Chasing the sun
By Wendy Moore
A grand home comes to life surrounded by a Moroccan style garden worthy of its beauty.
Perched on the edge of Sydney’s Centennial Park, a home filled with heritage deserved a garden to suit its stunning, structured surroundings. Taking cues from the timeworn Mediterranean architecture of the house, designer Adam Robinson sought to elevate the character of this home while improving the flow and connection to the outdoor spaces.
The project, a close collaboration between the design and construction teams who worked together to deliver this stunning garden, won Gold and Best in Category for Residential Design in the 80m2 to 300m2 category in The Landscape Association’s 2025 Landscape Excellence Awards.
The brief
The stunning architectural heritage of this home, complete with soaring arches, inspired its homeowners to imagine a Moroccan style garden filled with lush plantings, hand-crafted natural structures, and connected zones that encouraged year-round use and a sense of romantic escape.
The small garden called for clever design solutions to allow pockets of both shade and sun throughout the day, allowing the homeowners to happily chase both as the seasons changed. A key vision for the homeowners was for the new design to evoke a sense of fun, celebrate the rich colours and culture of the Moroccan architecture and transform the tired and under-utilised space into an inviting, serene and character-filled haven.
Scope of works
The extensive scope of works called for a full transformation of the existing garden which was dominated by a large overhead structure, and heavy vegetation removal of all greenery was stopped only at the mature palm trees, which were retained to act as an established foundation for the new, lushly-layered plantings.
As part of the works, the existing paving and tiles were also carefully removed, with the new design opting for a playful mix of checkerboard paving and batten-style pavers, designed to blend the lounge and dining areas seamlessly into the garden.
Rich and bold, the Moroccan design ethos also inspired the installation of a feature wall within an existing arch. Decorative handmade tiles were used as a backdrop to a traditional copper bowl and water feature that fired the senses with the sound of trickling water and its gorgeous, aged patina.
Corten steel edging was installed, designed specifically to encourage spilling plants to soften the edges of the garden, blending surfaces and features such as sculptural pots, with integrated irrigation and layered plantings all nestled within the boundaries.
Lighting was also layered to either create features, in the case of the pendant lights, or to highlight introduced features and encourage the discovery of the new spaces.
Finally, an automated retractable awning was installed in place of a heavy reclaimed sleeper structure, allowing cover from the elements when needed in an otherwise open and airy entertaining space.
The challenges
A small garden often presents challenges, and the limited access increased the difficulty of construction. The need for manual manoeuvring of new plantings impacted selection and limited the opportunity to introduce mature plants, which was countered by the designer’s choice to retain some of the more mature palms.
Creating a new garden that blends seamlessly into a heritage home required thoughtful selection of both plants and materials. Utilising hand-made and naturally-aged elements, where possible, was key to creating a garden that is modern in its useability, but still able to blend perfectly with the existing heritage.
Plantings
All existing plantings were completely removed from the garden, saving only the mature palm trees to provide vertical height and a backdrop to the rich, textural plantings introduced into the new design.
New plantings included Euphorbia ingens, Bartlettina sordida, Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’, Dracaena draco, Cupressus sempervirens, Howea forsteriana and Erigeron karvinskianus. The planting palette is designed to add depth to a small space with texture and rich foliage tones.
The result
The finished garden celebrates both the architecture of the home and the bold, playful nature of Moroccan culture. With rich colours and detailed, unique features, the garden now boasts a small but mighty collection of integrated zones, inspiring the owners and their guests to discover every corner of this stunning sanctuary.
About the awards
The Landscape Association’s (TLA) Landscape Excellence 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.
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.