Urban Oasis

Landscaper John Couch has established a pocket of tropical rainforest in the unlikeliest of places.

- Elizabeth Wilson

This Melbourne garden is a tale of the unexpected. From the street, there is little hint of what lies beyond the tall front fence. But push through the gate and you open a portal to another world, a wonderland of lush, emerald foliage that transports you to North Queensland or Bali. It’s hard to believe it’s a suburban block in the southern city’s south-east. “I get a jaw-drop reaction from everyone who walks in,” says owner and landscaper John Couch. “No one has ever seen another garden like it in Melbourne.”

This is a garden built from scratch and entirely by instinct. John bought the 600m2 property 12 years ago without even inspecting it. “I turned up too late for the open house and the auction had begun. I put one bid in and before I knew it, I’d bought the place,” he says.

What he’d signed up for was a deceased estate with a 1960s cream-brick residence and a dated “nanna garden”. He lived in the home for 12 months while he planned its transformation. His vision was to morph the home into a modern resort-style pad with a focus on indoor-outdoor living, inspired by five years as an expat in Miami and numerous trips to Bali. “I wanted to create the kind of place that makes me feel like I’m always on holidays.” Integral to his vision was a tropical garden. “I love tropical plants and I thought ‘Why can’t I try them in Melbourne?’ ”

John’s starting point was using a bobcat to elevate parts of the site. “I created different levels to give it more interest and character,” he says. “Levels make a garden look bigger and allow you to enjoy a range of views and angles.” He also dug out a network of ponds.