Landscape design by Josh Arkey of Jala
Just a short walk from Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, this South Yarra terrace garden by Jala balances heritage character with a more contemporary planting approach. Designed in collaboration with architecture studio Manifold, the landscape wraps around a renovated Victorian home belonging to Gabby and her daughter Mia.
While the setting is urban, the garden creates a strong sense of enclosure and immersion, unfolding across an entry garden, rear courtyard and rooftop terrace. Each space responds differently to the architecture while remaining connected through planting, materiality and seasonal change.
A fresh start
The project began after a major renovation and extension to the home, which included a new garage and first-floor terrace. The original garden was removed entirely, giving Jala the opportunity to rethink the landscape as part of the updated architecture rather than as a separate layer applied afterwards.
Gabby wanted a garden that reflected the richly textured interiors while still feeling grounded in the home’s Victorian character. The existing entry garden had also begun to feel disconnected from the renovated spaces and needed a stronger relationship to the house.
One of the key challenges was balancing planting with hardscape. Because the garden is viewed from multiple rooms and levels throughout the home, it needed to feel abundant without becoming visually overwhelming. Seasonality was also central to the brief, with planting selected to ensure the garden continues to shift and evolve throughout the year.
A contemporary take on the Victorian garden
At the front of the property, Jala referenced the late-19th century fascination with palm collecting, introducing three established Phoenix roebelenii to frame the Victorian façade. The palms bring immediate scale and structure, creating a sculptural counterpoint to the heritage frontage.
In the rear courtyard, the design needed to accommodate dining, circulation and direct access to the garage and barbecue area. The layout prioritises movement through the space, with planting used to soften edges and create enclosure around the hardscape. Jala also worked with Eco Outdoor to develop a custom paving mix, drawing reference from traditional cobbled gardens. A blend of 200 × 200mm and 100 × 100mm stone pavers were used to create a modern interpretation of historic paving patterns.
A rooftop terrace extends the garden upward. Here, layered planting provides subtle screening from neighbouring properties while allowing greenery to spill over and soften the built form below. Seasonal flowering species visually connect the rooftop with the courtyard garden beneath.Throughout the project, the planting palette was developed alongside Manifold to reflect the tones and textures used inside the home. Heritage-style perennials sit alongside larger sculptural species including Tetrapanax and Kalanchoe ‘Oakleaf’, giving the garden a more contemporary edge.
Settling into the architecture
Although the garden is still young, it has already become central to daily life within the home. The courtyard is regularly used for entertaining, while the rooftop terrace creates a more private retreat above the surrounding streetscape.
Climbers along the boundary walls are beginning to establish, gradually softening the courtyard and strengthening the sense of enclosure. A Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’ positioned as the focal point of the rear garden is also starting to assert itself within the space.
Together, the gardens create a layered response to the architecture – one that draws on Victorian references without feeling overly nostalgic, and balances structure with a looser, more immersive style of planting.
Plant palette
- Acanthus mollis
- Bartlettina sordida
- Ceanothus ‘Pacific Wave’
- Chamaerops humilis
- Cotyledon orbiculata ‘Silver Shadow’
- Crassula ovata
- Erigeron karvinskianus
- Euphorbia robbiae
- Fatsia japonica
- Helleborus argutifolius
- Hydrangea quercifolia
- Iris x germanica
- Kalanchoe ‘Oak Leaf’
- Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei ‘Natchez’
- Ligularia reniformis
- Liriope muscari ‘Royal Purple’
- Lobelia pedunculata
- Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’
- Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata
- Phlomis russeliana
- Phoenix roebelenii
- Plectranthus ciliatus
- Rhaphiolepis indica ‘Oriental Pearl’
- Roldana petasitis
- Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’
- Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
- Viola labradorica
