26/07/2026
The reclaimed field at the end of the garden. This was quite a transformation. In an area called Rock Hill, it certainly lived up to its namesake.
We wanted to create a natural flow from the garden below, so we used reclaimed sandstone flags and the same stones for the steps, creating a transition from formal to informal as you move from further from the house and closer to the wildness of the field.
The sleeper beds were planted with culinary herbs for a kitchen garden. You can’t beat freshly picked herbs at meal times, and it’s just one more you don’t have to rely on the supermarket.
With so many boulders dug up in this area, we wanted to use them in our design as the rockery/stone circle feature and as stepping stones. But with boulders comes a heavy, brutal impression so the key here was to soften other features where we could. Colourful alpines placed among the stone. Sedums framing the corners of the stairs. Rounded edges in the stone circle. Thyme plants to grow in around the boulder bedding. Even down to the round leaves of the eucalyptuses, which are great for respiratory health when taking a long deep breath as you soak in the view from the deck.
With rewilding always on our radar, we blanketed the beds with wildflower seeds and kept the monolithic tree stump to remain as an insect metropolis. We planted in some honeysuckle to climb up the stump and some ivy and creeping Jenny from the field to cascade down it, giving protection from the elements and further facilitating the lovely pollinators who reside in it.
This was an epic job. Using reclaimed elements for a rustic look and repurposing all the boulders that were already there is just right up our street. When we stood back and saw it finished, we almost didn’t want to leave.
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[No AI used in this project or post.]