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There’s a certain magic to naturalistic gardens.
Not only do they mimic the look and feel of nature by using abundant perennials that beautifully evolve as the seasons change, but their unstructured, layered appearance often makes these landscapes look like they’ve always been there — no matter when the garden was actually established.
Landscape designer Tim Pilgrim is a master of this style, and his recently completed project on the Mornington Peninsula is a perfect example: ‘One year in, it looks and feels like three-year-old planting,’ he says.
The garden is part of a 1500-square-metre block in Rye that owners Domenique and Dan Nestel purchased a few years ago with a vision to completely overhaul the 1980s brick beach house on the property.
Phase one was all about tackling the overrun landscaping.
‘The existing site was covered in moonah trees being choked by ivy,’ Tim explains. ‘Dan and Dom had already done some of the hard work with the ivy and clear out [before I got involved].’
The couple tasked Tim to create space for growing vegetables; an outdoor dining and firepit for entertaining; and a garden for cut flowers to help with pollinating the veggie garden and mini orchard.
The only challenge was designing these zones around the existing Melaleuca lanceolata or moonah trees — a native species protected on the coast.
‘We had to identify the places we wanted to be within and under their canopies, and where the pockets of light were, so we could grow food alongside sun-loving shrubs and perennials,’ Tim adds.
These towering and twisted tree trunks also served as a guide for the winding pathways that connect each zone — from a gate at the top of the property, up through the lower lawn to the outdoor dining area, and onto the picnic lawn and kitchen garden beyond.
But it’s the spaces beneath the trees where the garden comes to life. Almost every inch of the underplanting now reveals a sea of native coastal grasses, shrubs, and diverse flowering groundcover in large sweeping drifts — a hallmark of Tim’s signature style.
‘We have used the coastal garden model and injected our own unique tweaks, using a few of our favourite and trusted plants for more movement, colour and seasonal decay,’ Tim says.
Poa labillardierei (common tussock-grass), Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (feather reed grass) and other fluffy grasses are a nod to the block’s beachside environment, while natives like Pycnosorus globosus (Billy Buttons) brighten up shady corners.
Along the border, the planting transitions to more showstopping perennials, creating a meadow-like backdrop featuring Gaura lindheimeri (whirling butterflies) with delicate pink flowers on long stems, Symphyotrichum cordifolium (blue wood aster), and Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower).
‘There’s a relaxed mood as you move through under the canopy, and I love the way the light hits that part of the garden in the evenings,’ Tim says.
‘We always want to be sensitive to the place we’re building a garden and aim to use locally sourced, reclaimed and natural materials where possible.’
The retaining walls and stairs are built from recycled railway sleepers, local sandstone is a feature, and the organic wattle and wire fencing ties in perfectly with the coastal atmosphere.
Perhaps most importantly, this layered garden is both beautiful, and biodiverse: ‘[It’s] as much for the human occupants as it is for the birds, insects, reptiles and biology that occupy it as well.’
An edited version of this story originally appeared in The Design Files Magazine Issue 03. Subscribe to the biannual print magazine here.
