Natural selection

A home-grown twist on the English cottage garden has generated lush results for Jason Mathers, who has created an immaculate display at his home in Mount Annan, on the south-western outskirts of Sydney. Not only has his selection of layered native plants made the garden drought-proof, it has also created a haven for endemic fauna.

Jason and his wife Suzan, both 35, bought the property in Dharawal country in 2010, drawn by the Federation-style home, which they now share with their sons, aged five and three. “The front garden was mundane, with iceberg roses, a red robin hedge, agapanthus and grass,” says Jason. He wanted to plant a garden of entirely natives, but he was also drawn to English cottage-style gardens. His mission? To create a native version of a cottage garden – think deep layered beds with foliage contrasts and flowering perennials.

Today, the undoubted centrepieces of the garden are the tough-as grafted Grevillea ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’ standards, chosen for their umbrella form, compactness, hardiness and sparing water needs. “They are real show stoppers, but require the most pruning, because they can quickly bolt and touch the ground,” says Jason. Similarly, he chose Western Australian natives such as eremophilas and grevilleas for their robustness and lack of thirstiness. His favourite plants? “The silver-foliaged eremophilas, including E. waitii and E. nivea. They bring texture, break up the green foliage, and add interest when the garden is low in flowers.”

The prolific wildlife that enjoys the garden with Jason and his family proves he has found the perfect planting formula. “We get such a rich variety, including blue-tongue lizards, frogs, water hens, cockatoos, noisy miners, lorikeets and king parrots,” he says. In the case of this garden, variety truly is the spice of life.

Story by Chris Pearson
Photos by Brent Wilson