PEACE MISSION

Devising a ‘bento box’ of plants has created a feast for the eyes and a beautiful buffer around this Melbourne home.

- Elizabeth Wilson

Melbourne couple Neil and Carey have lived in the city’s buzzy inner-east for 20 years. Their double-fronted, early-Victorian home is one of the oldest in the area and Neil says they were lured by its location: just 1.5 kilometres from the top of Collins street and “several hundred metres from the MCg”. They love the cosmopolitan community and “being in the thick of it”. But equally, they’ve become passionate about creating a sense of sanctuary for themselves and their sons Jack, 11, and Harry, 10, in the midst of the hurly-burly. and that’s where their new front garden has come to play a major role in their lives.

The couple added a rear extension to their home in 2010. They’d always intended to overhaul the garden, but it was several more years before they had the time and opportunity. Planted by a previous owner, the front yard was originally a rambling cottage-style garden of roses and bulbs bordered by a low picket fence. “It was pretty fussy – not our style at all – and it had become more rambling over time as our interest in it waned,” Neil admits.

With the garden extending over 100 square metres – a quarter of the total block – Neil and Carey were eager to maximise both its potential and their enjoyment of the space. “We wanted it to be green and lush,” says Neil. “It needed to complement the home but we didn’t want it to be traditional. We wanted a garden that was vibrant and contemporary to match the modern extension.”