LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Catherine has been designing a diversity of gardens and landscapes in Australia since 1987. Her experience ranges from contemporary courtyard designs, restoring historic country gardens to large acreage with lakes and waterfalls.

Catherine has a sensitivity to the Australian climatic conditions which brings an underlying logic to her landscape designs. Consideration of the architecture, sight lines, sun, shade, soil etc and all the elements a client has on their wish list, are skilfully handled in her designs.

Great landscape design is an investment into the future value of your property. The correct placement of expensive items such as swimming pools and tennis courts is essential to avoid wasting large sums of money. Catherine collaborates with pool builders, landscapers, earth movers, rock wallers and horticulturalists.

She offers a comprehensive design service:

SITE SURVEYS

on site consultations and site analysis, scaled drawings of existing conditions

CONCEPTUAL PLANNING

implementing your brief and producing initial plans and design solutions

MASTER PLANS

fully scaled and coloured with hard landscaping and planting suggestions

PLANTING PLANS

detailed planting schedules for whole garden or selected areas

OFFHAND MANOR

•BEECHWORTH•VIC•

Offhand Manor garden was inspired by the gardens of the Provençal. The structured hedges and clipped forms complement the use of local granite steps, terraces and retaining walls. Drought-hardy plantings such as the saltbush parterre, topped cypress and olives ensure this garden will be resilient to climate change.

MANDALAY

•WIRLINGA•NSW•

Sitting on the shores of Lake Hume, there are two Japanese inspired gardens at Mandalay. A Zen Garden to the north overlooked by the Tatami Room and a Stroll Garden to the west, complete with watercourse and a koi pond. The cloud-pruned native and hardy shrubs were a solution to softening the swimming pool wall.

The making of

THE MÄGI GARDEN

•KIEWA VALLEY•VIc•

This new nine-acre garden at the foot of Mount Bogong was cut out of a greenfield site. In the centre is a 100metre-long pond around which is a double circuit of meandering pathways. The garden has a series of nine gardens within it: An Australian Garden, a North American Fall Forest, a Labyrinth in a Dark Forest, a Japanese Garden, an Estonian Birch Grove of about 50 trees and Welsh Garden amongst others, each inspired by the clients’ world travels.

The pond has a nine-metre long waterfall built from boulders from an ancient landslip off Mount Bogong. This acts as an aerator to the two-metre deep pond which has become an integral part of the garden, hosting a variety of waterfowl, insects, turtles and frogs. The climate has high rainfall, hot summers, frosty winters and deep red loam which has enabled a wide variety of over 800 trees and shrubs to thrive. The garden is still under construction and will continue to evolve.

COORONG

•JINDERA•NSW•

Drystone walling is a key element to the structure of this garden. An ellipitcal drystone ‘folly’ was built at front of the house and the stonework is continued in steps and retaining walls. An old driveway was turned into a watercourse. A gravel garden with agaves and succulents ensures little mowing and watering. This drought-hardy garden also uses recycled metals in a garden door and a screen in a brick wall.

•EAST ALBURY•NSW•

This garden was a response to the complete renovation of the house and new front entrance. A new lawn was cut in at the front and granite retaining wall installed. A 12 metre curved infinity-edge pool was installed at the back. The plant selections link to the colour in the slate paving and also stand out from the house.