A Victorian Home’s Whimsical + Winding Front Garden

Gardens

by Christina Karras

The Toorak property is home to WHITEFOX Real Estate founder Marty Fox and his family. Photo – Erik Holt

Salvia longispicata x farinacea (mystic spires) and Liriope muscari (liriope Samantha) bring pink and purple flowers to front yard. Photo – Erik Holt

Feature trees include airy Betula pendula (silver birches) emphasising a welcoming, light-filled entry. Photo – Erik Holt

The sweeping driveway with crazy paving is the centrepiece of the entry. Photo – Erik Holt

The glossy green foliage of Ligularia reniformas (tractor seat) borders the front of the house. Photo – Spacecraft Media

Curved garden beds follow the winding bend of the driveway. Photo – Erik Holt

A Magnolia soulangeana (saucer magnolia) is planted just outside the front porch. Photo – Erik Holt

‘We referenced the soft burgundy hues of the porch tiles and roofing in the tones of the paving,’ Nathan says. Photo – Erik Holt

Clipped spheres of Buxus Microphylla japonica (Japanese boxwood), Trachelospermum jasminoides (Chinese star jasmine) and Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea). Photo – Erik Holt

Floating steps lead to the front door. Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear) are mixed with Arthropodium cirratum (New Zealand rock lily). Photo – Spacecraft Media

Photo – Spacecraft Media

The front garden enhances the charm of the Victorian, renovated by Castley McCrimmon. Photo – Spacecraft Media

When Marty Fox (WHITEFOX Real Estate founder and The Block judge) bought this Victorian home in Toorak, the true beauty of the facade was hidden behind an overgrown front garden.

So it wasn’t long after starting renovations that Marty approached Nathan Burkett Landscape Architecture (NBLA) to transform the space.

‘Marty initially described it as “the ugly duckling of the street,”’ Nathan says of the garden.

‘It was positioned down from the road and felt quite dark. The garden was an overgrown mishmash, devoid of any style or theming and the paving was dilapidated and weed ridden. It looked very run-down.’

The brief was essentially to ‘beautify the entrance’ and breathe new life into the circa 1890s residence. When it came to selecting the planting palette, Marty was adamant on an evergreen garden that looked vibrant year-round, while his wife Charlotte requested pink and purple seasonal blooms, highlighting her love of flowers.

‘It was important that the garden integrated harmoniously with the Victorian-style home and once completed, looked like it had always been there,’ Nathan adds.

Everything about the resulting design feels ornate, from the new wrought-iron fence right down to the sweeping arch of the driveway, featuring Italian porphyry crazy paving with a stone pathway to the front porch.

The inviting entry of floating concrete steps is flanked by mass planted garden beds that follow the curve of the driveway.

There’s no shortage of greenery now either. Inspired by the couple’s respective visions, Nathan’s team selected lush plantings of varying shapes and sizes to create texture and depth, pairing Ligularia reniformas (tractor seat), Arthropodium cirratum (New Zealand rock lily), with clipped spheres of Buxus Microphylla japonica (Japanese boxwood).

This sea of green also reveals flowering species such as Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea), Helleborus x ballardiae (cinnamon snow), and Salvia longispicata x farinacea (mystic spires).

‘The white blooms match the exterior of the house, while the Salvias and Liriopes bring vertical colour accents in Charlotte’s chosen palette of pink and purple,’ Nathan says.

It’s now equal parts formal and whimsical. And the enchanting landscaping has set the tone for the garden in the backyard — which is currently underway!