and flowering plants on a sloping site
Landscape designer Claudia Nevell’s beautiful hillside garden is so close to the jetty and marina in Coffs Harbour, on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, you sometimes hear the call of seagulls. The entrance is softened with pandanus, bamboo and a weeping melaleuca, but there’s little hint of just how fabulous the lush 2500m2 site really is.
The entrance is at street level, so it’s not until you head downstairs that you glimpse the garden. Wall-to-ceiling glass on the northern side draws your eyes beneath the covered terrace to a sheltered courtyard, while a climbing frangipani frames the view to the garden on the west.
When you emerge beneath the vine, there’s a quiet expanse of lawn bordered by understorey plants and a band of trees. The grandest tree of all is a camphor laurel. Although it’s considered a pest in the countryside, Claudia’s is such a mecca for birds that it has earnt a reprieve. Dozens of bird species either live permanently in the garden or pass through during the year.
A raised timber deck jutting onto the lawn marks an area for entertaining. From here, there are northern glimpses past the garden and over rooftops to hills in the distance. It’s where Claudia and her husband, Peter, relax in the evening or catch up with their friends or their adult children, Katrina and Jimmy, when they’re in town. You’d never know you were in the middle of suburbia.
a rich tapestry
Low stone walls on the edge of the lawn support a plethora of tough understorey plants. Philodendron ‘Xanadu’, variegated Chinese star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica), spear lily (Doryanthes palmeri) and cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea) are accented with the giant red bromeliad Alcantarea imperialis ‘Rubra’.
Tucked away at the highest point in the garden, on the southern side, is Claudia’s vegetable garden, which is fenced off to deter marauding local fauna. From there, the block spills northwards, beneath the trees and across the lawn, to the lower section. Numerous palms give a subtropical character, including Alexander palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae), silver-leafed Bismarckia nobilis and cabbage-tree palm (Livistona australis). Thriving native trees include weeping paperbarks (Melaleuca leucadendra), lillypilly (Syzygium spp.) and lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora).
Rather than creating structured terraces, Claudia has woven gravel paths through the sloping site. Heavier gravel and small rocks are used in ‘creek beds’ that morph into little streams in heavy downpours. The weight and size of the pebbles allows water to flow freely without loss of precious soil or plants. It’s a well-executed plan.
“I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to get your earthworks right. Levels and drainage are almost impossible to fix later, so seek professional help,” advises Claudia, adding that difficult sites can work well when these issues are addressed.
In this lower section of the garden, you get the impression there are no boundaries, as neighbouring properties are hidden behind the growth. There are many layers of textures: wavy mounds of Helichrysum petiolare, wispy native grasses, strappyleafed clumps, masses of fleshy-leafed agave and plumes of tiger grass that shimmer in the wind. Then there are accent plants such as standard grevilleas, patches of red-stemmed, luscious lime
water canna (Thalia dealbata), and tightly clipped buxus cones and spheres.
“It’s rarely about one type of plant,” says Claudia. “Instead, it’s all about grouping, interaction with other plants and location.” Her favourites include Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Firesticks’, the candelabra tree (Euphorbia ingens), the giant sun-loving bromeliad Aechmea blanchetiana, hybrid aloes and Kalanchoe ‘Copper Spoons’.
“All of these have to be balanced with less showy species to make them work, and to tone it all down,” she says.
colourful choices
Overlooking the lower garden is another residence, The Jetty House, which is used as guest accommodation. Claudia admits that a grove of bamboo planted for privacy between the two dwellings may have been a mistake. “Impulsive, emotionally driven decisions will come back to haunt you,” she says. “It could be excessive maintenance, unwanted shading, the loss of a view, or a plant that turns into a weed and takes years to get rid of. I’m still battling the clumping bamboos I planted 20 years ago!”
Part of the bamboo grove meets a terracotta-coloured courtyard wall. The same colour has been used on a wall inside the courtyard, where the intimate space has a sense of exotica. Two large frangipanis, one just outside the wall and the other in the courtyard corner, provide shade and fragrance during summer. In winter, when all the leaves have fallen, the sun filters through their sculptural branches.
A raised pond jutting out from a tiled panel on the back wall is home to frogs and fish. Pots of bromeliads flank the pond and the patio steps. A checkerboard of tiles and mondo grass provides a lively floor. On the higher level, a cluster of terracotta pots filled with various green foliage plants provides a striking contrast to the weathered steel doors.
In a garden of this size, there’s always plenty to do. Claudia believes it’s almost impossible to have a no-maintenance garden – a request she gets from many clients. “If you are disciplined and don’t expect your garden to change much during the seasons, it can be done,” she says.
“It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to pare back a design to a few key elements that work together, and to create an exciting space that people don’t tire of, and which provides interest year-round.”
simple pleasures
As time passes, Claudia is simplifying her garden. “I’m gradually getting rid of plants that require constant work to keep them looking good,” she explains. “I’m also planting larger groups of plants, rather than interspersing and repeating smaller groups. Planning is essential, but often it is fun to follow your intuition and experiment.”
Over the years, Claudia has been inspired by visiting gardens around the world and listening to lectures by other designers. She, in turn, has inspired others. When I ask her what brings the most pleasure, looking at her now-mature garden, she says it’s the sense of privacy and space. “The trees and palms have matured. It’s satisfying to see they have been well placed. It is worth planting slow-growing plants such as dragon trees, grass trees, tree aloes and pandanus.
They are all making a big impact now.
The time seems to have flown.”