89,125 views Dec 28, 2023 AUSTRALIA Join me for a garden tour of DIY gardener & plant lover, Steven Wells' small garden. His DIY small garden design ideas are incredible and they'll leave you so inspired on what you can achieve in small backyard! This great garden design celebrates small spaces, the importance of gardening as a form of restoration and the shear joy of gardening in Australia.
Stepping behind the garden gate of this small garden, you'll find yourself in a botanical haven that transcends the ordinary. Steven Wells, the mastermind behind this green oasis, has carefully designed a private front garden that serves as a prelude to the rest of the clever small garden design ideas within.
This garden, a testament to Steven's creative skills, unfolds as a captivating journey rather than a mere destination. As you walk the meandering paths, it becomes evident that this is not a space dominated by flamboyant blooms; instead, it's an exploration of foliage and form. The carefully chosen (mostly) evergreen plants serve a dual purpose, ensuring visual appeal year-round and fostering a sense of seclusion and privacy.
Vertical growing spaces are used heavily in this garden. Walls are strategically positioned for privacy, double as canvases for more greenery including bromeliads, agave, spider plants and donkey tails. Mirrors are strategically placed to create a trompe l'oeil effect, adding a touch of illusionary grandeur to the compact space.
Repurposed fryer baskets become unconventional yet aesthetically pleasing plant pockets. The slope of the terrain is embraced, transforming the garden into a miniature rainforest, an unexpected surprise at every turn.
Diverse garden rooms reveal themselves as you meander through this small garden – shaded retreats adorned with clivias, elevated decks perfect for lazy summer days or hosting a winter fire pit. A the playful addition of a slide is a load of fun for ALL ages! The outdoor dining space includes strategically placed maples in oversized pots, crushed rock underfoot and more timber walls that are adorned with pots. This wall also hides the garden shed space, behind a very beautiful door.
Since 2005 when Steven bought this property - the garden has transformed from a dusty, life-less space to a lush and private garden space. Which was your favourite spot? Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to like and subscribe for more inspiring garden tours! 🌻
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Behind this entrance is a small garden that's full of fun and functionality.
I'm Chloe from Been There, Dug That. Let's go behind the garden gate.
And stepping away from the chaos of suburbia is as simple as closing this gate.
This garden, the owner tells me, is his place for respite and restoration.
We're in Eltham, a leafy outer northeastern suburb of Melbourne,
and the owner, designer and creator of this garden is Stephen Wells.
Behind you is Stephen's front door. So this is the entrance to his garden and also his home.
He's chosen plants in here that are lush and evergreen because they look good year-round
and they provide that screening, protection and that closeted feeling that he needs
as he steps into this private oasis.
This front garden gives us a glimpse of Stephen's creativity and his passion for plants.
But there is plenty more to explore. Come on!
This garden really is all about the journey and the reveal of what is beyond.
And everywhere you go there is little things to look at and explore.
I have been to this garden many times but every time I come
I spot something new, unusual or something I've never even seen before.
For a small garden it was really important for Stephen to have lots of places to sit and relax.
He was really adamant that the garden was all about calmness and restoration.
I also really love this boardwalk beneath us here.
These are cypress sleepers sitting on a treated pine base
and they really encourage us to come on down and explore further.
You'll notice throughout the garden that the surface beneath our feet changes a few times
and that's a great way of just keeping things interesting, particularly in a small space.
Now behind you I can spot the very first big green wall in the garden.
So let's look at that further.
Before we move on and explore we have to make mention of this really lush green wall
and this is not the last green wall we are going to see.
This one Stephen has built here deliberately because it's the view from his kitchen window
and he wanted the plants to be framed almost like a picture of greenness.
These plants are actually just growing in plastic pots that he's built into the wall
and as you can see they're thriving.
This side corridor is the only way that Stephen can access his backyard
so it needed to be wide enough that it would allow him to carry materials
but of course it doesn't need to be bland and as you can see Stephen has used every possible space.
Outdoor tub on one side and a really clever use of a timber framing
that almost creates a bookshelf appearance
and this you will see repeated throughout other parts of the garden.
It's a great way of storing your collections and to add a little bit of personality.
