A chapter in Michael McCoy's new book, Dream Gardens

 
 

We love the way Michael McCoy thinks so deeply about gardens - the plants, the processes, and the planting combinations. His super power is his ability to tease out their anatomy, history, philosophy, and then articulate exactly what it is about a garden that delights, challenges, and nurtures us.

Michael has dedicated a whole chapter to one of our gardens in his new book, Dream Gardens. The inner city terrace garden in Alexandria is a small but mighty space, with three distinct areas for sitting, dining, or lying, surrounded by plants.

The Dream Gardens book includes a wide-ranging interview with its designer, Landsberg Garden Design prinicipal, Barbara Landsberg, as well as a short essay about the way Barbara’s design created three quite different spaces to transform this abandoned space into an exuberant portal of living and light for the family that lives here.

In the book, Barbara shares how she designs small gardens in a way that transforms them into generous spaces for outdoor living…

 

“In small gardens, simplify everything; simplify your material palette, simplify your plant palette.”

 
 

“Even a small level change creates a sense of separation.”

 

“By stepping ‘away from the house – you’re dining in a garden, not in a space that feels like it belongs to the house.”