Secret Gardens employs people with a range of skills, who each contribute to the creation of beautiful and functional gardens for our clients. These include landscape architects, landscape designers, landscape construction and horticulturists. To better understand what each profession brings to the practice, we are delving into their workday and finding out what makes them tick.   Aaron has the job of caring for the gardens of our Secret Gardens clients. We caught up with Aaron, to discuss his role within the horticultural team. Q What got you interested in a career as a gardener? What c ..read more

Secret Gardens employs people with a range of skills, who each contribute to the creation of beautiful and functional gardens for our clients. These include landscape architects, landscape designers, landscape contractors and horticulturists. To better understand what each profession brings to the practice, we are delving into their workday and finding out what makes them tick.   Luke Taylor loves installing gardens for Secret Gardens Sydney clients. We caught up with Luke, who was busy at work in a client’s garden.   Q How did you become a landscape designer? What courses did you pu ..read more

Secret Gardens employs people with a range of skills, who each contribute to the creation of beautiful and functional gardens for our clients. These include landscape architects, landscape designers, landscape contractors and horticulturists. To better understand what each profession brings to the practice, we are delving into their workday and finding out what makes them tick.   Henry Chapple-Cox is a landscape designer. He is our Design Manager and has been with Secret Gardens for almost a decade. We caught up with Henry, three coffees into his day, as he explained how he found this des ..read more

Photos of gardens are made to look at. But gardens themselves are made for living in. And the key challenge for the garden photographer is capturing the distinctive feel of being in a particular garden. It’s not just about aesthetics. It’s about the mood.   Design manager at Secret Gardens, Henry Chapple-Cox, finds the rendering of his three-dimensional creations in a two-dimensional photograph a fascinating process. “Our key goal when photographing a garden is to provide a snapshot of how that space is used, and the feeling the client gets, whether that’s through recreation, leisure or s ..read more

Gardens are never ‘done’. They’re living things, constantly growing and evolving, just like the families who use them. The best gardens adapt in line with the changing demands of the household. And one of the key transition times for a family is when the children grow into teenagers. It’s something Matt Cantwell, creative director at Secret Gardens, keeps front of mind when designing for clients who are keen to see their children out in the garden. “While it’s really important to design well for a young family, it’s just as important to either be prepared to revisit the design as the children ..read more

  One of the subtle shifts in landscape design in recent years has been a move towards a more holistic approach. Designers are looking beyond immediate considerations such as soil, aspect and how the garden relates to the house, to think about the broader context. How could this garden break the norms of the geometric space? Could it extend or re-establish plant corridors? Could it provide habitat for wildlife? Does it require excessive time and resources to keep it looking good?     The style of garden known as naturalistic has these sorts of questions at its heart, and with i ..read more

Until recently though, there has been a real lack of understanding of the connection between the built and natural environments, particularly with regard to residential design. Landscaping was often treated as something of an afterthought, if the budget allowed. It’s a concept that Secret Gardens Landscape Architect Nicole is familiar with. “I grew up not realising the importance of landscape architecture and design until I started studying it at uni,” she says. “I originally went into the field wanting to transfer into architecture but then I fell in love with landscape architecture because ..read more

“They are quite hardy and drought tolerant,” he says. “They have a versatility that allows them to fit in with a lot of traditional planting styles with some of their colours and forms working beautifully with many existing planting schemes.” Images of cactus gardens on social media platforms like Instagram, particularly from arid parts of the Americas, have also driven interest from homeowners who have been won over by their strong architectural shapes. Throw in their ability to be placed in positions too tight or inaccessible for other plants, plus a reputation for being low maintenance, and ..read more

Creative director at Secret Gardens, Matt Cantwell, says clients are beginning to understand the value a well-placed, carefully crafted rooftop garden can offer. “We are definitely seeing them more often,” he says. “If you look at Google Earth 10 years ago and then now, you will see a significant difference looking across the rooftops, particularly in areas where we work which are often densely populated. “People are maximising the footprint of their site.” While rooftop gardens often provide a beautiful, green alternative to unsightly aircon equipment perched outside a window or a reflective ..read more

“The garden design brief has become more complex as clients seek a true expression of themselves in the garden,” he says. “We are shifting to ensure that the experience of their homes is as intense outside as it is inside. “If you are a lover of art and your walls inside are adorned with art, why wouldn’t you want to continue that outside?” Where once a large decorative pot or a water feature would have been the go-to outdoor ‘bling’, a well chosen piece of sculpture can serve the same purpose, only in a more sophisticated way. Placed well, it is a useful focal point in the garden, whether you ..read more