Drummond St, Carlton

Drummond St, Carlton

The southern end of Drummond St in Carlton boasts some of the best examples of Victorian architecture in Melbourne. Many grand homes were constructed during the mid to late 1800s on the back of the gold mining boom. Constructed in 1866, 196 Drummond st sits right in the heart of these historical masterpieces. Unfortunately through lack of maintenance and ad-hoc extensions and renovations time threatened to be the enemy of this once grand residence. Fortunately our client bought with a vision to revitalise and modernise while paying utmost attention to the historic overlay.

When it came to the gardens we were presented with 3 areas. A front garden that in its current state was astroturf, English Ivy and an impenetrable wall of Pittosporum hedging. The hedging especially hide the fascade and stopped light from entering the front rooms of the house. Moving through the house there was an internal courtyard or at least, the potential for one as it had been roofed in and converted to a sunroom at some point in its long history. Lastly at the rear of the house was a courtyard which was taken up by an overly large shed.

Original state of the front garden

Starting with the front garden the first assignment was to completely strip it out back to its bare bones. All vegetation was removed, The astroturf pulled up and the date tiles all pulled up with one exception, The original flagstone at the entrance was a beautiful piece of Scottish slate which had seen the comings and goings of over a century and a half. 

The original entrance hemmed in by Pittosporum and Boston fern

Detail in the Scottish Slate flagstone

Getting our hands on Scottish slate wasn't going to be a viable option and besides this bringing in newer slate from a different source would have meant the original slate was competing for attention. With this in mind we decided to use Victorian Bluestone for the rest of the path. For the garden itself which is west facing we chose a hardy range of perennials and roses. We wanted it to be a simple nod to a Victorian cottage style garden but without it being too rambunctious. We also wanted to keep the plantings relatively low so no tree or large shrubs were used. The planting palette consisted of Lavender, Scabiosa, Salvia, Miscanthus, Calamagrostis, Iris, Santolina, Nepeta, Sedum and Roses. An antique cast iron urn was used as the centrepiece in lieu of a feature tree.

The finished path and bluestone capped block wall featuring 2 custom bullnose steps.
The finished front garden is full of flowers and movement while allowing the fascade of the building to have its moment in the sun once more.

As mentioned, The central courtyard had been converted to a sun room so using the onsite demolition team the roof was removed, The original brickwork revealed and the flooring completely ripped up so that we were left with an empty shell. A strip drain was installed to drain the courtyard and corten steel planters were custom built offsite to line the length of the courtyard. The central positioning of this courtyard makes it visible throughout the lower story so we aimed to get as much plant-life in there as possible. 
The uninspiring state of the 'courtyard' before its transformation. 

For the planting scheme in this courtyard we wanted to create a feeling of a Victorian era garden using the likes of Palms, Ligularia, Plectranthus, Justicia, Ferns, Boston Ivy and soft grasses like Japanese Forest grass (Hakenochloa) and Carex 'Feather falls'. The result is surprisingly modern as more and more garden designers lean back on the hardy and trusted plants used in the past.
The courtyard viewed from the Kitchen. The 2 palms, a Dwarf date palm and a Rhaphis palm were both salvaged from old gardens. The Dwarf date palm was grown on for a couple of years waiting for a project just like this one to turn up
A closer look at the lush, layered foliage.
Whether viewed from the main living room, The hallway or the Kitchen its wall to wall greenery!

The rear courtyard wasn't really a useable space as it had a shed on it that took up half the area.The shed was removed and in its place an area was dedicated to modern amenities such as a heat pump and Electric car charger. This was all screened off behind a timber screen. We brought in another set of custom made corten steel planter boxes and created a new garden bed using corten edging and planted it up in a combination of Hostas, Ligularia, Hydrangea and a mix of species Geraniums. On the wall we trained a Crimson glory vine and a Clematis 'Sweethart'. A new Olive tree was planted to tie in the exisitng 2 as well as a Japanese Maple, Acer 'Seiryu'. The Astroturf was pulled up and in its place we brought in a blend of crushed granite. This created a space that could be used for parking a car or for entertaining in. 
B

Before demolition of the adhoc 1980s extension the courtyard was taken up by a large shed. It did however have 2 very well established Olive trees which were protected throughout the build.

The finished renovation and new plantings transformed the courtyard into a soft and relaxed multi use space.

This house will be up for sale in 2025 and has been tastefully modernised and renovated throughout. The standard of finishing throughout the project has been to incredibly high standards and the finished product is a home with all the modern amenities without losing any of its historic charm. When it came to the gardens the ethos was the same. Its a bit of a romantic notion that we would just recreate a Victorian garden of old. Our climate is changing with hotter and drier summers and we are more conscious of sourcing and using local materials. With this in mind we have used a combination of plants that wouldn't be out of place in a Victorian era garden but are suited to the challenges of our current climate. Materials similarly have been sourced from within Victoria. The house is connected by it glimpses into the multiple garden areas. From many rooms more than one vista is in view. The future owners of this home will be connected to the past, the present and nature.

Design and plant sourcing by Fitzroy Nursery, Landscape construction by Yarra valley Landscapes.

Back to blog