Drive To Thrive
Garden designer Kathleen Murphy’s own gorgeous plot in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges.
Garden designer Kathleen Murphy, her husband Robert and their children (from left) Niall, Niamh and Conor gather around the fire pit, with the Macedon Ranges in the background. The burgundytoned crimson sentry maple ( Acer platanoides ‘Crimson Sentry’) is a hardy variety that requires no supplementary water in summer. In the foreground are drought-tolerant Teucrium fruticans, Teucrium betonicum, Westringia ‘Funky Chunky’ and Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii. A row of mallee trees ( Eucalyptus
forresterae ‘Little Star’) planted along the boundary will grow to form a 4-metre high informal hedge without obscuring the view.
GardendesignerKathleenMurphylovesexperimenting with plants. Using her own backyard as a botanic laboratory, she trials and tests their growing habits and tolerances, forever adding to her repertoire of beauties that thrive in Australian conditions. Kathleen adores native plants but is equally fond of flowering exotics, some of which have proven to be extremely resilient. She is especially inspired by the naturalistic planting style of the New Perennial Movement and has developed a trusty plant palette that mixes perennials among the natives. “I love hardy plants that are drought- and frost-tolerant,” says Kathleen, who is also a horticulturist. “I have no major loyalty [to plant types]... I just use whatever works in the environment.”
Working with the environment at the heart of Kathleen’s design approach. And her own sustainable garden, a recent winner of The Design Files’ landscaping award, is a stunning example of her philosophy. Located at Gisborne, in the Macedon Ranges, 50 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, it’s a wondrous space of undulating shapes and silvery greens, echoing the larger landscape beyond. Kathleen and her husband Robert bought the property in 2007 and it’s where they have raised their three children Conor, now 14, Niall, 13, and Niamh, 12.
When they arrived, there was a 1980s single-storey brick home on the site with an English-style garden at the front and a horse paddock at the back. For years, Kathleen was too busy with young children and a growing business to spend time nurturing her own plot. Out the front, she removed the dated rockeries, reinvigorated some beds and planted trees but “largely kept it English-style because it suits the front of the house”. Then, four years ago, with the children older and her business rolling along, she began tackling the back garden – and that is a different story entirely. “I wanted to create a link with the wider landscape,” says Kathleen. “We had a great view of the Macedon Ranges and I wanted the garden to frame this view.”
Kathleen’s vision for the 1-hectare plot involved mounding the terrain into undulations. This not only echoes the surrounding landscape, but also helps to capture and channel rainfall, ensuring water doesn’t escape the property. “We have heavy volcanic
soil that holds onto water. The mounding also allows me to raise the beds and create better drainage,” says Kathleen.
The layout needed to serve the practical needs of her family too, so she installed an expanse of lawn suitable for the kids to kick a football. “I also wanted to nurture their relationship with nature and give them places to explore and play, so I created meandering paths, boardwalks, bridges and secluded areas,” she says.
Kathleen loves the shimmering interplay of natives and perennials. Of the natives, she is especially fond of the grasses – Lomandra and Dianella species – which are planted en masse, in swathes, bringing a sense of movement to the garden. Other drought-tolerant favourites include Teucrium fruticans and the cutely named Westringia ‘Funky Chunky’, a tight-knit variety that naturally forms a mounded ball. “The silvery-grey tones work well in the harsh Australian light,” says Kathleen. Mingling with these grey-green foliage plants are jewel-toned perennials including Agastache ‘Sweet Lili’ and Salvia nemorosa ‘Amethyst’. There are Mexican beauties here, too, including American agave ( Agave americana) with its sword-like spikes, and Mexican lily ( Beschorneria yuccoides). “I use Mexican lily in all my gardens,” says Kathleen. “It’s low maintenance, you never have to water it and it looks awesome when it flowers.”
Three years ago, Kathleen built a timber-clad design studio, which enjoys prime mountain views. There’s also a thriving vegetable patch where her children each look after a section and “grow whatever they want to eat”. Two years ago, she installed a 28x10-metre billabong, encircled by basalt boulders and aquatic grasses. “The billabong is the most loved feature of the garden,” she says. “The kids swim in it, and it attracts an amazing variety of wildlife.” Apart from being a magnet for humans and animals, the billabong also collects storm water, working in conjunction with a 22,000-litre rainwater tank. The property also has a recycled-water system that treats black- and greywater before feeding it back into the garden.
Thisisaplacethatthrumswithlifeandhappiness.ToKathleen’s delight, many of the plants are now self-seeding. “The beauty of self-seeding is that when the new plants pop up, they’re already acclimatised and they’re tough little survivors.”