The gold balcony, so named for it’s distinctive balustrade screen, has been great to work on.  The balconywraps around 2 sides of the apartment with sun coming from the  north and west.  So lot’s of challenges from sun and wind. There is a tap outside, which is always a bonus.

Who lives here?

Our client is a young family, who need space to sit, read a book, hang out with friends, eat together and grow their own food.

The brief covered all – create a vegie patch, somewhere to sit, maybe some green at the bedroom window and use Australian natives in the plant selection.  The planting includes coastal ground covers, that will cope with both the sun and wind, a dwarf Corymbia to give a burst of colour and possibly attract the odd magpie.  And, not quite native, but a Crepe Myrtle ‘Zuni’ from Flemings Nurseries which always does well in the heat and mixes in well with local plants.

The vegie patch started as 3 good sized cubes, 500x500mm, after the initial spring/summer planting, we added another to the mix.  Using planters that allow a reasonable depth, both for crops to grow into and to keep the soil moisture is key in a small vegetable garden.

The balcony is long and narrow and wraps around the apartment.  The design flows from the vegie garden down the west side where there’s lots of afternoon sun and a little protection from the wind.  Herb pots and the BBQ are a natural tranistion to sitting areas, some comfy seats to relax in and a dining table that looks out over Victoria Park.  We continued a mix of large planters in a combination of shapes from Martin Kelloch Pots

The mix in the plant selection, planters and zones has given the space a good feel.  There is a subtle distinction moving through the space, that truly does create a garden.

There’s a buzz when I’m out in Collingwood and look up to see a Crepe Myrtle popping it’s head up over the gold.

During COVID 19, Small Spaces is still operating and we are keen to help out with advice on your garden. You can still start the design process while we are in lockdown.  We can arrange a garden consultation on line, and walk through your garden remotely.  

This courtyard had a deck already to go, we just needed to do the courtyard design to complete the picture. Our brief, to create a green space with raised planters, soften the view and finish on all the fences, and some space to grow a few edibles.
Our solution, we installed planter boxes on castors for some flexibility and a mix of concrete pots with corten steel, to give some depth and interest to the garden space.

We often work with Future Environment, they build custom sizes for us, so we can mix it up depending on our courtyard design. http://www.futurenvironment.com.au/

Pots by https://potsnpots.com.au/ for some lovely (and heavy!) concrete pots.