Stark Design took a hot, inhospitable front garden and made an entrance in Palm Springs-goes-coastal style

A refreshing approach brings a sculptural edge to this Sydney garden

Perched on a steep incline near the water on Sydney’s lower north shore, this refined front garden bears no resemblance to the drab and unappealing space it once was. In their brief to Stark Design, the new, art-collecting owners had asked for something modern and sculptural to complement their art and interior aesthetic. Sustainability was important, so the natural choice was low-water-use plants, which would also allow the owners to travel without fretting about the garden. Diametrically different from their previous English-style garden, they envisaged cacti and succulents. Fortunately, their dream garden suited the front yard and its sunny aspect perfectly. The existing corridor-like stretch – the main access from the street to garage and house – was scorching in the summer and needed cooling down. A mature Queensland bottle tree ( Brachychiton rupestris) was the sole surviving plant in the inhospitable surroundings.

The main challenge facing garden designer Jane Stark was an environment similar to a roof garden: shallow to no soil, with little room for excavation. She advocated plants that would thrive and a rejuvenating colour palette. Out with the old dingy brown, in with snappy whites, silvers and greens.

The fabulous original bottle tree is now ‘focus featured’ by two of the white walls, and another bottle tree has joined it in the scheme, courtesy of a custom-made square planter box. “We wanted to give it suitable distinction as well as create more shade,” says Jane. The new planter box is a key addition. Adjoining the existing ones – all painted Resene Rice Cake to match the walls – it’s deep enough for the tree and adds balance overall.

“A lot was driven by the existing bottle tree – what went with it and which plants suited the harsh conditions” JANE STARK, GARDEN DESIGNER

some like it hot

These plants have varied textural qualities but all are suitable for sunny and dry gardens (clockwise, from top left) SPINELESS PRICKLY PEAR ( OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA ‘BURBANK SPINELESS’) Bold, glaucus paddles without needles. FINE CHALK STICKS ( SENECIO TALINOIDES ‘ICESTICKS’) A soft look to contrast with bold shapes. MEXICAN FENCE POST CACTUS ( PACHYCEREUS MARGINATUS) Their white margin makes them a good fit for the wall colour. SEDUM ‘AUTUMN JOY’ The flowers have a dramatic colour change: green to pink and then rust.

“The inside of the house feels like an art gallery and I wanted to continue that aesthetic outdoors” JANE STARK

Growing at the base of each tree is a mass of fine-leafed chalk sticks ( Senecio talinoides ‘Icesticks’), which provide textural contrast to the chunky tree trunks. Pleasing disparities continue nearby with bold, sculptural cacti, euphorbia and aloe juxtaposed with the finer, softer forms of lomandra, kalanchoe and a low-growing casuarina. The cool verdancy of the blues and greens is soothing, with touches of light and dark for tonality. In keeping with the serene theme, lemon is the prevailing flower colour of the chalk sticks, oak leaf kalanchoe and aloes.

Closer to the front door, and visible from inside, the plants take on russet tones that connect with the tarnished steel, timbers and natural fabrics of the home’s interior (also Jane’s work). The russets mingle with dark greens and silvery foliage highlights, creating a combination that is visually captivating but soft enough to avoid looking clinical.

There is also a pervading sense of lightness and space, and not by accident. Precast concrete platforms were installed at adjusted levels, forming larger but fewer steps than before. The new steps and landing slab seem to float, courtesy of the gaps at the sides and ‘negative detail’ underneath. Fabricated in Melbourne, the steps were delivered to site in Sydney with no margin for error. It was a nerve-racking time – they had to fit perfectly. Jane credits their success to the contractor, Rhys Smith of Rhystyled Gardens, and one of her own team members, Katherine Zirn, for insisting on confirming and reconfirming the measurements.

Beyond the stairs, a low-profile Corten steel planter has replaced the intrusive high-walled planter that once fragmented the space and made the outlook from the study seem congested. Another amplifying measure is the large mirror on the entrance wall, which offers a reflected view of the grout-free pavers and steppers and elegant, low-growing plants. What was once a walk-through space is now a place to linger. “It feels less like a runway and more like a garden courtyard,” says Jane.

The attention to detail across this design is such that all the pieces fit together to form a well-proportioned and seemingly spacious setting. The artistic plant combinations, cooling colours and slick finishes deliver the art-gallery standard the owners sought, with an easy-care nature they can happily live with. See more at Stark Design, Crows Nest, NSW; (02) 9966 9322 or starkdesign.com.au. View Rhystyled Gardens projects at rsgardens.com

New look “I wanted something really dramatic,” says the garden’s owner. Pig’s ear ( Cotyledon orbiculata) and fine chalk sticks ( Senecio talinoides ‘Icesticks’) line the fence. Just inside (opposite) is a proud African candelabra ( Euphorbia ammak).

Step by step Each platform is precast concrete with ‘negative detail’ beneath, while the concrete path steppers by Anston Architectural are used without grout to give a ‘floaty’ feel. At varying heights, the white-walled planter boxes are all rendered brick. Plants include Indian hawthorn ( Raphiolepis indica ‘Oriental Pearl’), Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ in flower and silver torch or woolly torch ( Cleistocactus strausii).

Recycled bottle The garden’s original bottle tree remains its star, although a Mexican giant cactus ( Pachycereus pringlei) near clumps of variegated iris ( Iris japonica ‘ Variegata’) tries hard to upstage it. Extra height was added to the battened fence, for the owners’ privacy.

Tough turf The soil substrate was too shallow for lawn to grow so artificial grass was laid. A mirror on approach makes the garden seem more spacious. Near the front door (opposite top), Vondom ‘Faz’ planters from Ke-zu are planted with snow sticks ( Seyrigia humbertii) and spineless prickly pear, Elsewhere (opposite bottom), the silver torch and Mexican fence post cactus act as living sculptures.