Constant theme: Tall bamboos and a small pond bring a sense of quiet to the rear garden.
RT EDGAR
The tall bamboo hedge, planted just behind a white picket fence, is the first indication of a meeting between East and West at 15 Thanet Street, Malvern. The house is a fully renovated, free-standing Victorian while the gardens, front and rear, are distinctly Japanese in style. Together, the integration of interior and exterior spaces is so successful that the gardens effectively add two outdoor “rooms” to this three-bedroom weatherboard.
The front garden is a welcoming space with a stone path leading to the front door. A densely planted patch of azaleas demarcated by a layer of white-pebble mulch, sets the tone for a simple but striking colour scheme of green and white. The sound of water flowing into a rock basin adds another Japanese element to this part of the garden.
An almost “outdoor room”.
RT EDGAR
While there is no such thing as a “typical” Japanese garden, it can be said that stones – large and small, crushed and whole, flat and chunky – are an important component of most Japanese-style gardens. The element of stone is used so judiciously at 15 Thanet Street that you hardly notice how generously it is applied. It also opens your mind to how soft stone can be.
The soft approach to stone is best appreciated from the floating deck overlooking the perfectly framed back garden. A path of uncut stepping stones set into a white gravel base divides this garden into two asymmetrical halves. The left section has a border of baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii), extending comfortably like a green carpet. On the right side of the path, a composition of stone, solid, yet soft, forms the backdrop for a pond.
Clumps of slim, tall bamboo, under-planted by standalone camellias, magnolia, maples and cycad, shade the pond area. It is a pleasure to find that this garden is about seven years old and kept in good shape by the choice of slow-growing plants and of bamboo that has not gone feral.
The bamboo theme continues in the kitchen.
RT EDGAR
The two side fences of brown lattice stapled onto white cladding gives the fence a distinctive look, and the large, Japanned deck makes for the perfect viewing area. It is a functional area, too, with an iconic Australian barbecue sitting on a large bluestone slab held up by another slab with vertical markings and two concrete posts.
Concrete posts, painted to match bluestone, again are used at the side of the house to hold bonsai on stone platforms placed outside two windows. From inside the house, the bonsai on their stone slabs look like pictures framed by sash windows. Each bonsai is thus positioned for viewing from the lounge/kitchen area.
Many elements of the Japanese garden – stone, water, trees and gravel – have been masterfully incorporated into the two gardens of this house by Paul Flemming, of Black Bamboo Landscaping. Additionally, it has low water requirements and complements a house replete with Japanese artworks and furniture.
The garden is also low-maintenance, says house owner Tiffany Pascoe. “We mainly have to sweep up the leaves and trim the trees.”
A stone path leads to the front door.
RT EDGAR
» The Victorian weatherboard house will be sold by RT Edgar at noon on May 21.
FOR BULB LOVERS
Garry Reid will be giving an illustrated talk about his trip to two areas in South Africa – the Cape Floral Kingdom and Namaqualand – in search of bulbs. Morning tea will be served before the talk and a selection of bulbs from Garry’s nursery will be available
for sale.
» Wednesday May 25 at 10.30am. Mueller Hall, National Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens. $15 for Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens; $25 non-members. Bookings 9650 6398.