A Landscape Designer’s Story of Generosity and Friendship

I dig it

Scott Porter from Scott Porter Gardens in the Hunter Valley is a passionate landscape designer who loves what he does. Passion has a contagious nature to it — I dig it — and many landscape designers have this in spades (pun alert!).

When I first spoke to Scott, I was in WA and he was in NSW. He’d lived here years ago and had some good friends in WA. He hadn’t seen them in three years and now they needed his help.  He was about to come over on a mission!

Scott Porter in his happy place

Adrian’s all too common dilemma

Adrian often talked to Scott about the state of his garden.  He dearly wanted a better space  for his kids to play. Not really knowing where to start with the garden design was part of the problem.  Five years at their current home and nothing had been done to make the garden better. Does this sound familiar?

Landscape Designers hear stories like this a lot. Scott put his foot down and said, ‘If we don’t do it now it won’t ever get done.’  He made some time in his diary and three weeks later Adrian and Jen flew him across for a backyard blitz!

Rip out the old lawn for a new beginning!

The Garden Design Plan

Before the flight over Scott shared some garden design ideas with Adrian and Jen. These changed after seeing the yard in person and discussing what mattered most. A design brief emerged, they’d make a tropical style garden with a spacious lawn for the family to play on. Scott and Adrian tackled the project together. it had to be a team effort, with barely 6 days to get it done and plenty of catching up to be done as well!

A rounded corner, so much better for backyard ball sports!

How it all came together

When Scott told me his friends were in Fremantle, I knew straight away, the place to recommend.  Creation Landscape supplies were just around the corner a great yard to find plenty of the materials for a landscape.  Scott searched Perth nurseries to get the plant palette sorted.  As a visitor this proved the trickiest bit, but he managed that too.

As you can see, a rollicking backyard is the result.  What a gift to good friends. Giving them a place they can now enjoy sharing with their own friends and family. Scott, you’re a legend, we love what you did for Adrian and Jen. They will forever be grateful.

Great use of our 240mm flexible steel edge to step up the garden bed

A little feature within the garden bed to add detail, a little skirt!

“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.”

– Epicurus