Forest Brook: A landscape design that flows with nature
Some landscapes don’t just invite design—they inspire it. When our client approached us with a vision for their front yard landscaping, the sloping site, rich with mature trees, showed us what the new garden needed to be.
The Brief
To create a welcoming, wildlife-friendly garden full of interesting plants, that blends seamlessly with the existing trees and local environment — a space that could support a new driveway design, possibly water, and remain true to the site's natural charm.
Our Approach
Rather than impose foreign forms and materials into the garden, we allowed the garden to show itself; a bubbling brook now winds its way over rocks and down cascades from the driveway toward the pedestrian pathway.
Sensitive yet strong landscape design created the extensive water feature, weaving it through the trees, bringing movement, sound, and light to the space. Understory planting softens the edges of the brook, tumbling over the rocks, offering a layered and immersive experience that makes the brook feel as if it has always belonged as a part of the garden.
The brook flows naturally with the site’s contours and around the existing trees, a quiet reminder that great landscape architecture works with nature, not against it.
“Children float boats downstream. Neighbours pause at the fence, drawn in by the sound of water. Frogs, birds and pollinators have made themselves at home.”
A place to pause
This garden is more than a backyard transformation—it’s a shared space that hums with life.
In designing for people and wildlife, the garden has become a sanctuary, balancing function, beauty and biodiversity.
Watch Barbara Landsberg share more about the design here.
See the full project in our folio here.
Working together
At Landsberg Garden Designs, we specialise in creating meaningful outdoor spaces through thoughtful landscape design. Each project begins with connecting with our clients and with the land.
From initial consultation through to the final planting, we work collaboratively to ensure your vision becomes a lasting, living reality. Our process includes detailed proposals, clear timelines, and personalised care, and we remain hands-on throughout the entire journey.
When the design is complete, we connect you with trusted professionals for ongoing care, because a garden isn’t finished when the last plant goes in, it continues to settle, grow and evolve as every natural, living system does.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss a project with Barbara.