Introduction
What strikes the visitor when entering the property is the combination of ‘Old Canberra Reds’ contrasted against the dry stone terrace walls. These materials set the scene for the remainder of the garden – a contemporary yet rustic Canberra garden. This is a garden that has developed in stages over the years as resources and time become available.
Nestled on the foothills of Mt Majura, this garden pays homage to indigenous vegetation as well as aiming for a degree of self-sufficiency. Both the house and garden were run down when the owners acquired the corner block. This provided an opportunity to create an attractive home and garden which incorporates some permaculture principles.
Permaculture is a sustainable design system for the home and garden developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s. It is based on the idea of creating a series of functional zones within the garden based on frequency of visits. It aims to harness the energy of productive animals like chickens and create homes and landscapes that produce organic food with minimum energy inputs. The focus of the philosophy has tended to be on creating functional food production systems with less emphasis on overall appearance sometimes making these gardens appear ‘scruffy’ to the uninitiated. Permaculture principles can be combined with strong design principles to ensure landscapes are not only productive and environmentally friendly but also look fabulous.
REFERENCES:
Mollison, Bill (1991) Introduction to permaculture. Tagari Publications: NSW. Mollison, Bill (1988) Permaculture: a designers’ manual. Tagari Publications: NSW. |
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The front nature strip features a mix of locally occuring native plant material such as Callistemon, Chrycocephalum & the attractive Derwentia perfoliata. |
The north facing front garden was terraced to create level areas for growing a range of vegetables and herbs, such as tomatoes, strawberries, basil and capsicum. These terraces have improved the water retention on the sloping block. Tender plants like Passionfruit and Citrus were planted against the north facing walls of the house where they receive good sunshine as well as winter frost protection. An edible landscape is an unusual treatment for a Canberra front garden as this space is often designated for ornamental purposes, with food growing relegated to the back yard. It has mainly only been European immigrants to Australia who have seen the value in planting front gardens with productive crops.
Native plants such as Dianella revoluta, Derwentia perfoliata, Leptospermum, Grevillea lanigera, Acacia covenyi, Callistemon sieberi, Banksia marginata and Chyrsocephalum apiculatum grace the front nature strip, doing away the need for lawn. In mid Spring this plant material bears an attractive display of contrasting pale and brighter yellows against the mauve flowers of the Derwentia. Much of the plant material grows to less than a metre in height allowing visibility for motorists negotiating the corner, whilst taller shrubs like Callistemon and Leptospermum provide privacy for the garden without compromising sunlight reaching food production areas. Plants on the nature strip are mulched with a coarse mulch of different sizes which allows water to penetrate whilst prohibiting weed growth and keeping the soil moist. This has become a well integrated plant composition which provides wildlife habitat, encloses the vegetable garden and relates to the nearby bushland of Canberra Nature Park.
In 2004, after completing the front garden, the owners’ asked local Landscape Architect, Edwina Richardson to prepare a landscape design for the rear garden. Like the front of the block, this back portion sloped down the hill. The aim of the design was to create three level areas to accommodate the owners’ needs. They required an outdoor entertaining space with good connections to the rear of the house, a pizza/bread oven, a small orchard, room for berries, an enclosed area for their Isa Brown chickens, bike shed and clothes drying area. Working closely with the clients, Richardson developed a Landscape Plan that could be undertaken in affordable stages.
Once the plan was complete, Landscape Contractor Lee Hobson of E-Scape Landscapes, who’d been involved in the front garden construction, was employed to build the entertaining area. This five metre diameter circle was constructed from ‘Old Canberra reds’, reused local bricks, laid in a radial paving pattern. A serpentine 600mm high drystone retaining wall, encloses the terraces and echoes the walls in the front garden. Made of ‘yellowstone’, a local sedimentary rock, quarried from near Canberra airport, the wall is constructed without mortar. A fossil found in one of the stones was carefully positioned by Hobson to create a focal point. A small lawn of 'Sir Walter' buffalo completes the outdoor entertaining space.
The outdoor oven was built over a number of weekends with the help of Hobson and friends. To celebrate its completion the owners held an inaugural firing party and invited those involved in the design and construction of the garden to attend. This was slow food and a slow garden at their best!
Shade to the outdoor area is provided with olives trees to the north-east and a mulberry to the west. A 300mm deep frog pond, yet to be built, will collect run-off from the paving and will be overhung with strappy local accent plants, like Dianella and Lomandra providing hiding spots for local frog species.
Recycled 'Old Canberra Red' bricks are laid to create an attractive sun drenched outdoor terrace and enclosed by a sinuous dry stone wall. The stones from the wall can be reassembled at a later date if required. Photo Edwina Richardson.
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A combined bike/storage shed of corrugated iron and recycled hardwood blends with the rustic character of the garden and makes good use of an existing concrete slab. Pumpkins, tomatoes and bunches of herbs compete for space with bicycles. The rustic clothesline is fashioned from recycled hardwood posts and echoes lines of an earlier era. It is located away from the house to ensure it receives good sunlight year round. A 15,000 litre rainwater tank was installed and is used for garden irrigation through a dripper system.
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In the orchard area, concrete paths were removed and soil improved with the addition of manure. One of the owners' principles was to limit the movement of landscape materials on and off the site. Concrete rubble was re-used in the dry-stone walls and limited amounts of waste were sent to Canberra Concrete Recyclers at Pialligo. Existing soils have been improved rather than importing soil from landscape suppliers. No herbicides were used in converting this previously grassed area, with weed control achieved by mulching and hand removing weeds which were then fed to the chickens. Fruit trees are planted on mounds, brambles are trellised against the fence, and a worm farm sits at the entrance of the fox-proof chook yard. The chickens not only provide a steady supply of eggs, but recycle kitchen scraps, weeds and waste from the vegetable garden. They also do the first stage of the owners' composting, by turning over litter such as autumn leaves and straw. This material is then added to a hot compost system.
Sustainability initiatives are not just confined to the garden. When the home was renovated – recycled timber joinery was introduced into the kitchen. The mellow patina of timber contrasts with the medley of colours of home bottled fruit.
The owners like to celebrate their local environment. This is evident in the works from local artists incorporated into the garden, such as the metal balustrade and Bev Hogg’s ubiquitous ceramic magpies.
This site is a prime example of a slow garden, where the owners’ work to a staged plan, making small changes when necessary. It adheres to permaculture principles, creating a garden that is functional, productive, encourages wildlife, re-uses landscape materials and does not place a burden on the local environment. As well as being sustainable, it is an attractive garden and a good example of a Canberra regional landscape style.
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