Beaconsfield

City Front | Backyard

After a two-year renovation gave the interior of this downtown home a modern sensibility, the owners wished to extend the same feeling to their outdoor space.  They requested something restrained yet lush, with a stipulation for little to no colour – only shades of green and white. With a limited plant selection and simple mass plantings, the garden was given a dynamic mix of quiet textures and tones that together make a striking visual statement. 

Concrete pavers create a streamlined walkway that slices through the back garden alongside a low-profile deck, naturally dividing the area into distinct zones. A powder-coated black aluminum retaining wall minimizes the changes in grade across the yard while neatly containing the planting beds and providing an element of contrast. Birch trees, Japanese maples and oak leaf hydrangeas soften the surrounding architecture. At ground level, bunny grasses, creeping thyme and lady ferns create the feeling of a natural meadow. In the front, multi-stem serviceberry trees are underplanted with a massing of astilbe and ferns to create privacy without blocking the house’s view.

DESIGN: GLD
INSTALLATION: HERO GARDENERS
PHOTOGRAPHY: PATRICK BILLER