Arcadian splendour

By Lynne Testoni

A considered and extensive landscape design and construction adds character to a new build on Sydney’s outskirts.

It can be a challenge to add character and personality to a project home build, but that was the brief set by the owners of this new home to Sand & Stone Landscapes.

The clients purchased this six-acre rural property in Arcadia, on Sydney’s north-west outskirts, as a blank canvas with the home in the middle of a sloped grassy surrounds. They wanted to invest in a large-scale landscaping project to elevate the existing home to something special, adding character and personality to make it unlike any other home in the area. The key points of the brief were to:

• Create a seamless connection between the house and the existing pool (which was several metres down a grassy slope from the house)

• Create a space to entertain friends and family and include different practical zones, such as a firepit area

• Ensure the landscaping would provide shade from the harsh sun in summer but allow the winter sun to filter through

• Build a low-maintenance landscape that would elevate the existing ordinary project home to an extraordinary acreage property

Scope of works

Named The Arcadian project, the landscaping was completed in two stages because of planning and budget requirements. The first stage was the connection of the house to the shed and included a driveway, avenue planting, initial pool surround, timber deck areas and a sandstone log retaining wall for the pool area and driveway.

Stage two involved the connection from the house to the pool and included entertaining zones, a fire pit area, more retaining walls, installation of blue steppers leading from the decking to the shed and the clothesline area, large decking area, open timber pergola, stairs and more tiles, this time using travertine.

Sand & Stone Landscapes completed the total construction scope of works over this two-stage period and has continued the maintenance management of the property since.

Plantings

To create an established, elegant setting an extensive planting schedule was implemented featuring a combination of natives and exotics. The pergola features Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) as a climber, underplanted with Dwarf Indian Hawthorn (Raphiolepis indica ‘Spring Pearl’). Other groundcovers include Tricolour jasmine (Trachelospermum tricolour), and Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium), a groundcover with dense foliage and masses of white flowers.

Feature trees included six newly planted Snow pears (Pyrus nivalis) to complement an existing specimen, as well as Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides). Two Olive trees (Olea europaea) were planted inside the glass pool fencing, while outside the fence, four spectacular Teddy Bear magnolias tower over smaller shrubs, such as coastal rosemary, Dwarf Fringe Flower (Loropetalum ‘Purple Pixie’) and pink flowering Lilly pilly (Syzygium cascade).

Two grass trees (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii) frame the steps leading from the back patio to the pool area, underplanted with groundcovers of Pig Face (Carpobrotus glaucescens). A generous lawn area surrounds the pool, front and backyards, and the house, creating an established, rural setting and space for the younger members of the family.

The final result

After a beginning as a green site, the end result of the landscape construction is an elegant response to a rural setting without being imposing. The combination of mature trees, extensive lawns and elegant pool surround help the newly built house to appear established in its setting, by framing it with softer shapes and layered tones of greenery.

And the work hasn’t gone unnoticed. As well as creating extremely happy clients, The Arcadian was recognised as a gold winner in the category of Residential Construction ($150,000 to $350,000) at The Landscape Association’s (TLA) annual Landscape Excellence Awards in 2023.

The Landscape Association’s (TLA) 2024 Landscape Excellence Awards have closed for 2024. This year’s winners will be announced at the Landscape Excellence Awards Gala Dinner on Friday 8 November at Doltone House, Heritage Wharf, Sydney.

These Awards celebrate the very highest standards and achievement in Landscape Construction, Design and Maintenance, in the Residential and Commercial sectors. Recognising innovation, creativity and outstanding craftsmanship, the Awards are the highest accolades in the industry.

And the Awards are just one of many TLA benefits that are included in a TLA Membership. To find out more about membership or contact the team directly, visit www.landscapeassociation.com.au.

All images supplied by The Landscape Association