Note: This garden was opened in 2022
Set on 1800m2 in the heart of Brighton, “Kelso” is one of the area’s original farm homesteads, circa 1853.
The owners are both gardeners themselves and passionate about sustainability, and they appointed Eckersley Garden Architecture to create a productive, “foodie’s” garden that would pull the estate’s existing collection of trees into a cohesive story. The most notable of the established trees were a gnarled but stunning Pomegranate, and a spectacular Camphor Laurel, both of which EGA date at around 100 years old.
EGA designed a gently rambling garden that defies its now very urban location. Sinuous curving lawns lead your eye through textured, seasonal garden spaces, abundant with edible plants. The owner was specific with his brief, “I want to walk through this garden and pick things for my dinner!”
As such, fruiting trees were selected over ornamentals. Edible perennials were intermingled amongst ornamental, including Rhubarb for its bold leaf, Lemongrass, Cardamon, Taro, Midyim Berry, and creeping Thyme. And oversized planter boxes installed for vegetables.
Textured bluestone paving, reminiscent of Melbourne’s historic laneways, were specified in a nod to the heritage of the home.
The team at EGA loved working on this project and are delighted to see how beautifully it has grown.