Hannemann Garden: Back Garden

This enclosed garden is a private, high-energy counterpart to the Front Meadow — a lush, immersive space shaped by colour, structure, and climate resilience. Succulents, bold plant contrasts, and artistic focal points create a distinct atmosphere for gathering, rest, and quiet delight.

A living experiment in naturalistic planting design, the Hannemann Garden is a dynamic, immersive landscape where biodiversity, seasonality, and artistic composition come together. What was once a conventional space has been transformed into a richly layered, ecologically driven garden that evolves over time. Every planting is designed for interplay, adaptation, and long-term resilience, creating a landscape that is both visually compelling and deeply functional. This garden is not static — it shifts with the seasons, engages wildlife, and invites visitors into an ever-changing dialogue between design and ecology.

In contrast to the expansive, layered planting of the Front Meadow, the Back Garden is an enclosed, high-energy retreat designed for privacy and immersion. Drawing inspiration from Louis Barragán and Jacques Majorelle, the space features bold colour blocking in the hardscape — warm yellows, oranges, and deep red-purples — complemented by lush and architectural plantings. Silver-leaved species are purposefully omitted to sharpen the visual contrast with the Front Meadow’s cooler, more subdued palette. Together, these choices create a richly textured garden that feels vibrant and intentional.

At the centre of the patio, a fountain offers soothing sounds and a water source for birds and pollinators. Around it, large containers filled with succulents highlight sculptural form and low-water adaptability, reinforcing the garden’s character and climate-conscious ethos. A cinder block platform adds verticality and structure for additional succulent displays, further elevating their presence.

A linear walkway guides visitors past six prominent pots toward a heron sculpture, creating a formal axis and reinforcing the space’s geometric clarity. The Back Garden also includes a shaded seating area, a lawn for small gatherings, and transitions to the house, driveway, and raised vegetable beds. 

This garden is also a test site for container-based plantings, where a wide variety of species are trialed. Succulent plants are central to these experiments, chosen for their resilience, low water needs, and bold presence in a time of increasing climate stress. Their contrast with conventional potted plants adds to the garden’s unique identity, while supporting the broader design goal of low-input, high-impact planting.

Browse more immersive gardens rooted in ecological planting and artistic vision.