Before & After: A Two-Faced Victorian Garden with a Secret – Gardenista
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Seen from the street, a gingerbread Victorian cottage near Melbourne, Australia hides its secret: a streamlined rear extension with a sleekly modern silhouette. The challenge for landscape architect Ben Scott of Ben Scott Garden Design was to create a garden to connect the two faces of the facade.
The result is a front garden with irresistible curb appeal: an informal, meandering design of old-fashioned flowering plants punctuated by spiky perennial grasses that add a modern sensibility.
The back garden is another story. During a remodel three years ago, homeowners Lynn and Brett Cheong added spaces for outdoor dining and entertaining. To complement the contemporary design, Scott’s back garden emphasizes the sharp-edged geometry of the architecture.
Let’s take a walk around the garden, from front to back.
Photography by Derek Swalwell, courtesy of Ben Scott Garden Design.
Above: Mature liquidamber and Japanese maple trees were starting points for Scott’s garden design. At the edge of the wraparound front porch, a tumble of oakleaf hydrangeas and purple verbena is happy beneath a tree canopy.
For more growing tips, see Verbena: A Field Guide to Planting, Care, & Design.
Above: Bluestone pavers lead to a handmade garden swing, tucked into a shady corner.
That black swing! Bluestone pavers lead to a handmade garden swing, tucked into a shady corner. #homedécor
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