“We wanted a low-maintenance native habitat garden that encourages local fauna, provides safe play spaces for our young grandchildren, and establishes clear, organic paths across our sloped contours. As active, semi-retired homeowners in our sixties, the property needed to be an easily traversable haven for us and our two older Labradors, while still acting as a welcoming gathering space for our five visiting adult children and their young families.”
- Original Homeowners, 2023

The project began on a vacant, highly challenging 1.5 acre block in Rosemount. The priority was to design a comprehensive spatial master plan prior to the house construction being completed in 2023. With the house footprint dividing the empty block into a steep, shaded southern rainforest zone and a sunny, north-facing slope with valley views, the design needed to unite these separate areas. The original owners wanted to eliminate weed-encroached zones, replace messy exotics with native Australian species, and avoid palms that drop heavy fronds. Key goals included creating a safe, flat lawn near the house and pool for their visiting grandchildren, establishing an organic flow across a steep six meter contour drop that is safe for senior dogs to navigate, and integrating dedicated areas for edible food production.

• Managing Extreme Contours on a Vacant Block The steep, six meter grade drop and post-construction earthworks made the backyard unsafe and hard to access. We engineered flat, terraced base planes and stabilized the steep batters with deep-rooting native species, avoiding expensive retaining walls and ensuring safety for both visiting toddlers and older dogs.

• Divided Microclimates The house footprint split the block into a cold, shaded southern zone and a hot, exposed northern zone. We used the unique light conditions of each aspect to our advantage, planting a lush rainforest walk in the shade and placing solar-loving edible gardens and lawn zones in the open north.

• Eliminating Weeds and High Maintenance Heavy weed encroachment on the side slopes required constant upkeep. We established a living mulch of dense native groundcovers and clumping grasses, outcompeting weeds and replacing messy exotics with clean, native structures.

The comprehensive landscape master plan provided a logical, step-by-step roadmap to transform this challenging acreage block. The design was fully implemented when the new home was completed in 2023. Although the original owners built this as their forever home, circumstances changed and the property was sold in early 2026.

The new owners were instantly captivated by the mature, thriving landscape. They described the garden as absolutely amazing and noted that the design did a magical job, fully conquering the native garden brief.