Garden design inspiration: Creative home in Sydney

When Penny moved into her Sydney home with now 10-year-old twins Frankie and Ava – along with groodle Ringo – the historic property had a whole lot of yard, but no real garden to speak of. “It was very much a blank canvas. No-one had been living in the house for about 15 years so it was fairly derelict,” says Penny. Fast forward two years, and clever garden design has transformed the approach to the now-renovated home into a playful wonderland filled with life – from frogs to vegie beds and a unique mural underfoot. “My happy place is our garden. I love the process of planting, nurturing and curating.”

Penny's garden design inspiration

Discover how Penny created the garden design of her dreams, including:

● Bringing in established plants and trees from her previous home;

● Planting pollinator-friendly and native species;

● Getting plant and garden design suggestions from a landscape architect;

● Creating an edible garden and building a kids fort; and

● Adding original design details like a mural to the front path and a mosaic.

The original garden design

The family’s Federation-era residence has a long history and a deep connection to the local area. In 1905, the lot and its neighbours were auctioned off to raise funds for Centennial Park, 189 hectares of green space which sits just across the road from Penny’s place.

As a non-executive director on philanthropic boards, and a member of the board of governors of the Centennial Parklands Foundation, Penny is passionate about history, education and nature – so at home she sought out a way to combine the power of all three. “As soon as I saw the property and the space in the garden, my thinking was to create something lush and native, but also whimsical and wonderful,” she says.

Penny says even though the house and gardens were in dire need of nurturing, the overall rejuvenation project has been a slow and steady labour of love. “We planted the garden last autumn, then over winter a lot of the plants sort of went to sleep. This spring was probably the first time we were able to see everything start blossoming and filling out,” she explains.

To personalise the space, the family brought in some favourite established plants from their previous home, including a mature frangipani tree and a cherished pomegranate tree that almost didn’t survive the move. “It’s healthy now, but it took a lot of tender love and care to bring it back. We thought we’d lost it there for a while,” says Penny. More than just a makeover, the garden glow-up is a living, breathing family story that continues to evolve. “It’s been wonderful bringing it to life,” says Penny, adding that the gardens are a mini ecosystem that mirrors the nearby parklands. “One of my favourite spots is the pond where we’ve got a family of frogs. It’s been really exciting watching them settle in.”

Plants that attract birds and bees

Penny planted these pollinator-friendly species. Seek out local natives at your nearest Bunnings.

● Banksia

● Grevillea

● Hardenbergia

● Kangaroo paw

● Lemon myrtle

● Lomandra

● Blue tussock grass

The garden design vision

After two years of renovations outside and inside – where walls and ceilings are colour drenched in a soothing green, and botanical fabrics and artworks provide a nurturing backdrop – Penny says the home stretch is in sight.

The garden vision was a team effort, with plant suggestions from landscape architect Emily Simpson. Here’s what she included:

● Perennials: The front garden is home to a mix of perennials such as apricot Agastache (hummingbird mint), salvia and bronze fennel, while the natives include Banksia spp, Randia fitzalanii (native or brown gardenia), lemon myrtle and kangaroo paw. There are also hardy low-maintenance succulents and soft grasses, as well as established frangipani and dragon trees. Penny calls on gardener Nick Goldsworthy to help with maintenance and moving things around when needed.

● Edible plants: Edible additions along the north-eastern boundary include a pineapple guava hedge plus lemon, lime, fig and mandarin trees, while three circular beds have been filled with aromatic herbs like mint, oregano, rosemary and thyme.

● Family and entertaining spaces: After opening up the back of the house, there is now a rear entertainer’s deck, a pool, a lawn space ringed by steel edging and the children’s formidable fort. A second-hand propagation station bench looks right at home on the eastern fence line, while old stained glass doors now enclose the outdoor pool shower.

Creating a kids play area

Growing a vegetable garden

Penny’s daughters have also been keen to help maintain several garden beds, packed with edible leafy greens and vegetables. “We’ve got a forest of kale, plenty of root vegetables like carrots, and citrus trees. And the girls love to taste the nectar-filled salvia flowers,” says Penny. “Some of the natives we’ve planted are also edible, which is fun for the girls to try. Their school has gardening as part of the curriculum, so they’ve always had their hands in the dirt. That connection with nature is really important to me.”

Front garden ideas

While the thriving greenery has become a neighbourhood talking point, another garden feature has been turning heads out the front of the house – a once barren concrete pathway that is now a colourful canvas. “The path was already there, and I thought, why dig up something perfectly functional? So I asked my dear friend, artist Stephanie Têtu, to paint a mural on it,” says Penny. Known for her large-format paintings of birds and flowers,

Stephanie experimented with durable outdoor paints to create a cheerful walkway filled with flora and fauna that stops locals in their tracks. “It took a few weeks of Stephanie coming by when she had the time, and when the weather allowed. People stopped and chatted with her as she was creating it,” recalls Penny. “Now I sit in my office, which is the front room, and I still see people stopping to have a look.”

In keeping with the Australiana-themed footpath mural, Stephanie also designed a mosaic of a curious black cockatoo, anchored into the reinstated tessellated tiles on the front porch. Mosaic artist Louise Proost meticulously crafted the piece with glass and ceramic. “My girls and I had some input into the design, because we feel a connection with black cockatoos, but we were pretty confident they both knew what they were doing. Ultimately, the works are pretty closely aligned with our love of Australian flora and fauna.”

Keep in mind...

● Take care when selecting your plants as some can be poisonous to children and pets, and check their suitability for your region, as some may be classified as weeds in certain states and territories.

● Paint colours may vary on application.

Looking for small garden ideas?

Find out how to create a balcony garden.

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