And how's this? You'd think it's a window into an even bigger garden beyond but it's not.
It's actually a mirror.
The French call this trompe l'oeil or the trick of the eye
and using a mirror in a small space like this helps to reflect the garden
and make it feel even bigger.
Even a space that's only 10 centimetres wide here can with a bit of creativity
be turned into something that's both fun and functional.
This is a bug hotel and I can see it's very popular.
Welcome to the red pod.
Stephen has hand-built this space to create both a seating area and a privacy screen
and the green wall is covered in plants.
We've got bromeliads, spider plants, agaves and more.
The thing I love about the seating options in this garden is
at this time of the day I can choose here and bask in glorious full sun
but if I want some dappled shade well I only need to head a few metres that way.
This timber wall is a new addition since last time I visited
and Stephen's put it here for a couple of reasons.
Most importantly is privacy.
Behind me is a two-storey development which if people stood in that top floor
they could overlook into his garden.
So this strategically positioned wall is going to provide him the privacy he needs
when this development is inhabited.
The other great thing about these vertical walls is more space for plants
and you can see here that Stephen's used old fryer baskets.
They're rusted and gnarly and they add some great age and texture to the space.
He's not planted directly into them he's just popped the plants in
and he tells me that this space is going to be a little bit of a trial and error.
He's not used some of these plants in the garden before or in these vertical spaces
so he can have a bit of a play and see what works.
From here the garden dramatically slopes down.
Now if you were here back in 2005 when Stephen bought the place
and before he'd done any gardening you would not recognize the view over here.
It was a dust bowl.
The only plants in this space were the two big gums that surround us now.
Stephen's really embraced this level change in his garden
and it's something I encourage anyone to do if you have a sloping spot in your garden.
This area creates a space that feels even more cosseted and enveloped.
It's almost got a rainforest vibe to it and it feels really lush down here.
And here's another garden room.
This one is a shady spot with the clivias surrounding it
and to create that sense of a completely different room
we've got the change in surface and the bamboo screening.
The pops of yellow help as well.
Those steppers lead us onto another deck
and here it's dappled shade and so much cooler than the sunnier spots of the garden
so it's the perfect spot to sit on a hot summer's day.
But if we were here in winter time instead of a table
there would be a roaring fire pit in here.
I think the thing I love most about this space in the garden
is that it feels so private.
You can't even see the house or the other parts of the garden from here
so it's like we're in a completely different world
and we've been transported to a completely different garden.
Speaking of transportation, how's this for a fun way to get to the bottom of the garden?
All right that was fun
but now let's go and check out the outdoor dining space
which is right outside the back door.
How's this for an outdoor entertaining space?
The back door's right there
so it's easy access if you need to come out with a platter
or to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee.
I also love the addition of these two huge maples in big pots.
These weren't here last time I was here
and I'm loving the fact that they add structure and height to the space as well
and their vertical canopy that comes over the table
gives us some much needed shade as well.
You'll notice also that the crushed rock underfoot
helps to define this as a different zone in the garden.
There's a subtle use of plant repetition in this garden
which helps the different spaces and areas
feel cohesive and connected with each other
but there's also repetition in the number of pots used.
There really is only three different styles of pots he uses.
There's the upcycled and the quirky
there's the big chunky heavy pots
and then there is a really eclectic mix of terracotta pots
and they stand out really nicely with their orange pop of colour
against the dark treacle paint in the background.
Now every gardener needs that space
where you store away the things you don't need
you know the fire pit and the extra chairs or umbrella that you might need
and I reckon that this has got to be the fanciest garden shed door
in the whole of Australia.
Flowers are definitely not a huge feature in this garden
instead Stephen is using foliage and form to create interest
I mean just look at that euphorbia!
I've watched this garden grow and evolve over the last eight years
and Stephen has really taught me the power of DIY
and what any plant lover can achieve.
As I leave now I'm making a mental note
to create some more comfy spots to sit in my garden
and I'm leaving thoroughly inspired.
I hope you've enjoyed this garden tour of Stephen Wells' place
please let me know in the comments below
what is your favourite part of his garden.
Also please make sure you like and subscribe
because I have plenty more garden tours coming your way.
See you next time!
