it's an illusion

It’s a widely held assumption that courtyard gardens have to be minimalist. As this beautifully designed space proves, you can create a visually restful space that is actually very detailed.

Homeowner Dave Lewis’s garden used to be very simple. Too simple. There was a small square of paving in front of the free-standing fireplace, a plunge pool, a couple of overgrown hedges on the boundary fences and lots of shabby-looking lawn. It was uninviting and not very usable.

Dave knew the courtyard needed an upgrade and he desperately wanted a space that allowed him to re-arrange his outdoor furniture so he could entertain more easily. He discovered Dee McQuillan of Ivy & Bloom online. “I really liked her style so I was happy to give her a free hand with the design. She really listened to what I wanted. Her whole concept blew me away.”

Her solution was a garden with a generous paved area, a series of raised garden beds and new seats to anchor the existing fireplace, and new planting. Everywhere you look, there is something to catch your eye, yet as a whole, the garden is restful and orderly.

New raised planter beds and seats flank the existing fireplace and are finished in Resene Tapa.

Left: The fireplace and barbecue sit at opposite sides of the new paved area, which suits Dave’s sense of order. Right: Kangaroo paw in bloom.

The icing on the cake came at the end of their first meeting when Dave mentioned he had a family heirloom in the form of a 100-year-old riveted bench seat. It was a bit broken and he didn’t know what to do with it.

It’s now a focal point of the garden, repainted in Resene Pioneer Red and with a special alcove in the raised planting beds for it to sit. Says Dee: “I chose that particular deep brown-red because it’s quite manly and it’s the type of red you see quite a bit in New Zealand; it’s quite kiwi.” The red bench is off-set by the walls behind it painted in Resene Tapa, a smoky understated warm grey.

That same colour has been used on all of the boundary and planter bed walls, except the ones behind the pool and on the fireplace chimney.

Rather than keep the planter beds straight, Dee stepped them in and out, and included a space for two seats to flank the fireplace. The shapes are simple but add visual dimension to the courtyard.

She was under strict orders to keep everything neat and tidy. Dave worked in the marine industry for many years and there’s something about the symmetry and precision of a well-built boat that he appreciates.

So although the existing fireplace isn’t centred in that part of the garden, it now lines up with the barbecue opposite, which has its own spot on pavers that recess into the garden. Ceramic pavers now cover virtually all of the space at one end of the garden, leaving lots of flexibility for outdoor furniture to be rearranged in front of the fire, or orientated towards the house.

Lawn softens the narrow part of the garden, and is punctuated with two gardens, one for herbs. Alternative look for this garden... Tropical retro chic.

Left: From a space Dave barely used, the garden is now a pleasure to be in. The bench seat is a family heirloom, now painted in Resene Pioneer Red. Right: The refurbished garden seat, painted in Resene Pioneer Red, has its own alcove in the raised garden beds.

Rather than suggest a planting plan full of repeat planting of a few types that relied on just foliage shape and colour for interest, she suggested a range of flowering plants as well. Any foliage colour echoes the Resene Pioneer Red of the bench seat or the Resene Tapa grey walls – there’s nandina, purple ake ake, festucas, leucadendron and Boston ivy. Flowering plants include kangaroo paw, verbascum and helenium in shades of deep red, purple and orange. Dee calls it a “stripped back masculine flower border”.

Dave also has some orchids inherited from his father “that I’ve somehow managed to keep alive”, that are a perfect russet red colour match, and which now have new homes in smart black pots. There’s even a small herb garden, set unashamedly in the middle of the narrow strip of lawn that wraps around the side of the house. “It’s great. I can just grab some herbs for my cooking and I now know the difference between basil and coriander,” jokes Dave.

Left: Get the look with Resene Enamacryl tinted to Resene Pioneer Red. Get the look with Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Tapa. Right: Get the look with Resene Furniture and Decking Oil. Flower: verbascum pheoniceum violetta.

Dee explains that if Dave ever tires of the look of the herb patch, it’s easily replanted in nandinas to match another garden also set into the lawn.

Garden lights add another dimension to the garden at night. Set into the raised planting beds, they are directed up into the plants and over the walls. Says Dave: “It’s great to have quite a different look from day to night.”

Dave admired the attention to detail from the installers, Urbis Landscapes, who included clever ideas like a drainage slot instead of a central grate in the pavers, and made sure the barbecue sat in just the right place so that the hood didn’t hit the glass pool fence when it was open. “Urbis did a first-rate job. I was so happy with their professionalism and workmanship.”

Dave now gets much more use out of the garden, either reading a book on the old bench seat or entertaining friends. He even enjoys the chores, like mowing the lawn or tidying away fallen leaves. “I love the whole thing. It’s calming, versatile and usable, and suits my sense of order. Dee came and she waved her magic wand. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Top tip: To keep concrete walls and surfaces looking smarter for longer, use Resene Aquapel (waterborne or solventborne) or Resene Concrete Clear.

Words: Sharon Newey
Pictures: Bryce Carleton

Alternative solution - Palm Springs cool

Erin Farrow and Julie Moncur of Erin Farrow Landscapes suggest this alternative scheme:

This Palm Springs influenced space is a cooling tranquil haven, perfect for sipping on that delicious cooling refreshment. Plastered walls in Resene Jet Stream form the backbone of the garden and are made less imposing with the use of Firth Solar Screen Blocks in a frangipani pattern. The blocks, which allow light and air through while still giving privacy, are painted in Resene Alabaster, as is the overhead pergola. Concrete finished with Resene Pompeii gives a light, bright base. The curved garden bed is a nod to Modernist gardens while an outdoor rug and cushions give pops of colour, and anchor the white sun loungers.

The plants are chosen for their blue-grey tones and architectural forms. The clipped blue totara hedge gives instant screening and shelter from wind. Mother-in-law’s tongue, golden barrel cactus and mountain cabbage trees are reminiscent of the desert, while bird of paradise plants give tropical flair and colour.

Phone: 021 242 3268   Web: www.erinfarrowlandscapes.co.nz.

A wall painted in Resene Jet Stream anchors this fun courtyard while Resene Pompeii from the Resene Paths, Driveways and Recreational Areas collection gives a warm base to the space. The pots are painted in Resene Alabaster while products featured include mountain cabbage trees and Willory pots from Palmers, a clipped blue totara hedge from Twining Valley Nursery, Banana Sun Loungers from Composites, Flamingo cushions from Fishpond and boulders from Paradise Quarry.

Did you know: That to keep your painted pots looking good, it’s best to seal the inside and outside first with Resene Terracotta Sealer?

Illustration: Malcolm White

Resene Jet Stream

Resene Pompeii

Resene Alabaster

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