A crushed - shell pathway, meandering watercourse and large drifts of colour enhance the visual impact of this hillside garden.

For generations , the typical back yard was an expanse of grass, a couple of fruit trees and a vegetable plot. Today however, more and more homeowners are relishing the chance to create a much more inviting home landscape.

The owners of this country property, Pete and Nora Dougherty, were quite happy not to have any lawn in their back yard - they already enjoy a green outlook over neighbouring fields. The couple commissioned landscape designer Alex Schanzer to come up with an alternative planting scheme ...

Schanzer says the starting point for the design was the watercourse, which he designed to meander between an upper and lower pond ...

To reinforce the natural look, the stream is bordered by orange - toned Waiheke stone boulders and rocks. A crushed shell path curves across and down the slope and over a small wooden footbridge ...

"I like to introduce great drifts of colour and sculpture into the garden" , says Schanzer. "The expansive ground covers here include the reddish brown Coprosma 'Red Rocks', which contrasts well with the lush broad - leafed plants and the green Coprosma Hawera".

Varying the heights of plants and hard landscaping features also adds interest. The designer has introduced a low ponga wall that follows the serpentine curve of the stream. The wall is topped with epiphytic bromeliads ...


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