A compact garden in Victoria was shaped around privacy and connection.
Landscape design by Timeless Outdoors
On a 456-square-metre property in Trentham, Victoria, Aaron Leslie from Timeless Outdoors was asked to create a private garden with a spa, space for entertaining and no traditional lawn. Beyond that, the clients left the design largely open.
The challenge was fitting a generous garden experience into a relatively tight site. Rather than treating the backyard as one open space, Aaron divided it into a sequence of smaller areas that reveal themselves gradually – a spa, fire pit, entertaining area and reflection pond, each surrounded by planting and connected through the garden.
A sense of place
The design began with the individual spaces the clients wanted to use, then considered how each could sit within the garden without making it feel crowded.
Circular forms became an important part of the solution. The spa, fire area, entertaining space and reflection pond were all designed around rounded paved areas, allowing planting to wrap closely around them. “We wanted all the spaces to be round so we could immerse the garden around the small paving pockets,” says Aaron. “It gives the illusion that the garden is bigger than it is.”
Rather than opening everything up, the design deliberately limits long views across the property. Planting and screening interrupt sightlines, so the garden is experienced in stages rather than taken in all at once.
Staggered timber battens were used throughout to provide screening without creating solid walls, while a hedge of Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ behind the front fence strengthened the sense of privacy.
The connecting thread
Once the main spaces were established, the next question was how to link them. Although the clients didn’t want lawn, Aaron introduced a narrow grass path running between the different areas. Soft underfoot, it provides a contrasting surface and brings another sensory element into the garden. “It was about how to connect everything in a fun way,” he says. “I’m a big believer that it’s those small details that take a garden to the next level.”
The path gives the garden a clear route while maintaining the sense that each space has its own identity. The fire pit, spa, pond and entertaining area feel separate, but not disconnected.
Old & new
The architecture of the relocated heritage home also informed the materials and detailing. The garden was to feel clean and contemporary, while still acknowledging the character of the house. Local bluestone was laid as crazy paving, with wider grout joints inspired by older paving techniques. The rougher joints were also intended to evolve. Moss, seeds and organic matter can settle into the gaps, gradually softening the surface and giving the paving a more established feel.
Perennial planting brings another reference to the home’s heritage, providing a softer layer against the more structured hard landscaping. The fencing and screens were painted in the same colour as the house, extending one consistent tone across the property. “It was a bit nerve-racking to essentially colour-drench a garden,” says Aaron, but the decision helped reduce visual clutter and strengthen the connection between house and landscape.
Through the seasons
The garden is now used as intended – for entertaining, relaxing and spending time outdoors with friends and family. In Trentham’s cooler weather, the fire pit has become a well-used part of the design.
One of the most successful aspects is the way the garden continues to change. Deciduous trees and perennial planting create a lush garden through spring and summer, while autumn and winter expose more of its structure. Moss settles into the paving, foliage changes, and different plants move in and out of prominence.
On a site where every square centimetre mattered, the garden’s success lies not in how much was fitted in, but in how carefully each part has been connected.
Plant palette
Trees & hedging
- Betula pendula (silver birch)
- Buxus sempervirens (English box)
- Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’
Plants
- Achillea millefolium ‘Pineapple Mango’ (yarrow)
- Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (hyssop)
- Echinops ritro ‘Ritro Blue’ (globe thistle)
- Eryngium ovinum (blue devil)
- Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea)
- Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender)
- Lavandula stoechas ‘Javelin Forte White’ (Spanish lavender)
- Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’
- Salvia nemorosa ‘Azure Snow’
- Salvia yangii (Russian sage)
- Verbena bonariensis
Grasses
- Festuca glauca ‘Beyond Blue’ (blue fescue)
- Pennisetum setaceum (fountain grass)
- Poa labillardierei (common tussock grass)
Climber
- Ficus pumila ‘Climbing Fig’
Groundcover
- Dichondra repens (kidney weed)
- Helichrysum petiolare (liquorice plant)
- Leucophyta brownii (coastal cushion bush)
Water plants
- Cyperus prolifer (dwarf papyrus)
- Nymphaea ‘Pink’ (water lily)
