Villa Gardens

So you have a lovely villa that you are considering, or already have, renovated for modern living, and in keeping with the history and beautiful detail of houses of this era.

The next natural step is to blend the new interiors with the old outdoor areas and change the use of the garden into entertaining and relaxing spaces, without losing the villa styling.

Outdoor living and alfresco dining wasn’t a priority for houses built in New Zealand back in the early 1900’s. However most of these gardens were large in order to include a generous kitchen garden to feed the family and house a few chickens for fresh eggs. The street front always was welcoming and well maintained which demonstrated a well-run household and pride in the property. The front was usually where the living rooms were, offering a more formal style away from the busy, smoky and cooking smells from the kitchen out the back.

Many of the villa gardens reflected the heritage of the families’ home country and a large sweep of lawn with an exciting sprinkling of the then ‘exotic’ New Zealand trees and shrubs to accent the garden.

When considering landscaping a villa garden, I look for the framework of the original trees and larger shrubs, and try to work with these. Sometimes during a Villa restoration, the whole living areas are flipped to take advantage of the sun, which raises new challenges.

Our modern gardens divides the section into garden rooms for a more intimate feel and interesting spaces to explore. The kitchen garden is now smaller but still popular for fresh salad vegetables and herbs, preferred in raised garden boxes for easier maintenance and a tidier appearance.

The main desirable feature for a renovated villa is indoor-outdoor flow to an all-weather deck or patio area for summer alfresco dining and cooking. These areas form an important link between the house and garden beyond and becomes a second family room for daily summer living.

I look to the architecture of the house for clues to shape the new garden’s structure and introduce features which blend with the details from the villa’s era.

Plantings with smaller and more manageable clipped hedges for a heritage garden look and what we consider ‘low maintenance’ plants are now more popular for busy modern families, than beds of roses and perennials. We can bring in colour with leaf colours and seasonal changes in deciduous plants which happily grow with little attention.

For a small percentage of the overall cost of landscaping the villa’s garden, a landscape designer will help manage and blend your new garden seamlessly with a your renovated villa. Each area, material and plant is considered carefully. You will get a finished property with charm and character that also maximises outdoor living for the modern family and beautifully enhances your overall property.

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