Loving the Landscape

Don’t underestimate the impact of outdoor spaces on your lifestyle – they’re the master stroke in the design plan

MULTI-AWARDWINNING DESIGNER Ben Hoyle of Blue Gecko Landscapes might employ ethereal and artful ideas when entering competitions at international flower shows (he once made an outdoor room in the shape of a giant waterlily floating on a pond) but in the everyday, he’s usually dealing with solutions that are a little more mundane. Like where to hide the wheelie bins with their bright-coloured lids or how to disguise the clothesline.

Believe it or not, these are issues that Ben, who is based on the Kapiti Coast, loves to get his head around when helping homeowners in the planning stages of their new-builds – and the sooner the better. Historically, landscaping is seen as an adjunct to the architecture but if you don’t integrate this thinking into your plans early on, you can miss opportunities, both big and small. “Even the orientation of a home on a site can be tweaked to make the outdoors more accessible and useable,” says Ben.

Work as a team

Ben considers the outdoors an extension of the home and often takes his cue from the architecture. “The garden is a reflection of the vernacular inherent in the design; elements such as the style, materials and colours drift out into the landscape.” That makes sense. A modern townhouse may suit a minimalist planting palette; a native garden with grasses might be best for a home in the Otago countryside. But Ben also takes his cue from the owners. Gardens are so individual. If your heart is set on a cottage garden against your modernistinspired dwelling, make that move – just ensure you have Mother Nature on your side. Ben suggests a walk around the neighbourhood to see what works and what doesn’t.

Patience is a virtue…

...particularly when it comes to nurturing a garden. It takes years for one to be properly established. When planning, project at least 10 years into the future. That will affect your choice of plants. You want some things (like shrubs and perennials) that make an impact in the here and now but others like trees that will grow to be the structural anchor of the garden. “There’s no point putting in a range of great plants only to be hacking them all down five years on,” says Ben. Any landscaper worth their salt will point out the pitfalls – for example, a tree with roots that will upend your patio or grow so tall as to shade the neighbour and cause friction, or one that will eventually obscure the view. F

BELOW Trees give your landscaping some structure but when planting them project into the future to avoid any problems the roots or their height might cause (too much shade, for example). Establishing a garden takes patience and foresight.

Be a good neighbour

Because residential sites are getting smaller, not only does every square inch count, considering those around us is crucial. The street appeal of a home has an impact on the immediate community so think about how your front garden fits in with the wider picture. Look at what the neighbours have done, what the developer of the sub-division has included in the public areas and what type of council planting already exists. “Good planting can pull a house into the landscape,” explains Ben. “Those first impressions are so important. As a visitor, they make you want to get out of the car - or not.”

Think ‘best dressed’ for the boring bits

Most people focus on the outdoor entertaining when they approach a landscape designer but do deal with the ‘worst first’ – those necessities of life that have an impact on the outdoor experience. For instance, how will the driveway be incorporated and what will beautify it? Where will people park on the property? Is there space to turn? What about the in-ground water tank (how can that be located judiciously and dealt with)? The inevitable additions such as clotheslines, rubbish bins, gas bottles, the hose, compost bins, worm farms and outdoor storage all need a practical place to be.

ABOVE How will you create street appeal and a ‘journey’ to the entrance? Here clivia will put on a colourful show in winter while low-growing ground covers have a hint of a Japanese aesthetic that teams with the architecture.

That’s entertainment

There’s a national obsession with outdoor entertaining. Unfortunately, no-one told the weather gods. These days, architects and designers generally incorporate one or two areas that can be used when the wind or rain sets in, by cleverly planning them into the sheltered lee of a house, areas that are both fully or partially undercover. A landscaper’s role is to make these spaces sing from the practical perspective, so they really drill down into how you use them (do you need a built-in BBQ or a fireplace or both, for instance?) Then they suggest plants to dress the space. “Often you end up with bedroom pavilions adjacent to the entertaining area,” explains Ben. “We work on ways to subtly create privacy so that you don’t have friends looking into your bedroom window.”

Growing your own

Fruit and vegetables that is. Turn back the clock and most Kiwi quarter-acres had a vegetable garden, so the idea is not alien. Having some resilience when it comes to food production is even more appealing, particularly post lockdown. Ben suggests locating a veggie patch so that it is accessible, in raised beds if possible. “If they are too far away, you tend to forget about them and end up with a weed haven at the bottom of the garden,” he says. Keeping some structure to the vegetable planter is a good idea too, so they still look tidy when not producing. And, if you think your property is not big enough for fruit trees, here’s a solution: espalier trees (including apples, pears and citrus) on wire against fences and walls to create attractive garden rooms and to ensure your own supply of lemons for the G & T. F

BELOW Covered areas for outdoor dining (west is best for evening entertainment) still need to be integrated with planting. In this coastal home, a raised vegetable garden has been located near to the kitchen, which makes it more likely the cook will remember to pick fresh herbs to add to meals.

Ben’s best performers

Plant for impact without too much effort:

• Anemanthele lessoniana This gorgeous grass with arching coppertinged foliage looks amazing in drifts.

A fast grower. • Corokia ‘Geenty’s Ghost’ Silver-grey foliage that sits comfortably in any native planting or can be used as a topiary in more contemporary settings. Tough as they get. • Dietes grandiflora A beautiful clump-forming perennial where tri-petaled iris-type flowers rest atop verdant green sword-like leaves. • Leptospermum ‘Wiri Joan’ Perfect for ejecting flowers towards the end of winter. Great for difficult bank areas and coastal locations. • Lomandra ‘Lime Tuft’ A punch of green without the onerous task of maintenance associated with grasses.

Looks fabulous in every season. • Loropetalum chinense rubrum The ruby-rich leaves of this medium-sized shrub make it pop when accented against green or silver tones. Spidery pink flowers in spring are a bonus! • Muehlenbeckia astonii The fine interlacing branches of this native give the most interesting character, especially when combined with larger foliage. Top choice in the coastal belt. • Phormium ‘Emerald Gem’ One of the most compact varieties of NZ flax with generous flowering. Plant this and the tui will love you! • Sophora ‘Dragon’s Gold’ This dwarf variety of kowhai is a great source of winter nectar. Hedge it, topiary it or just let it do its thing.

ABOVE Talk to your landscape designer about the role of lighting in your garden. New LED technologies have opened up a world of possibilities.

See the light

Recent advances in LED technology have made outdoor spaces far more liveable and lights can be used for functionality (strip lights under stair treads for instance) but also to amp up the ambience. This said, we spend far more time indoors than out. “Lighting can also turn a garden from a dark void into a wonderful space to look into,” says Ben.

Repeat after me: there’s no such thing as no-maintenance

Sadly, when it comes to organic, living matter, some form of maintenance is part of the territory. Work with your landscape designer to choose what is best for the climate (no tropicals in Otago, for instance) and the microclimate that is particular to your garden. If you simply visit the plant store to pick up a trailer load of plants and bung them in, you’ll be back the next year to replace what hasn’t worked.

Ben is keen to educate clients about the “right plant, right place” philosophy. “When you have the right plant for the location, your inputs are less. Which will make you love your garden more and means you are more likely to look after it. We all lose heart when these things get away on us.” P