This Preston property has one thing that’s valued highly in the suburbs — it backs onto a park.

With an expansive grass area beyond its back gates and endless space to for the kids to run and play, picnics to be had and parties to spill out on, its location allowed for landscape designer and director of Mcnuttndorff Landscapes, Lori McNutt to create an enchanting, winding — and grass-less — garden inside the property.

‘The clients wanted to create various garden rooms… and to extend the view of the garden into the park beyond,’ she explains. ‘A mixture of natives, perennials, herbs, veggies and lots of colour and flowers to pick and bring birds to the garden.’

Dividing the garden into four areas — the pool, firepit, veggie rounds and flagstone courtyard — meant that Lori was able to incorporate all of the client’s wishes into the rear site.

The layout works around the striking home, designed by Imogen Pullar, softening its edges with a brilliant mix of texture and colour.

Lori’s method for choosing plants is naturalistic and instinctive. ‘I have a somewhat organic method to my designs,’ she explains. ‘They often evolve whilst we are building them, particularly with my plantings.’

It’s an approach that results in a highly personalised and thoughtful space.

Alongside materials such as Castlemaine slate, Spotted Gum and Blackbutt, Corten steel, Dromana gravel and bronze granite, Lori has selected a variety of plants, each with their own feature to add.

Form and shape are introduced via Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’ and Eucalytpus gregsoniana, while colour comes from Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ (burgundy redbud), Cotinus ‘Grace’ (smokebush), Leptospermum Copper Glow (tea tree), Echinacea (coneflower) and Achillea (yarrow).

Flowers come in the form of Anigozanthos flavidus ‘Landscape Tangerine’ (kangaroo paw), Xerochrysum viscosum (sticky everlasting daisy), Bracteantha ‘Kimba Jewel’ (native paper daisy) and Grevillea ‘Bush Lemons’. While contrast is brought in with grasses such as Poa Labillardieri ‘Eskdale’ (tussock grass), Lomandra ‘Tanika’ (lime tuff) and shrubs in the forms of various Correas and Pimelea nivea.

Ground cover is taken care of by Sedums, Chrysocephalum apiculatum (yellow buttons) and Scaevola ‘Mauve Cluster’ (fan flower) and screening comes from Bambusa textilis gracilis (slender weavers bamboo).

‘Due to its dense and diverse planting,  each area you sit in you have a different combination of plants and architecture to engage with,’ says Lori. ‘This is hard to achieve in a small garden, but it really works here.’

And, it expertly fulfils its brief. From the moment you step outside you are immersed in a wonderland of winding paths, shifting grasses, textural plants and plenty of colour that takes your eye through to the verdant park beyond.