Photo - Libby Cameron
Were you brought up in a gardening family?
Yes, my Mum still shares cuttings with friends and relatives; my childhood garden had an amazing range of plants. Dad’s labour was free and very productive
– especially in the vegie garden.
What brought you into landscape design?
A love of flora and fauna from a very young age. I grew up surrounded by bushland and the huge properties on the North Shore of Sydney where every street
had two or three horse paddocks. I was always outside chasing wild goats in the bush, studying the behaviour of birds and subconsciously forming an
inseparable bond that framed my world outdoors. Landscape design was, from a very young age, the only option I considered.
What is it that sets your designs apart?
I think my designs contain the following key trademarks; restrained, textured, layered, considered, elegant, bold, defined.
Photo - Peter Fudge
Do you have any favourite plants?
Not really a favourite plant but I do have a succulent collection so perhaps succulents are my favourite plant species.
Tell us about your own garden.
My garden is an enclosed room, contained by a tall, manicured hedge. Two metre by one metre blue stone stepping stones are surrounded by clipped mounds
of rosemary, silver helichrysum and westringia which form a silver green effect. These are planted in rows with three frangipanis spreading over the
entertaining area providing shade. Silver green succulents spill from the base of the frangipani. Olive trees provide more shade in the garden and
blend with the colour scheme.
You can see some more pictures of Peter Fudge’s gardens at www.peterfudgegardens.com.au
Trueform
Peter Fudge
Sydney landscaper Peter Fudge champions a classical style of garden and his gardens use form and foliage as the main elements rather than flowers. His
new book reveals just how calming this green garden style is. Other lessons from the book include the value of a hedge in strengthening a design, no
matter how informal it is, and that ornamental grasses, planted en masse in a grid pattern, work to update a classical style for a contemporary home.
Though his themes remain strong, Fudge’s designs change to suit the homes they surround, so the book offers ideas for garden-lovers of all styles,
and is an indulgent way to wile away a winter’s afternoon.
Published by Murdoch, $69.95
Text: Libby Cameron
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