WELL FIXED

Extensive home renovations had taken a toll on this garden, but it has been sensitively repaired and redesigned to wrap the new house with foliage and be a soothing sanctuary for its owners.

- Tammy Huynh

When it comes to renovating an existing garden, landscape designer and contractor Joanne neylon, director and founder of Joanne green Landscape & Interior, knows the importance of assessing a site, seeing what’s valuable and recognising its shortcomings. “This is where you need experience and knowledge to make the harder decisions,” she says. “any sentimentality is removed, so you can objectively decide what’s worth retaining and what needs to go.” 

When Joanne first visited this garden on sydney’s north shore, the home was in the middle of a major renovation. “The builders were working at full throttle. The garden was under stress from lack of water, compaction and contamination from building materials.”

The owners’ list of requirements was extensive and included creating a new entry path, improving the privacy around the home and establishing an outdoor entertaining space. a lawn was necessary too – large enough for kids and dogs to play – as well as lushly planted beds. The owners wanted to retain as many of the existing plantings as possible. It also had to connect with the home’s heritage.