Jane visits an oasis in a tiny suburban courtyard garden in Melbourne. Subscribe http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
Gardener Jenny Downes has made the most out of her small space, managing to turn ‘tiny into terrific’, proving it’s all about thinking big when gardening.
When faced with the disadvantages of a small space she managed to see the potential.
“The proximity to nature means you are actually closer to nature, and you see things you perhaps wouldn’t notice in a bigger garden,” said Jenny.
The only frustration of a limited ‘garden palette’, was the size of her plants, but even then, Jenny didn’t let that stop her.
“I find it creative to use them in another way, to try and create a sort of rainforest effect,” she said,
Jenny’s approach has been to create different interconnecting areas in her garden. The separate decking area with outdoor furniture leads onto a paved path, which she calls her creek bed, creating a ‘destination to go to’ or her ‘forest walk’.
“What you see isn’t necessarily all you see, I wanted to be able to walk into the garden and have a bit of an adventure,” she said.
Jenny admitted the dense planting was also used to block a ‘few ugly’ views with a large crepe myrtle and several camelias creating a ‘little forest’. One of the features of the garden, a Japanese maple tree with its ‘lacy foliage’ also adds to the dense plantings.
Jenny’s real creativity comes to the fore in her quiet intimate sitting area framed with potted hoyas hanging above from a hidden covered clothesline. The dual-purpose area is both a place for relaxation and practicalities with the light plants perfect for hanging off the structure.
No space is too small for Jenny. A feature wall of a variety of potted epiphytes hang from the narrow space between the house and the fence.
“You can do a lot with plants to cover a wall and keep your house cool,” Jenny said.
“It brings the outside in, and it’s just really relaxing to be able to see this.”
On the far side of the unit in another narrow walkway dubbed the ‘The Bayou’ old man’s beards hang from a seating area, while baby tears edge the pavers of another tight area with espaliered tea tree covering the fence.
“It doesn’t matter how small your space is, your garden is whatever your imagination desires,” Jenny said.
“If you want it, you can do it.”
Featured Plants:
CREPE MYRTLE – Lagerstroemia ‘Lipan’
CAMELLIA – Camellia sasanqua ‘Early Pearly’
JAPANESE MAPLE – Acer palmatum ‘Viridis’
WAX PLANT – Hoya carnosa
MISTLETOE CACTUS – Rhipsalis sp.
ZYGOCACTUS – Schlumbergera cv.
BABY’S TEARS – Soleirolia soleirolii
TEA TREE – Leptospermum obovatum ‘Starry Night’
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