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Clea Cregan got a taste for landscape design creating terrariums as a hobby while working in the film production industry.
By the height of the indoor plant revival in 2016, she had spearheaded an entire movement making charming glass-covered gardens for homes, businesses, and events across Australia. She even inspired others to create their own tiny indoor gardens through her popular book, Miniscapes.
Eventually, Clea’s passion for plants could no longer be contained, and she went on to study garden design before launching her own landscape design studio, Miniscape Projects.
Today, Clea takes the lessons she learned when creating low-maintenance terrariums and applies them to larger spaces, including her own Melbourne backyard.
She purchased this Brunswick West property 10 years ago when the space was mostly concrete, with a few lean-to sheds and established fruit trees. The garden originally served simply as a space for her young children to play, but a decade later, a more sophisticated and multipurpose garden was desired.
‘It was a refreshing change to bid farewell to the thirsty lawn and opt for native grasses, flowers, and edibles,’ Clea says.
Just 18 months on, the garden is thriving with a vibrant tapestry of diverse species shrouding almost every visible space with plant life. The relatively small backyard (about 100 square metres) is now subtly divided into zones, starting with the large timber deck that extends from the rear of the house.
A traditional lawn has been forgone in favour of Dichondra repens (kidneyweed) to create a natural ‘carpet.’ This pretty ground cover surrounds the bluestone pavers leading to an open-air seating area, where the family can entertain and cook around a built-in barbecue and firepit.
Dense low planting around the spa includes Kalanchoe hildebrandtii (silver spoons) and Senecio candidans (angel wings), which are interspersed with the broccoli-like heads of Hylotelephium spectabile (autumn joy).
Among it all, Australian natives impart texture in the form of spiky Lomandra confertifolia (mat rush), flowering Eremophila hybrid (pink pantha), velvety Westringia fruticosa (coastal rosemary), and weeping Poa labillardieri ‘Suggan Buggan’ (tussock grass).
‘It feels like a mix of meadow and modern cottage, with those drought-tolerant silver plants mingling with natives, succulents, and edibles,’ says Clea. ‘The garden’s got a laid back, whimsical feel going on.’
Beside the seating area, a ‘mini food forest’ hosts dwarf varieties of cherry, apricot, apple, nectarine, and peach trees.
‘Their compact size allows for a diverse array of varieties while still producing fruit of full size. It’s remarkable how much food can be produced in such limited space,’ says Clea.
Adding to this bounty are lettuce, basil, tomatoes, spring onions, snow peas, and herbs grown in wicking beds tucked between the spa and main house.
Water is also a key element of Clea’s garden — introduced to attract nature and soothe the senses. The constant sound of running water can be heard from a small pond frequented by birds and bees, while the outdoor shower and cedar spa are always calling for a relaxing dip.
‘One of my favourite things to do is recline in the hot tub and watch the night sky,’ says Clea. ‘There’s so much activity around, from possums in the trees, to bats gliding overhead… It’s my little slice of paradise right at home.’
No longer a mere backdrop to the house, Clea’s backyard is now a generous space that encourages daily interaction with the plants and engaging with the elements. Her kids enjoy it just as much as she does — even without the trampoline!
