One challenge in designing this garden was changing the impression that the house was sliding down the block.

The unusually shaped, narrow corner block gave the house a very wide frontage. The entrance was hidden on the right-hand side behind a masonry planter box, while the letterbox sat apart from the garden and further blocked the view of the front door.

On the left, a copper log retaining wall jutted out from the base of the block, ending about a third of the way up and doing little to improve the garden’s appearance. Overall, the house lacked a welcoming presence.

The owners wanted the house to feel more inviting and the garden to sit more naturally within the block. Neighbours had often commented that the front of the house lacked appeal.

The first step was to move a tall plant from the lower side of the house to the higher side, remove the old planter box and letterbox, and install a new pathway with a bespoke sandstone letterbox.

The doorway was framed with welcoming scented climbers, while a low garden to the left of the path created a warmer and more open entrance.

The second step was to plant a row of camellias from the end of the existing hedge, above the copper log retaining wall, across the front of the block to the letterbox.

This connected the letterbox to the garden and drew attention to the hedge, rather than to the impression that the house was sliding down the block.