Perth has a delightful Mediterranean climate where balmy summer nights abound. This means that versatile, beautiful outdoor living areas are a must-have. The outdoor barbeque and the sunset soiree are very much a part of the Perth lifestyle. Choosing a unique landscaping style for your home in Perth can be one of the most important decisions you make, and it depends not only on your broader location, but on the style and structure of your home, and your unique lifestyle and tastes.
Your individually landscaped oasis could be a quiet escape at the end of a busy day or the setting for entertaining guests. Perth garden designs that consider the style and location of the existing or yet-to-be-built home, coupled with your family’s lifestyle make for the best results. Let’s look at some of the garden styles you could consider for your Perth home.
Coastal landscape style for ocean vibes
When you live in Perth, you are never far from a beach or river. If you are fortunate enough to have turquoise views of the Indian Ocean, and your proximity to the sea is enough that you can taste the ocean air, a coastal landscape style could be perfect for making the most of your property.
The refreshing sea breeze that Perth is famous for can cool your home, but what does the Fremantle Doctor do to your plants? A low-maintenance garden with plants that can withstand salt exposure and onshore winds doesn’t have to be devoid of character; it can be a thing of beauty. Picture an alfresco garden in Greece with white-washed stone facades, a medley of succulent greens, a splash of colour, and some well-placed terracotta pots.
Your landscape designer can recommend plants that are not only beautiful but hardy. Western Australia is home to many stunning naturally occurring coastal plants to ensure your space is vibrant and versatile. When combined with some classic Mediterranean favourites such as a striking bougainvillea or fragrant frangipani, you can achieve those relaxed ocean vibes while providing a habitat for local birds and animals.
A well-designed coastal garden should be low-maintenance, water-wise and aesthetically pleasing while providing shelter from the elements.
Features to consider:
- Swimming pool
- Outdoor shower
- Pergola
- Decking
- Outdoor pots and planters
Contemporary landscapes: an extension of your architect-designed home
If you have employed an architect to design your contemporary home, you appreciate refined design elements, so it will make sense that your garden should reflect the same. The modern designed home is complete if the gardens reflect and complement the nature of your building.
Architectural style landscape design responds to the features and structure of your building. A well-designed contemporary garden will draw your attention to shapes and forms without trying too hard. If combining elegance with the “wow” factor appeals, you will enjoy the impact a well-designed modern garden can have.
Hard landscaping features such as pergolas, feature walls and terracing contrasted with soft organic plants of varying size and texture can highlight the beauty of your home. The contemporary architectural garden invites you to appreciate the home and garden as one. A skilled landscape designer will work with you or your architect to design a balanced and elegant outdoor space while providing a relaxing environment for your family and friends. As we always recommend, if you’re designing and building a new home and want to make the most of the landscape, be sure to engage your landscape designers early in the process.
Features to consider:
- feature walls
- lap pool
- water features
- pergola
- multi-level planting
- terraced paths
The classic beauty of Hamptons-style Garden design
When you think of a beach house in Perth, you may imagine a shack by the sea with a nautical theme and a sandy garden. The elegant Hampton style home is a beach house, but it is far from a shack! The quintessential Hamptons-style home was first constructed on Long Island, New York. It is the classic beach house owned by affluent New Yorkers with wide verandas and a primarily white exterior. The Hamptons landscape design can be an entertainer’s dream or a place for quiet contemplation. Picture lush green gardens with elegantly manicured lawns and dappled shade areas where you can sit on a rattan chair and read a book while sipping on a gin and tonic. Sounds divine, doesn’t it?
The typical Hamptons style garden design is a mix of manicured lawn, soft ground cover, limestone walls, and well-maintained hedges and topiary. Trees are usually deciduous, and mass plantings of pastel-coloured flowering plants such as gardenias, climbing roses, and hydrangeas are common.
If this is your design choice, it can be achieved depending on your location and the style of your home. A Hamptons-style garden would not tolerate the harsh conditions on the coast, and it may not complement a modern architecturally designed home. If you think the Hamptons garden would suit your home and lifestyle, your landscape designer can help you achieve your garden dream.
Features to consider:
- limestone planters
- feature trees
- pergola
- trellis
- planter boxes – garden and windows
Native garden designs for a beautiful environment
The beauty of a native garden design is in the visual appeal as well as the easy-care and water-wise elements of the style. Noongar people of Western Australia have known about the functional and fascinating properties of local plants for over 50,000 years. Native plants have been a source of food, medicine, and beauty for time immemorial. Western Australia is home to some of the most stunning native flora.
A native garden can be as straightforward or as complex as you wish. A combination of grasses, low shrubs and ground covers can make for a visual masterpiece when accompanied by a feature tree such as a magnificent Western Australian eucalypt. You can choose flowering natives for their bold colours and sensory appeal or keep it simple and select the muted colours of native grasses and non-flowering plants to make a visual impact. The native garden style is versatile, increasingly popular, and translates to many other types of garden design.
- A contemporary architectural garden lends itself beautifully to a native theme. The soft grasses and exquisite native ground covers can set off a modern home to great effect.
- The native theme can create the rambling backyard bush retreat of a resort-style garden.
- By its very nature, a coastal-style garden could be described as a native style garden. It makes sense that the plants you choose for harsh conditions be native to the area.
Whether you choose this style for its easy-care and water-wise features or its natural beauty, you will not be disappointed by the result.
Features to consider:
- paving
- gravel
- pond
- productive plantings: bush tucker
- pathways
Make every day a holiday with a Resort-style Garden
When you imagine unwinding at your ideal holiday resort, you might be visualising lush tropical vegetation and deck chairs by an infinity pool, a luxury bush retreat with a fire pit and a heated spa, or even a ski resort in Aspen. With the rise of the staycation, there has never been more reason to bring the resort lifestyle to you. A resort-style landscape design can be as rejuvenating as jetting to a five-star retreat in the Maldives or a vacation in your favourite French chateaux. Luxury without the jetlag! While we can’t promise snow, we can help you to achieve tranquillity, and peace with a touch of luxury in your backyard. A landscape designer will work with you to create the look and feel that works for you and your family. A resort-style garden can mean different things to different people, but at its heart it’s about luxury, relaxation, and escape.
There’s plenty of flexibility in the styling of resort style landscapes, but typically when people think ‘resort’, they think of a contemporary landscape, often tropical, with all the mod-cons. Resort style landscapes usually include a glittering pool and poolside space for lounging, frequently they include generous alfresco areas with outdoor kitchens, or outdoor rooms. You’ll also find luxe touches and amenities like outdoor showers and fire pits in these landscapes, anything that might invite you out into the garden. Once again, the location and style of your house will determine the types of plants and landscape features you can install, but if you’re looking for a resort feel to your landscape, a competent designer can help you achieve that in virtually any space. A landscape designer can unlock your vision by asking you some questions and taking time to get to know you. With this knowledge, a designer can propose a style and functionality that is uniquely yours.
Features to consider:
- pool or spa
- cabana
- feature trees
- fire pit
- decking
- outdoor cooking facilities
- outdoor bar
- privacy screening
- water features
TDL can help you achieve your dream landscape
The Perth landscaping styles we have talked about are not one size fits all. Having a genuine discussion with our landscape designers is the first step to achieving the ideal style for your home and lifestyle. TDL landscape designers can provide you with a design and construction proposal covering all aspects from initial contact to job completion and maintenance. We leave no stone unturned.