Summer lovin’ Sculptural plants for a poolside oasis (left)
OLIVE TREES, SUCCULENTS AND LOW-MAINTENANCE PLANTS TRANSFORM THIS SYDNEY POOLSIDE GARDEN INTO AN OASIS
Lush foliage, sculptural plants and relaxed spaces create an idyllic family retreat in this poolside garden in Sydney’s east. A raised deck dotted with clusters of curved white pots sits comfortably at one side, while a sea-green pool takes centrestage.
“We look out over the pool, so I wanted it to have a kind of natural, atmospheric, rock-pool feeling to it,” explains homeowner Sascha, who lives here with her husband and two children. “Our back garden is not very big and, at first, I wanted quite minimal planting, but our garden designer recommended mixed planting and it’s beautiful.”
Landscape designer Josh Harrison of Harrison’s Landscaping and his team added a variety of succulents and hardy plants in a mix of soft grey, green and blue foliage. As well as starting from scratch with the planting, “it was also about choosing a materials palette that was cohesive and complemented the home,” says Josh. The project included stripping back and redoing the interior of the existing pool, and updating the surrounds with a new deck and paving.
Two years on, the family is rapt with the result. “It’s very sculptural, very impactful but also really practical,” says Sascha. “I couldn’t really have asked for anything better.”
SPLASH ZONE
Built in the 1990s, the pool (opposite) “was just a bit dated”, according to Sascha. “Lots of the finishes were starting to deteriorate so it needed a reno,” she adds. Black 50mm x 50mm tiles from Ezarri were chosen to edge the inside of the pool, while ‘Endicott’ crazy paving from Eco Outdoor is perfect for the pool surrounds. “It goes well with the rest of the materials that have been used, as well as all the grey foliage,” says Sascha. “In summer, in a non-pandemic world, we have lots of people over and spend a lot of time in the garden. To me, this is what a beautiful natural pool should look like – and that’s what I really wanted.”
FUSS FREE
Once lawn with an “overgrown rock garden”, the transformed space now boasts a mix of shapes, colours and textures. The collection of white and grey pots in various heights and sizes (opposite) are from The Balcony Garden. “It’s a really low-maintenance garden,” says Josh. “And the whole place has that nice, soft grey tone to it, with all the materials that have been used.” These soft tones have been carried through in the planting, with olive trees and plants such as Kalanchoe
‘Silver Spoons’ contrasting with architectural agaves and sansevieria. “We just tried to use hardy plants, plants that are drought-tolerant, that can handle the wet and the dry,” says Josh.
A white slatted screen runs the length of the pool area; a bougainvillea functions as a living frame. In front of the screen, cylindrical pots are each planted with a sculptural prickly pear. “They’re miraculous little things,” says Sascha. “They’re like these large paddles that keep growing.” >
“WE WORKED HARD TO USE MATERIALS THAT WERE RAW, EARTHY AND PARED-BACK IN TONE”
~ JOSH HARRISON, LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
“THEY’RE ALL REALLY HARDY PLANTS THAT LOVE A LITTLE NEGLECT”
~ JOSH HARRISON, LANDSCAPE DESIGNER