This garden shows how Council requirements for a compulsory rain garden and water retention tank can represent an opportunity to develop a native garden that responds to the conditions. At first, the clients wanted a traditional lawn that overlooked the neighbouring bush. Karen Wealleans’ solution was to introduce a shimmering tapestry of native plants – some that thrive in the wet, and others to blur the boundaries and merge with the bush, via informal paths of well-decomposed tree mulch. Structured hard landscaping in the form of decks, planter boxes and pavers provide a transition from the higher floor level to the garden, while bright exotic plants introduce subtropical colour around the pool.