Transforming a tired suburban backyard into a thriving habitat garden rich with texture and seasonal interest.
The brief
A young family in an inner-north terrace wanted their compact courtyard to feel like a retreat — something private, green, and genuinely low maintenance. They were drawn to native plants but weren't sure how to make them work in a small urban setting. The existing concrete slab was tired and needed replacing.
Our approach
We replaced the slab with a combination of warm-toned recycled brick paving and a central gravel panel, then built raised planting beds along two boundaries. The planting palette leans on coastal banksias, lomandras, and ground-hugging native daisies — species that thrive in the urban heat island and reward with movement and colour across every season. A compact vertical trellis softens the rear fence and adds a third layer of greenery without taking up floor space.
