Past Project
Maxwell, Toorak
An Unlikely GardenInspired by the resilience of epiphytic and lithophytic plants, the garden is conceived as a landscape that attaches itself to its suburban setting while subtly challenging its conventions.
Commissioned during the construction of a new residence in Toorak, the planting design by Florian Wild responded to a series of constraints: limited planting zones shaped by established boundary trees, the weight of the suburb’s heavy clay soils, and an architectural footprint that left little room for traditional garden ground. Neighbouring boundaries and contested nature strips further narrowed opportunities for expansion.
Within these limits, the landscape strategy turned to plants accustomed to thriving with minimal soil, species that naturally anchor themselves to rock or branch. This reference informed a garden that feels adaptive and opportunistic, one that grows within the architecture rather than around it.
Within these limits, the landscape strategy turned to plants accustomed to thriving with minimal soil, species that naturally anchor themselves to rock or branch. This reference informed a garden that feels adaptive and opportunistic, one that grows within the architecture rather than around it.The result is a composition that sits lightly within its context. Unconventional for Toorak, yet grounded by the presence of a few familiar plantings, it achieves a balance between contrast and belonging.