The standard domestic tennis court takes up a lot of exterior space - a minimum of 30m by 15m is the recommendation of most suppliers.
If you're lucky enough to have room for it at home, you'd have to really love lobbing that ball. If not, it's eating into valuable outdoor real estate.
For a professional couple in Malvern East, the desire to create a beautiful garden, with special areas in which to swim and entertain, beat the competition to host would-be Serenas and Rafaels on weekends.
Their south-facing backyard was entirely taken over by a tennis court, which prevented them from enjoying it the way they wished.
The couple wanted to transform the 800 sq m space into an outdoor all-sorts, incorporating different zones of use and planting styles. "It was very important to the clients to create a fusion garden, where the plants changed throughout the space naturally," landscape designer Phillip Withers says.
Included in the brief were a swimming pool and al fresco area. They also requested a rambling section they could use "by way of picking and eating", Withers says. "They also were after a steam room to finish off this garden with the lot."
Withers designed the exterior space to reference the historical Edwardian architecture of the residence, while developing a contemporary outlook from the interior.
The biggest challenge in the new build - constructed by Semken Landscaping - was to excavate the clay court back to a healthy soil profile for an abundant garden to grow.
The landscape would evolve in a continuous flow from the traditional style of the front garden into a verdant tropical feel at the back through three distinct zones: an al fresco area, featuring furniture by Jati and Indian limestone pavers from Eco Outdoor; a 20m lap pool clad in Corten steel; and a softer, curved rambling garden, with Tuscan topping gravel.
A mixed planting scheme of natives and exotics - interwoven throughout inground, in pots and planters, and as a vertical garden - would link the zones.
"The entertaining area would lead to other environments such as the native area, which attracts the birds into the space, and the pool area, which looks to become a more luscious contemporary environment," Withers says. "It also wanders into a productive area full of fruit, raised vegies and herbs."
He took care to consider and reference what had originally been on the site. "We looked to embrace some of the existing conditions such as the outdoor lights into the new design," he says. "We also looked to work with the existing walls to create screening elements."
Differing height levels and variations in shapes created interest in the design expression.
To make it look natural, the lap pool, featuring tiles from Coulson, was raised and clad in Archiclad Corten steel sheets. "I wanted to make sure it was very good to swim in, so the water could fall over," Withers says. "I wanted to create a place where swimmers could look over a sunken garden."
Lifting it not only gave it the feel of an infinity pool, it also created cascades of mini waterfalls around the rest of the garden. The raised height also meant they could do away with pool fences.
Cutout patterns in Outdeco screens, made of composite timber, added a decorative touch to the spotted gum pool deck. The gum was repeated in seating throughout, including a curved bench in the rambling area.
An eye-catching Mandala ceramic plate, which the owners brought back from a trip to India, was framed by fleshy succulents, ornamental grasses and delicate foliage.
"We used a mix of plants both native and exotic," Withers says. "The backdrop is Ficus 'Flash' and some of the feature plants include doryanthes, westringia, callistemon, aloe and ficinia in the native section. In the traditional section, we used pieris, standard roses, raphiolepsis Phormium and armeria. The luscious section around the pool features dwarf date palm, strelitzia, kniphofia and liriope."
Tall floodlights that originally lit up the tennis court were retained as the major light source, and new uplights were installed on other trees to lend a luminescence at night.
From day to night, the backyard is now an environment in which to wander and relax.
"The owners love their garden and often go out and enjoy a swim in the hotter months," Withers says. "They love entertaining guests and wandering through the garden to take in all the different views."
