Sustainable Garden Design Perth & Fremantle, Australia
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We are a Contemporary Perth Landscape Design Firm working out of Fremantle, Western Australia and dealing with all aspects of Sustainable Landscape Design and Garden Landscaping Installation for the Perth Coastal Plain.

We specialise in the creation of naturally beautiful outdoor living spaces with every garden we build being a unique design collaboration between ourselves and our clients. The gardens we create draw inspiration from elements of nature and incorporate natural materials and organic textures in original and unconventional ways. Our landscape designs draw from a rich palette of local Perth native plants, architectural exotics and edible plant species.

We take a very personal approach to the installation of our landscaping designs with our landscape designer on site project managing the entire garden construction process.

Our eclectic landscape designs have recently been featured in the West Australian Habitat Magazine, The Sunday Times Home Magazine, Scoop Outdoor and Garden 2012-2013 as well as in the Australia wide publication Australian Garden Design.

The garden we designed and installed at 26 Waylen Rd Shenton Park has also just been named as one of 4 finalists for the 2012 City of Subiaco Sustainable Garden Award..

CALL ANDREW BECK ON 0405 303 824 TO ARRANGE AN INITIAL CONSULTATION TIME or email: andrew@sustainablegardendesignperth.com

Native Garden Landscaping Design, Garden Plans, Landscaping Ideas: Native Japanese Landscape Design and Zen Garden Installations. Minimalist Waterwise Gardens utilising Local Native Plant Species, Architectural Succulents as well as Inspiring Exotic Plant Species.

Vertical Garden Design and Construction: for those who are not familiar with the term Vertical Garden, they have been variously described as a ‘Plant Wall’ a ‘Green Wall’ sometimes spelled ‘Greenwall’ or even ‘Plant Wall’. They are simply a Living Garden Sculpture, Garden Art Installation or a Planted Garden Wall Feature.

Outdoor Decking and Outdoor Room Design and Construction: Contemporary Decking Design and Timber Decking Installation, Recycled Decking. Roof Garden, Balcony and Patio Garden Design. Garden Paving, Textured Washed Concrete or Liquid Limestone for Courtyards, Garden Terraces and Pergolas. Design of Contemporary Outdoor Living Spaces, Sustainable Outdoor Garden Rooms and Innovative Green Garden Studios.

Eco-friendly, Green Gardening: Raised Garden Beds for Waterwise Native Plants, Native Trees, Organic Vegetable Gardens, Herb Gardens and Fruit Trees. Greywater Recycling Systems and Greywater Subsurface Irrigation Design and Installation. Rainwater Capture and Rainwater Tanks. Limestone Walls, Natural Stone Garden Walls, Timber Screens and Fencing.

Water Feature and Water Garden Design and Construction: Solar Garden Fountains, Waterwalls, Native Ponds or Water Bowls.

We are a team of landscapers who have over the past seven years developed our skills through a string of project developments. I have personally overseen the construction and renovation of over 25 houses in the past 3 years and in this process have developed a love for creating beautiful outdoor spaces which flow naturally from the inner spaces of the home.

Through this experience I have become passionate about the creation of sustainable native gardens as well as food producing herb, fruit and vegetable gardens.

Our work has included projects as varied as the landscaping of a development of over 3000 square metres surrounding 8 new dwellings we created in Fremantle to a modest courtyard and decking area of 50 metres for a house our firm renovated in West Leederville. Given our breadth of experience we are capable of project managing and designing sustainable residential gardens of every shape and dimension.

Where do we work?
Our firm is based in Fremantle and services the surrounding areas extending out to the coastal areas of Swanbourne, Mosman Park and Cottesloe. We believe that focussing in on our local area gives us a more detailed knowledge of the species of coastal natives that thrive in these areas. Rather than having a one-size-fits-all mentality towards design we like to tailor our plant selection to the local.

Why do we choose to promote local native species?
One of our main goals is to create beautiful contemporary outdoor spaces using Western Australian native species as well as water hardy exotic plants. It is our firm belief that a water-wise garden need not only be sustainable but should also be inspiring.

Our perfect ideal is a zero scheme water garden which is initially watered sparingly in its formative stages and then eventually weaned off water dependency altogether or supplemented with greywater and natural rainwater. With careful species selection and the planting of correct pioneering plants such an ideal is possible.

When planting a garden it is always important to consider the local conditions. And when doing so an interesting point of departure is an exploration of the indigenous species to the area. Our first inspiration for garden design is the natural environment itself. Growing up in Perth I was often struck by the beauty of the coastal heathlands surrounding City Beach, Swanbourne and Cottesloe, and also the ability of the native species to thrive in the harshest of environments with the poorest of soils.

It is easy to forget how beautiful our own species really are but we are reminded by the huge overseas interest in our local native species that there is something unique about Western Australian flora.

What makes a truly sustainable garden?
The first answer to that question is simple; it must be mainly self–sustaining and planned for the long term. By this I mean it must not depend upon the continual input of large amounts of water, external energy and consumables to survive. A well-planned native garden should need only a minimum of strategic care once the initial design has been implemented and the garden has had time to establish itself.

In designing a sustainable native garden it is useful to put thought into this initial planning stage and one must also consider the longer term issues such as how the garden will function in 10, 20 or 30 years time. An example of poor planning would be the selection of a species of tree which requires constant pruning and management throughout its lifetime in order to be ‘contained’. Imagine that your garden will still be there in one hundred years time and work backwards from this point. Just getting into this mindset can be useful way weeding through short-term gardening impulse buys that will not stand the test of time. If possible go and look at fully established versions of your plant selections in your local neighbourhood or online.

In stark contrast to this way of thinking the modern trend in Perth landscaping is Backyard-Blitz style instant gardens which contain larger potted specimens of plants that require a heavy input of water initially as they have not had enough time to acclimatise to their locality. This style of garden is often poorly planned and is in many cases torn up again after 5 or 10 years because they are either inappropriately planted, water hungry or simply out-of-fashion. Such superficial cycles are to be avoided at all costs in a well-planned and planted sustainable garden.

A truly sustainable garden must mimic nature through the creation of a functioning healthy ecosystem rather than a piecemeal collection of unconnected exotic species. The key to this is careful selection of plants which thrive in local conditions and combining these plants so that they interact symbiotically.

A simple example of this would be to plant pioneering plants which grow quickly and are shade providers with slower growing understorey plants. The pioneering plants create a perfect microclimate for the understorey plants to survive and thrive.

An example of this would be the use of materials which are going to last the distance as well as endless landscaping fashion cycles.

Andrew Beck
andrew@sustainablegardendesignperth.com