The owners of this property came to us with a part of their garden they had always struggled with, as it sat beneath a beautiful and healthy spotted gum. Over 30meters high, this majestic tree was definitely a feature we wanted to protect and create a garden to coexist with the micro climate it had created on its own over the 30 plus years of its life. The owners were also very keen to have this tree stay and as they had little grandchildren visiting all the time they wanted a space they could explore and interact with whilst being protected by those hot summer UV rays.

With these key elements in mind we set about designing a garden that would meet all the requirements, plus introduce a beautiful array of indigenous and native planting. When all laid out is became very clear.

With our priority being in the protection of the spotted gum, we introduced semi-permeable pathways to allow water to still penetrate the extensive root system, whilst building up the garden beds in the area with shallow rooted plant species to suit the three different micro climates within the 200sqm area. By introducing shallow rooted plants there was minimal excavations into the existing ground so we knew we would not harm those finer feeding roots leading out to the canopy of the tree.

Overall we were able to achieve an interactive garden for children, a relaxing environment for the owners to enjoy and once again a garden that coexisted with its natural environment.