A slope thatholds together

Suburb: Mount Martha
Aspect: West, above the bay
Soil: Sandy

Olive, grasses and flowering coastal planting on a slope above the bay

A west facing slope above the bay, with sandy soil, salt wind and long dry summers. The planting holds the bank, frames the view from the pool terrace and needs little water once established.

Pigface and coastal groundcovers knitting together over a sandy slope, a few pale flowers open

How do you plant a slope so it holds together in wind, salt and summer heat?

A flagstone path past olive trees and grey coastal planting — The upper path runs past the olives to the pool terrace.

Three terraces turn one steep bank into places to sit, swim and grow, each held by a low stone wall.

Isometric drawing of the Mount Martha hillside: the house and a lap pool on a paved terrace, a stone wall down to an olive terrace with a lawn, a second wall to a bank of coastal planting with a stepping path, and the bay below the cliff.

Below the walls the slope is planted, not paved: deep rooted grasses and shrubs bind the sand, and a gravel mulch keeps the soil cool through the summer.

A stone water wall beside horsetail and ferns

A stone water wall by the house gives the sound of water without a pond to look after.

Six botanical studies of the hillside planting: an olive sprig with fruit, coastal rosemary in flower, fountain grass with soft plumes, mat rush with cream flowers, a conebush with red bracts and white correa.

The palette is short and tough: olive, coastal rosemary, fountain grass, mat rush, conebush and white correa.

Planted for wind,salt and summer.

Section from the house down to the bay: the pool terrace at 7 metres, stone walls stepping down to an olive terrace and a planted bank, sandy soil, the cliff and the water, with the salt wind blowing in off the bay.

Fountain grass moves with the sea breeze and stays upright through a dry January.

Watering stops after the second summer. From then on the garden lives on rain, mulch and good choices.

Horsetail and grasses growing close around the edge of a pool — Horsetail and grasses soften the edge of the pool.

A slope that holds together is one you stop worrying about.

Next garden

A slope thatholds together

Balwyn North