Introduction
This Ainslie garden is an excellent example of a child and bird friendly garden that combines strong aesthetics with environmental principles in a relatively small space. The modest home was redesigned for his family by Architect Paul Gibson while the rear garden was designed by Landscape Architect, Andrew Barwick.
Andrew Barwick, who worked as the Landscape Architect and Landscape Contractor prepared sketch plans which were used to
create the garden. These were modified slightly during the construction process. The flat featureless site was transformed with a hillock at the rear of the garden graced with massed mallee eucalypts. The pinnacle of the hill is reached by a series of stone steps and offers a series of glimpses through tree trunks back into the garden. The hillock was created from soil excavated from the irrigation trench, rather than importing soil to the site. Barwick and his team were involved in constructing the earthworks, stonework, sleeper path and planting in this section. They also installed a water harvesting system below ground which irrigates the lawn and plant material.
All areas of the garden are used. The Gibson children loved using the trampoline (located on the grass) and made a fort on top of ‘Mt Ainslie’ and regularly used the cubby. In Winter the adults ate lunch in the northern courtyard whilst the outdoor room was a popular spot to view the garden during the warmer months of the year. Gibson was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept of looking out a space into a forest like effect.
Recycled Landscape Materials
Recycled materials dominate the garden, with railway sleepers taking centre stage. Staggered upright sleepers form the rear boundary, acting as retaining walls in some places. They have also been used in the driveway, for pathways linking the garden rooms, garden edges as well as screens. Old Canberra Red bricks form the courtyard floor. Locally available crushed brick and concrete is used as the driveway surface. This product is formed from crushing demolished bricks, roof tiles and concrete and is a useful alternative to decomposed granite.
Gibson has taken pains to reuse materials wherever possible. The clothesline is constructed from timber removed from a verandah in a nearby house and reconstructed in a ‘Japanese’ style. Always inventive in his approach, some wires were strung horizontally – this allowed his young children to participate in hanging out the washing!
Probably the most beautiful pieces of timber used in the garden are the large recycled timber posts that support the second storey over the outdoor room. These timbers were obtained from the local recycled timber supplier, Thor’s Hammer and were sourced from a wharf in Sydney.
Garden rooms
The first space developed was a north facing courtyard area adjacent to the home’s front door and visible from the dining room. Old Canberra Red bricks in intricate paving patterns create a strong entry statement to the residence. A water feature provides an additional focal point to this area. The courtyard is enclosed with screens of recycled timber palings in a metal frame designed so it can be dismantled for vehicle access. This space proved popular for winter lunches. Although not included in their original plans a cubby was added on the perimeter.
The style of the rear garden is influenced by Japanese garden design. The brief to the Landscape Architect, Andrew Barwick, was to create a miniaturised and stylised Mt Ainslie. Gibson was influenced by the fire trail which winds its way up to the saddle of nearby Mt Ainslie and is flanked by eucalypts wanting to create a similar effect in the rear garden, but obviously at a smaller scale. Mallee Eucalypts were chosen to create the feel of the taller growing eucalypts that occur locally.
>> For more information on mallee eucalypts. |
|
Old Canberra reds in intricate patterns are used as the ground surface of this north facing courtyard. Photo Edwina Richardson. |
A slow garden
This is a good example of a ‘slow’ garden - the garden was developed in stages over a number of years with Gibson performing much of the labour, reducing the overall cost of the garden. The first step in preparing the new garden was to remove a concrete driveway and shed to the north of the house to make way for a series of garden rooms. These spaces include a north facing courtyard, an adjacent raised vegetable garden and clothes drying area, an outdoor room nestled against the house with comfortable furniture, a small lawn area as well as rear courtyard with fire pit. The Gibson’s wanted the garden to be a private cool green space. It was also important that the garden had a strong design structure which could be softened by plant material.
Reduced lawn area
A small lawn area was included for its visual and sensual appeal. This space is not designed for ball games, as Gibson recognised that their suburb is well serviced with public spaces suitable for ball games such as ovals, school grounds and parks.
The architect's plan showing the relationship between the house and parts of the garden. Image Paul Gibson.
|
|
Plant material
A mix of hardy native and exotic plant species were used in the garden. In the rear garden mainly native plants such as Eucalyptus, Westringia, Dianella, Acacia, Banksia, Chrysocephalum, Correa ‘Dusky Bells’, Cordyline, Allocasuarinas and native grasses such as Themeda triandra (Kangaroo Grass) were skilfully intergrated. In the north facing courtyard hardy exotics such as Camellia, Rosemary, Lavender, Flax, the groundcover Ajuga and hardy bulbs such as Narcissus envelop this space and create a different character from the rear garden.
The mallee eucalypts provide one of the main unifying elements in the garden with their sinuous smooth trunks and fine textured leaves. They have helped cool the site in Summer by casting dappled shade over large sections of the garden. As the trees mature and cast more shade, understorey planting undergo a succession. This means some of the original plant material is struggling and requires replacement with more shade tolerant plants.
|
Garden Visits
This is an extraordinary garden. The garden was included in a tour of sustainable gardens over 2005/2006 made possible by a grant jointly funded by Environment ACT, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and University of Canberra. The home has recently sold so hopefully it may be included in future garden tours.
>> For more images of the garden
|
