The key to a great courtyard is a balance between built forms and planted greenery. This maxim is proved true in the case of the Y3 Garden by landscape architect Dan Young.

‘The clients were looking for a reasonably low maintenance garden that would screen some neighbouring dwellings, and also discourage their dogs from digging in the garden,’ says Dan. ‘Finding a balance between planting density and traversability was the most important consideration.’

This was especially true given the placement of the garden in relation to the architecture. Sitting at the centre of the property, the house wraps around the garden on three sides, and the boundary line fences it in on the fourth. This leaves the garden at the heart of the property, providing a green outlook to all communal parts of the house as well as a thoroughfare from one side to the other. 

As such, the design had to reconcile these competing aesthetic and utilitarian demands. Decking skirts the perimeter to transition doors and entry-points to the denser parts of the garden. A raised garden bed sits in the middle, housing layered green plantings and deciduous trees that provide shade in summer and light in winter. This raised level is serviced by concrete steps, which lead up to the crazy-paved path that winds its way through the greenery. 

‘The planting palette was composed broadly to draw from the grey tones of ageing timber, and pushed into hues of green that are deliberately non-tropical. We felt that the vividness of a sub-tropical palette would perhaps be overwhelming in an area with uninhibited morning and midday sun,’ says Dan. ‘For the hard paving surfaces, we selected Luca Crazy Paving from Eco Outdoor for its naturalistic form and how it complements the overall garden tones.’

The final garden is a relaxed, low-maintenance space that makes the most of its position in a transitional zone. The result is a lush, versatile outdoor space that will service this house and its residents for many years to come!

This project is shortlisted in the TDF + Laminex Design Awards 2021, in the Landscape Design Category – proudly supported by Eco Outdoor.

See more projects from Dan Young Landscape here.