The client had been a regular customer of “balcony palms” at our nursery and had decided that she needed the entire block rehabilitated. The consultation revealed a site with significant challenges – the hillsides of Balmoral are steep, rocky and riven with existing tree roots. Access was likewise a challenge – quite possibly the steepest driveway in Brisbane, followed by steeper timber retaining stairs, almost hidden by Liriope tufts and Trachelospermum vines.

 The front yard consists of irrigated, raised blockwork planters, and a side bed running along the north boundary up the steep slope. An existing Plumeria rubra was preserved at the client’s request, and numerous Murraya stumps were removed by hand to clear the site for replanting.

Two Solitaire palms and a single Areaca catechu will form a canopy for dense plantings of Alpinias, Aloes, prostrate Casurinas and Blue Fescue. A new, semi-mature hedge of Viburnum ‘Emerald Lustre’ screens the neighbour’s tired Camellia hedges (marked for removal in 2019, with the addition of a new brick wall). Underplanting consists of Alternanthera ‘Little Ruby’, Scleranthus biflorus and Zephyranthes candida.

In the three tiered planters, tough heat-resistant species are repeated to heighten the drama. A canopy of plumose Dypsis arenarums will droop over Zamia furfuraceas, more Zephyranthes and trailing succulent groundcovers.

At the rear, high above the street, a simple layout of Rhapis excelsa and Aspidistra elatior softens the back fence, with Ealeocarpus ‘Prima Donna’ forming privacy for a large gap in neighbouring trees.

The centrepiece of the backyard is a new deck, expanding the usable surface of the narrow yard, allowing the family to enjoy the afternoon shade created by their home. Cascade palms and Philodendrons further soften a very linear space. A newly rehabilitated vegetable patch will allow them to experiment with their own gardening projects.