Chalk House – Native Garden Project Part One
My late husband and I established Chalk House in 2016.
We relocated an old workman’s cottage to our property on Alpine Terrace and began our journey of creating a little slice of Australiana here on the mountain.
Over the past ten years I have gradually created a garden that now covers about one third of the three-acre property.
My focus has been on using a broad palette of native plants and trees to create a distinctive Australian semi-naturalistic garden setting.
In the coming months I want to share with you my journey of creating a new native garden here at Chalk House.
I am often asked how I approach and create a design so I will be revealing my process and offering tips and advice along the way.
Where to begin!
The first step is to identify what you wish to achieve from the project.
In my case I am looking to extend the existing native gardens while providing screening to a neighbouring commercial property.
Establishing the screening quickly is a high priority and will inform my plant selection.
The new garden needs to be bird attracting; low maintenance and low water use as I do not irrigate.
My budget is only about $15,000 so I want to put the emphasis on the plants and minimise expensive infrastructure like retaining walls or pergolas that require additional labour or expensive materials and engineering.
I also want to carry out much of the work myself, so I have to design according to my strengths.
In terms of garden features, I have a tumbled down tree I want to repurpose as a sculptural feature that will also be used to hang a hammock, and I want a small breakfast area and a space for morning Qigong practice.
The intention is to create a naturalistic garden (see our sketch) that will provide a calm connection to nature while not breaking the bank or my back.
Next month I will look in more detail at the practical side to the early phases of decision making.
This is where so many people fail. It is vital to understand your site and know its possibilities and its limitations.
A clear and honest appraisal of you site is critical to the design process as it will inform decision making as you proceed.
Visit Clark+Granger at www.cplusg.com.au or phone 0456111120 to find out more.
