Colourful edible courtyard - Fitzroy

A small inner-city courtyard full of concrete and red brick was transformed into a cool lush oasis.

THE SITE

This small inner-urban red brick courtyard behind a Victorian terrace in Fitzroy was almost entirely paved in concrete with a narrow raised planting bed, tall brick walls to either side with the whole back garden backing on to a laneway.

THE BRIEF

The client’s brief was to keep the hardscaping in place, but add softness, greenery, colour and edibles to the exiting courtyard. The challenge was to soften, green and colour a space dominated by concrete and brick with very little access to soil.

THE DESIGN

Working with the client to uncover her love of intense hot colours – inspired by her travels to India – and the need for a cool green oasis, we designed a small beautiful courtyard based on the startling and intense colours of the beautiful native Chorizema cordatum pea flower.

We used the native flower’s intense orange and hot pink as inspiration for bright focal points while creating a lush, green, low-maintenance garden full of water pots with tall vertical plants. A long narrow raised planting bed running alongside one red brick wall was filled with compost, mulch and food plants such as Sorrel, Chicory, Perennial Basil, Lemongrass and Lemonbalm against a backdrop of espaliered blood plum – the client’s favourite childhood tree – using the extensive red brick wall to advantage as a heat bank. The plantings were interspersed with narrow worm farms that were sunk deep into the soil where the client could dispose of her kitchen scraps.

An intensely coloured orange and pink bougainvillea, chosen for its long sharp thorns, was trained over the back wall that backed onto a public laneway as a colourful focal point and, more practically, to deter intruders.

Water pots scattered around the courtyard with dwarf Lotus, rushes and Papyrus allowed dramatic height using only a small footprint – and no access to soil. The addition of fish and aquatic snails helped with the ecology of the water bowls and kept the mozzies in check.

To cover up the towering red brick walls on either side of the courtyard and to soften the space we planted the robust and beautiful Virginia Creeper with foliage that ripples like a wave in the breeze and showstopping autumn colour in crimson and scarlet.

Spotlights were added to accentuate trees and interesting forms.

Colourful and festive lanterns and twinkle lights were strung across the yard and the courtyard became a cool and colourful place to sit in doing the day and a magical place in which to relax at night.