Pilgrim’s process

I begged, borrowed and stole many of the plants for this garden,” says Tim Pilgrim of the striking perennial wonderland he designed in the small town of Trentham, in the southern Australian state of Victoria. “I’m always moving plants around, trying different things out.” It is this commitment to experimentation, and to fostering good relationships with clients (who fully endorse his plant thievery from their gardens), that underpins the success of this project.

Located on the outskirts of Trentham – a town 750 metres above sea level with rich volcanic soil and high rainfall – the garden was designed in 2019 and built in 2020. It was, says Tim, his Covid-19 garden. “All of a sudden, all my work stopped. I was lucky to have Rhonda [the garden owner] who was happy for me to chip away at the project.”

The client’s brief was relatively open. “Rhonda wanted a vegetable garden and an outdoor bath,” Tim says. “She also wanted to soften the building, give it scale. I had a free rein, really.” In addition to the client’s needs, Tim had his own set of parameters: no irrigation, and using reclaimed and local materials where possible.

The client likes cottage-style gardens, and at the time was obsessed with the work of Dutch designer Piet Oudolf. This worked well for Tim, because he was as well. “I still am,” he says. He cites Dan Pearson as another influence on this garden and his work more generally. “I love his philosophy. His work is so well considered… the ways he evokes the sense of place is an inspiration.”

The block is narrow, only 20 metres wide, with the house pushed close to the southern boundary, and the garden runs the length of the building. Rather than emulating the geometry of the house’s architecture, Tim created a simple curvilinear gravel path with mounded garden beds on either side, engulfing the structure with soft, blowsy planting. The colours of the plants – particularly rusty,