Australian gardens.

Garden Design - The O'Neill Way
Designing of a Bush Garden

We once heard that Katandra Gardens was basically of a design that could best be described as a collector's garden. We accepted that for what it was worth, not really knowing what factors made up a collector's garden design, good, bad or different, and we continued to develop the garden in the fashion that we always had. More recently we were told that Katandra Gardens reminded someone of an English garden except yhat we used Australian plants. Unfortunately we did not have the presence of mind to ask for clarification, but it did have the effect of causing us to ponder over garden design.
Over the time we have wandered through many gardens and concluded that for every 1000 gardens there would be 1000 different design combinations, reflecting both the history and current management and development of each of those gardens. We reasoned that classification of garden design is therefore an exercise of convenience of labelling, and a number of gardens would be so unique that they would fall into a group that may be labelled individualistic. However, all established gardens have evolved to be what they are due to some degree of initial planning, evolving local conditions, fixed local conditions and the imput by the gardeners at all stages of the garden's lifespan.
Factors that may have been quite insignificant or not even relevant at the outset may over a time become highly significant. A private garden that assumes a public status must these days have a compulsory legal requirement of a regard for public safety and all that may require. Watering of Melbourne's gardens in the 1980's was quite a different factor to now and into the future.
To us, good design of any man made item has 2 elements, firstly function then appearance; if it doesn't work it is of no use, and it is much more preferable to be attractive at the same time. A beautiful low sling high speed racing machine is totally useless in outback sand dune country, likewise a heavily equipped 4wd is inappropriate on a racing circuit, in other words horses for courses. To we a well designed object of any persuasion is to be judged in relation to its design objectives being met, and so it is with garden design.
Cranbourne Botanical Gardens was constructed along highly designed lines, not so Katandra Gardens, which from small beginnings has been entirely developed, managed and financed by a couple who were strictly amateurs in garden design. Relying on hard work, common sense, trial and error, reference books and our combined sense of balance and proportion in regards to what looked right, work proceeded, bearing in mind the changing requirements of the garden at any one stage of its history. The whole process has seen many errors committed, but these have served to enrich the learning process and we have developed into better gardeners and attained huge satisfaction as outcomes. It is a little like parenting, we enter without real training and rosy aspirations, we make a multitude of mistakes, but they are our kids and we love them, and so it has been with us and gardening. Second time round as grandparents we make great parents, and to start again on a second garden with the experience that we now have behind us we would do things a little differently, but whether we would enjoy the new challenge any more or really do a better job is debatable.
Not having formal training in garden design, we did not have lists of objectives or factors of design development to focus attention, though over the course of time probably many of those factors were consciously addressed. Following is a listing of factors that we at some stage or other have considered in relation as to how we next moved forward.

Factors in Garden Design.
Plants to grow well; environmentally friendly in regards to frogs, birds, insects; diversity of habitat for wildlife; retain views; diversity of species; ease and efficiency of maintenance; water considerations; balance between larger and smaller plants; work with natural conditions, eg soil types, fertility of soil, frost, drainage, sun, shade, shelter; flexibility to accommodate new species; adapt to maturation and evolution of the garden; be experimental; pleasing relaxed lines of pathways; open areas for multiple use, eg functions and grandchildren; financial constraints; manpower constraints; B&B requirements; car and bus parking; toilet; our privacy; shire regulations and permits; plant propagation facilities; shedding and storage; signage and labelling.
Design to me is a very personal thing in all aspects of life. For whatever reasons some objects of beauty stand the test of time and many do not, clothing fashions an admirable illustration, and I suggest that garden design also experiences from fashion pressures and fads as well as reflecting basic individual differences. TV makeover shows and chain store nurseries have a large impact these times. The move for indigenous planting is tremendous as a contribution towards conservation, but there are situations where the conditions are so greatly modified that the original vegetation for a new housing estate is perhaps no longer the most relevant, but shire planning may decree that it is. While one is wise to look, listen and learn, we certainly like to believe that we think for ourselves and suggest that others do likewise.
Recently an interstate landscape designer with an interest in native flora visited here. From a design aspect he gave a thumbs up with 2 areas of reservation. Firstly, there should be more mass plantings of some species. we agree with the gentleman. To his eye our use of fallen timber as path edging had a detractive effect on the garden's appearance in some areas. That comment really caught us unawares as we considered this approach to path and garden edging to be highly functional, environmentally friendly and much more harmonious than other materials that may have been considered. It is cost free and may be rearranged at will as circumstances arise. The irregular lengths of branches and trunks are used garden wide, providing a unifying element in the process. On taking a look in the garden we could see that in fact a suggested edge indicated by a broken line of timber could in fact be more attractive than an unbroken line, he had a point. This illustrates the point that one must be open to constructive criticism.
A large garden is a living, evolving, highly complex entity. Through experience we have learnt that basic design factors must apply to the development and maintenance of a garden, the mix and weight of factors to be almost certain to face pressures that will require modification over the course of time. Other than where a garden is to be preserved as a museum piece, a garden must be capable of adaption to provide ongoing service and pleasure or else face the possibility of becoming a design dinosaur.

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Hosts: Dot & Bob O'Neill. 49 Hunter Road, Wandin, Victoria, Australia.
Ph: +61 3 5964 4523

Katandra Gardens is known for its magnificent range of Australian Native Plants.

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