Bilgola Plateau

Project completed by Joanne Green in 2013.

The brief for this project was to create a French provincial garden that catered for three generation’s worth of requirements; herb gardens, outdoor dining, entertainment area and play area – all centered around a feature swimming pool.

The site was extremely exposed so extra attention needed to be given to selecting hardy plant species that matched the French feel, and creating enough shade to keep everyone comfortable.

The first steps were excavating and leveling the site, installing new retainer walls faced with feature stone, designing the new swimming pool (subcontracted) and surrounding it with glass fencing and lawn for the children to play on. From this base we could really develop the French provincial style, framing the lawn with garden beds filled with classic French flowers of blue & mauve with pink and white highlights.

A beautiful outdoor dining and kitchen area was developed which included dual retractable awnings to ensure it was always in shade and travertine paving. While the site had been turned into an inter-generational playground, the whole space also recognised the necessity for practicality, including irrigation, storage and utilities such as clothes drying. The end result is a delightfully French space, catering for year round entertainment and beauty.