How To... Work A Round

This Sydney garden has been elevated in more ways than one, with a mix of circular lawn, modern coastal planting and a wonderful palette of silver and green.

Finding an inspired solution for a sloping Sydney site with a circular lawn.

Co-founder, Garden Society

The project

Hilly terrain can pose challenges to garden-making, but it can also be the catalyst for a truly dynamic design. Pre-renovation, this front garden in Sydney’s undulating eastern suburbs consisted of a few trees dotted around a steeply sloping lawn dropping one storey down to the street level. The homeowners’ brief to Lyndall was for a garden that would help to soften the strong geometry of the home’s architecture and existing hard surfaces, including two timber decks. Above all, they were seeking to create a private, lush garden with a central area of lawn.

The solution

Tonnes of soil were brought in to raise the level of the lawn, which Lyndall designed as a circle roughly 10m in diameter. This resulted in a garden of lovely curves, the perfect counterpoint to the strong lines of the house. The plant mix is all about textured greens with silvery highlights, creating a lush and layered effect. A curved path of light-coloured stepping stones embedded in Japanese clumping grass ( Zoysia tenuifolia) serves to connect and visually soften the two timber decks.

Designer statement

“This is a modern, coastal garden. I love its layers and multiple dimensions. It is wonderful to walk through and beautiful viewed from above.”

Standing proud Lyndall loves the sculptural shape of these rush-leaf bird of paradise plants ( Strelitzia juncea) against the white wall of the home. At the base of the vine is Aloe barbadensis and Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’. Exotic accent One of the original plants in the garden, this Bougainvillea ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ needed maintenance. “We pruned it and restored its vigour. The pink is a wonderful accent colour in among the lush green.” Changing conditions One side of the garden is shady, the other is in full sun. “It was a challenge to create symmetry of plant colour, texture and tone,” says Lyndall. Two plants that occur on both sides are Crassula ovata and Senecio serpens. The lawn is Sir Walter buffalo, a hardy evergreen grass.

Texture & colour This bed of “textured greens with silver highlights” includes silver teaspoons ( Kalanchoe bracteata), Rhaphiolepis ‘Oriental Pearl’, lime-green money plant ( Crassula ovata), blue chalksticks ( Senecio serpens) and coastal rosemary ( Westringia fruticosa). Lush carpet The homeowners wanted Japanese clumping grass( Zoysia tenuifolia) to feature in the garden. Lyndall used it as a groundcover, embedding the stepping stones within. “The Zoysia grows in full-to-medium sun. It sends out runners and grows in soft, wave-like clumps,” says Lyndall. It also features in the white planter on the steps.