Landscape design by Seam Lam of Saint Remy Studio
This garden is located at a Victorian-era home in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Prahran. It previously carried a very traditional feel. The Victorian façade was approached via wide bluestone steps, flanked by clipped buxus hedging and two weeping cherry trees. While formal, the space was in need of softness and a refresh.
Toward the rear, tall trees saw much of the courtyard space thrown into shadow. Ficus cloaked the boundary walls and more buxus hedging defined the edges, creating a structured but somewhat heavy atmosphere. The bones were beautiful, but were needing to be opened up and given more light.
A reimagining
The owner Prue’s brief began with a few key challenges: a large tree at the front that overshadowed the house and threw the façade off balance, tired planting that hid the beautiful bluestone footings, and steps that needed to be made safer and easier to navigate.
Out the back, the courtyard was dominated by mature pear trees that left the space feeling cold and closed in. It soon became clear the garden needed more than a light refresh. “We decided to reimagine the entire site – opening it up, improving accessibility, and creating a softer, more naturalistic landscape,” says Seam Lam, designer director and founder of Saint Remy.
Prue was open to the process, which involved new paving, irrigation, lighting, a built-in barbecue, a water feature and a sunshade to bring harmony, warmth and usability back to the garden.
Design that aligns
The vision began by responding to the architecture itself. “The house has such presence and scale, and we saw an opportunity to counterbalance that formality with a garden that felt lighter and more expressive,” says Seam. “We wanted planting that looked beautiful from the street but didn’t overwhelm the façade or block natural light inside.”
In the rear courtyard, the goal was to create a space that felt welcoming and practical, yet aligned with the elegance of the home’s interiors. The beds were narrow, so dense planting was used to give a sense of depth and expansiveness. Deciduous Chinese cedar trees bring height and seasonal drama, with a mostly evergreen understorey providing structure throughout the year.
A new concrete-formed built-in barbecue bench was introduced, along with timber batten gates and an understated steel water feature with a copper gooseneck tap to add calm and character. Soft grey pots planted with citrus help revive forgotten corners, while a new dining table created a place for Prue and her guests to gather. She later added retractable arbours with a bright yellow shade – an uplifting touch that keeps the courtyard cool through the height of summer.
“When selecting materials, we always start with tone – and for this garden, the palette of blacks, whites and greys created a cohesive foundation for the planting to shine,” says Seam.
Introducing informality
Because the existing layout was so structured, Saint Remy’s design approach leaned towards informality, bringing in layers of movement, drifts of colour and a tapestry of evergreens to hold everything together. “Ornamental grasses, flowering perennials and generous groundcovers became the backbone for our approach,” says Seam.
Initially Prue was hesitant to re-introduce trees in the front garden, wanting to preserve a sense of openness in the space. But once the new paving went in, it became clear the garden needed a touch of vertical softness to balance the scale of the house. A mass planting of delicate ‘Moss White’ birches struck the perfect note.
While the front garden has dramatic seasonal changes, from lots of flowers, to autumnal colours and a rest in winter, the rear courtyard is more consistent – the big showstopper is when the Toona sinensis trees turn flamingo pink in spring.
It’s now a much-loved garden – a place where Prue can potter, pause, entertain and just take pleasure in being outdoors.
Plant palette
Front garden:
Trees
- Betula pendula ‘Moss White’ (silver birch)
Grasses
- Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (feather reed grass)
Perennials
- Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa (showy black-eyed Susan)
- Salvia chamelaeagnea ‘African Sky’
- Centranthus ruber (red valerian)
- Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ (Balkan clary ‘Caradonna’)
- Nepeta x faassenii ‘Dropmore’ (catmint)
- Persicaria amplexicaulus ‘Orange Field’ (mountain fleece)
- Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus Superior’
- Digitalis ferruginea (rusty foxglove)
Climbers
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston ivy)
- Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine)
Ground covers
- Convolvulus sabatius (blue rock bindweed)
- Persicaria affinis ‘Dimity’ (lesser knotweed)
- Viola hederacea (native violet)
- Dichondra repens (kidney weed)
Pots
- Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender)
Courtyard:
Trees
- Toona sinensis (Chinese cedar)
Evergreen
- Arthropodium cirratum
- Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’ (asparagus fern)
- Ligularia reniformis (tractor seat plant)
- Liriope muscari ‘Royal Purple’ (turf lily)
Perennials
- Anemone hupehensis var. japonica ‘Elite Pure White’ (Japanese windflower)
- Centranthus ruber ‘Alba’ (white valerian)
- Helleborus orientalis (winter rose)
Climbers
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston ivy)
- Parthenocissus henryana (silver vein creeper)
Ground covers
- Viola hederacea (native violet)
- Dichondra repens (kidney weed)
Pots:
- Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Seiryū’ (laceleaf Japanese maple)
- Dwarf lemon and lime trees (underplanted with prostrate rosemary and mint)
- Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’ (fragrant gardenia)
