A place of tranquillity

A backyard sportsground is transformed into a leafy secluded oasis

- KYLIE BARACZ

This flourishing sanctuary is far from the barren grassland that was used as a backyard cricket pitch and footy field for the owners’ young sons. The family was looking for a place where they could relax, entertain and provide a seamless extension of the indoor dining and living areas of the home that face out to the garden.

“For more than 10 years, this garden was a large patch of grass used extensively yearround by the boys for their favourite sporting pursuits of football and cricket,” says Justine Carlile, owner of Justine Carlile Landscape Design. “When the boys finished their school years, a dramatic transformation of the garden was required to create an area for relaxation and entertainment.”

Justine and her team drastically transformed this outdoor wasteland into a rustic, secluded and attractive space full of life and greenery. To create height and interest, a hardwood timber pergola was erected at the rear of the garden for both an entertaining and relaxing space away from the home. The solid structure of the pergola is laced with Vitis vinifera, Ornamental Grape Vine, to provide lush summer shade and a magnificent display of colour in autumn. This makes year-round entertaining a breeze, with shady days in summer and warm sunlight in winter.