Sitting on top of a windswept and wild cliff top, halfway between Port Fairy and Warrnambool is our Illowa Cliffs garden. A contemporary new residence was being built and the main role of our garden was to soften the architecture and provide spaces to relax and entertain in, while withstanding the incredibly tough conditions.
The design created a protected entry path to lead visitors from the parking spaces around the side of the beautiful brick wall to the front door. An open lawn area between the house and rock embankment creates a protected area, whereas the lawn at the front of the house takes full advantage of the views.
The planting palette we designed was focused on tough, coastal planting that could withstand salt spray and incredibly strong wind. As in all of our gardens, creating a plant palette with various foliage textures was important so we combined a variety of grasses, low and tall shrubs and groundcovers.
