Landscape design by Andy Murray Landscape Design
In Middle Park, Melbourne, landscape designer Andy Murray has transformed a former industrial site into a property with a series of six inviting garden spaces. What began as a courtyard project expanded into a bold reimagining of the property.
The homeowners purchased a two-storey brick warehouse, then added a neighbouring two-bedroom semi three years later, joining the two properties into one. Their brief was clear but ambitious: create six distinct outdoor areas, each offering a sense of welcome and retreat.
The Brief
At the heart of the design was a courtyard linking the two properties — a space that needed to function both as a thoroughfare and a cool, shaded retreat. But the brief extended well beyond that. Andy was tasked with creating six outdoor areas in total: a roof garden, a main bedroom garden, two internal courtyards (one in the warehouse, one in the semi) and a front garden.
The homeowners were clear in their vision. They wanted greenery in abundance, softening the urban edges of their home and ensuring it felt natural. The design had to weave together places of calm, offering quiet moments throughout a busy setting.
The Transformation
When Andy Murray first stepped into the main courtyard in 2020, he found bare earth flanked by the warehouse and the semi, enclosed by a mix of high walls and overlooking windows (a familiar sight in this dense urban setting). The challenge was to make it both a thoroughfare and a place to pause and enjoy.
His solution was a cantilevered steel arbor, designed to support grapevines strung along wires across the 15-metre-long, five-metre-wide courtyard. Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) climbs arch-bar mesh along the side walls. The jasmine gives the impression of being much deeper than it really is, and while it looks like a hedge, it’s only centimetres deep.
The deciduous grapevines offer shade in summer while allowing sunlight through in winter. Bamstone pavers set among soft Dichondra (groundcover) provide a path that’s solid yet flexible, helping to break up the geometry and keep the space permeable. Massed ground covers and herbaceous perennials bring ever-changing interest, with a quiet nook framed by a Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia).
Up above, the warehouse rooftop has been transformed with Spotted Gum decking and steel planters, where succulent Kalanchoe and prostrate rosemary (Rosmarinus prostratus) thrive. On the first floor, the main bedroom garden continues the theme with Bamstone pavers placed on pedestals to distribute weight, surrounded by rosemary, cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and a fig tree.
At the entrance to the semi, the design shifted focus to clean lines and subtle balance. Large-format Bluestone pavers create a generous, staggered walkway softened by groundcovers, while a Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) disrupts symmetry. Silvervein Creeper (Parthenocissus henryana) trails up the brickwork, echoing the dark red foliage and tying everything together.
Despite its complexities, the central courtyard remains the star of the project with plenty of greenery being visible regardless of its compact size. The dense planting here provides a beautiful contrast to the brickwork that frames it.
The Result
What began as a simple courtyard has evolved into six distinct outdoor spaces, each offering its own experience while contributing to the overall feel of the property. From the grapevine and star jasmine-clad courtyard to the elevated rooftop spaces, every area is designed to be both practical and inviting.
Careful planting choices and clever use of space means the garden offers something in every season — whether it’s dappled summer shade, bursts of seasonal colour or the quiet beauty of evergreen structure. The result is a collection of gardens that not only connect the two homes physically but also create a sense of retreat and calm in the heart of the city.
Key Plant List:
Trees
- Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ (Japanese Maple)
- Ficus carica (Fig – Espalier Fan)
- Magnolia × soulangeana ‘Alba Superba’ (White Magnolia)
- Olea europaea ‘Manzanillo’ (Olive)
- Vitis vinifera (Ornamental Grape)
Plants
- Arthropodium cirratum (NZ Rock Lily)
- Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ (Feather Seed Grass)
- Campanula poscharskyana (Trailing Bellflower)
- Cotoneaster damerii (Bearberry)
- Dichondra repens (Kidney Weed)
- Euphorbia ‘Copton Ash’ (Copton Ash Spurge)
- Euphorbia robbiae (Mrs Robb’s Bonnet)
- Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (Mediterranean Spurge)
- Fatsia japonica (Paperplant)
- Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore)
- Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ (Japanese Silver Grass)
- Nepeta ‘Walker’s Blue’ (Catmint)
- Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese Spurge)
- Pandorea pandorana (Wonga Wonga Vine)
- Parthenocissus henryana (Silvervein Creeper)
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston Ivy)
- Parthenocissus sikkimensis (Sikkim Creeper)
- Pratia pedunculata (Pratia)
- Pittosporum tobira ‘Miss Muffet’ (Japanese Dwarf Pittosporum)
- Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Blue Lagoon’ (Prostrate Rosemary)
- Strobilanthes gossypinus (Persian Shield)
- Salvia nemorosa ‘Ostfriesland’ (Balkan Clary)
- Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine – groundcover)
- Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’ (Purple Mullein)
Succulents
- Adromischus cristatus (Llifle)
- Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’ (Gollum Jade Plant)
- Curio repens (Blue Chalk Fingers)
- Delosperma echinatum (Pickle Plant)
- Kalanchoe beharensis (Felt Bush)
- Sedum diffusum (Diffus Stonecrop)
- Sedum major (Stonecrop)
