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Everything about Lucy Feagins and Gordon Johnson’s Blairgowrie beach shack was designed to be an escape from their inner-city lives — including the garden.
Renovating the home DIY style was second nature for the couple, but they didn’t know where to start when it came to turning their bare, grassy nature strip into an idyllic garden.
‘We usually have a very clear idea of what we want and how to achieve it, but having never really had a proper garden before, I felt very out of my depth with planning and knew we needed professional help,’ Lucy says.
They engaged Mornington Peninsula local and garden designer Jo Ferguson, who bought her wealth of knowledge about coastal landscapes to this very personal project.
Jo spent some time getting to know Lucy, Gordy and their daughter Minnie before presenting them with the initial concept and plant selections for what she says is a ‘whimsical garden’ — all drawn up by hand on paper, by Jo’s collaborator Holly Rigg.
The garden was created to enhance the feeling of the home as a retreat to nature, drawing on the unruly beauty and ‘wildness of the ocean’ at the end of their quiet street for inspiration.
‘We loved the duck egg blue of the 1950s-style beach house,’ Jo adds. ‘It inspired the colour scheme of the garden, which combines indigenous and exotic natives, grasses and colourful perennials.’
‘I wanted to bring to Minnie the joy of growing flowers and the delight of experiencing a garden as home for little birds and insects, of which there are plenty.’
Hints of blue, lavender and purple are woven throughout the front yard, with Salvia azurea (blue sage) and Salvia yangii (Russian sage) hidden amongst coastal spear grass. Pink and sunshine yellow flowers line the winding hardwood boardwalk that’s reminiscent of wandering through national parks like Wilsons Prom.
Gordy ended up undertaking most of the hard landscaping alongside Jo’s husband Simon Hazel — who has a background in civic landscaping — while Gordy’s friend Nick Casey also assisted in building the timber features, like the verandah, decking and garden path.
Limestone boulders collected from a local farmer’s paddock bring a raw edge to the dreamy yard, and all the gravel is from a nearby quarry.
‘The fence of split wattle has an old fashioned beachy feel, which brings a lightness and relaxed informality to the garden,’ Jo adds.
It’s been just over a year since the garden was first established, and Lucy says they have loved watching this unique setting to come to life in front of their eyes. And spending time in the garden at golden hour is extra special.
‘As the sun sets, light streams through the garden and all the beautiful grasses and plants sway and cast beautiful shadows. With the sea mist in the air, you get this soft hazy atmosphere that feels so magical,’ she says.
‘This garden has totally changed the character of our house and the way people interact with it from the street. It’s actually brought us closer to our lovely neighbours. Without fail, passers by will stop and admire the plants and strike up a conversation about the garden. It’s just made the whole house feel more friendly somehow.’
You can book to stay at Silvermoon here.
