If you’re looking for front garden ideas that will increase the street appeal of your home from the street and make it look more expensive, take a leaf out of the latest book from Matthew Cantwell of Secret Gardens.
In the pages of Matt’s book Secret Gardens, named after his award-winning landscape design company by the same name, he shares some of his projects and reveals how these gardens came to life. The results are a stunning coffee table book filled with magnificent images taken by Nicolas Watt of breathtakingly modern landscape design, together with a rich source of practical landscaping ideas.
Read on to hear Matt’s top tips on making the front of your home look more expensive with clever planting and landscape design.
Make it lush
Create a lush entrance like the side of this residence, planted with a mass of Alpinia nutans that climbs the entire length of the imposing staircase connecting to street level.
“The foliage comes alive with the wind,” says Matt. “A subtle reward that was further enhanced by a neighbouring willow myrtle, delicately draping overhead.”
Matt’s best gardening hack to make the front entrance look expensive on a budget is greenery. “Planting that sets you apart in the street – a well selected and well positioned tree, partly concealing the house and creating intrigue,” he suggests.
One trick of the trade, says Matt is to balance hard surfaces with the softness of planting and/or areas of lawn.
Money-saving ideas for a beautiful garden
“When designing a garden, it is important to consider neighbouring vegetation and the opportunity it can offer to borrow from the scenery,” says Matt. Sometimes, it’s worth buying cheap plants on Ebay.
“When I am looking for something that is hard to find I will occasionally look there.” But you have to be lucky. “It’s rarely the case that you find the quality of stock that we expect from usual wholesale suppliers,” say Matt.
Favourite trending plant?
“Cactus,” he says. “Olives continue to be one of our favourite trees. They are a hardy species, they look at home in a coastal setting and they provide a very modern appeal yet work equally as well in a more traditional-style garden. I think it is their unique foliage colour. It seems to work so well in the Australian landscape.”
Shop the look
01
Secret Gardens by Matthew Cantwell, Booktopia
$49.50
Get inspired by Matthew’s years of experience as seen in his stunning book, showcasing 24 of his favourite landscaping projects.
02
Gerani terracotta plant pot, Temple & Webster
$449
Filled with an ornamental tree or overflowing with structural succulents, make a statement anywhere outdoors with this oversized textural planter.
03
Odyssey medium rustic pot in White, Adairs
$79.99
Available in four other shapes and sizes, group three or more of these striking pots together to bring a corner of your garden or verandah to life.
04
Avalon external porcelain tile in Charcoal 600x600mm, The Blue Space
$46/sqm
Streamline surfaces by tiling unsightly steps and edges with hardwearing porcelain tiles in a neutral tone.
