JOURNEY by MUSA Landscape Architecture

When landscape architect Ryan McMahon moved to Australia from the UK a few years ago, he wasn’t prepared for the moments of loneliness he felt in his new home. He has since built strong connections, but his earlier experience informed this garden, designed with charity partner Beyond Blue. “I wanted to portray the positives of taking that first step to improve mental health,” says Ryan. “It was inspired by my own journey.”

The garden was full of symbolism, beginning with a very high step at the entrance. “That first step is the hardest,” says Ryan. “Once you take it, life will improve.” There was a path that became smoother as it traversed the garden, a sunken firepit signifying warmth and friendship, and a dining table representing community.

Ryan’s plant palette was predominantly made up of Australian natives, including the velvety groundcover Scleranthus biflorus, a hedge of Waterhousea floribunda and abundant grasses. There were also humble daisies and iconic spear lilies ( Doryanthes palmeri) plus a Wollemi pine, referencing the NSW Blue Mountains where Ryan loves to go bushwalking. Kangaroo paw and billy buttons added splashes of yellow and orange: “They’re colours at the opposite end of the colour spectrum to blue,” says Ryan. musalandscapearchitecture.com.au

‘IT’ S A BUSH LAND GARDEN, A MIX OF MANICURED AND WILD PLANTS .’ Ryan McMahon