Rebuilding around a 22-tree garden

Vaucluse · 2026 · Homes & estates · Architects & designers

The challenge

The owners of a Vaucluse home were planning a rebuild with new landscaping. The garden held 22 trees and hedges, some on rock shelves and behind old retaining walls, some in the neighbour's yard. They needed to know what could stay, what should go, and how to protect what stayed.

What we did

• Assessed all 22 trees for health, structure and how well each would cope with the works.

• Kept 11, including a row of about 20 lilly pillies, the neighbour's viburnums and the trees along the front wall, with fencing set on the retaining walls so the walls double as root barriers.

• Recommended removing listed weeds (cotoneaster, African olive, giant bird of paradise) and a declining crepe myrtle, with replacements in the landscape plan.