A little taste of Australia in Dulwich
Melissa hopes that visitors to her delightful Dulwich garden will find themselves transported to her native Australia.
Come Sunday 17 May 2026 there may well be a lengthy queue of people eager to see and experience the garden designed by Ula Maria, winner of the prestigious Best in Show award at the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show.
As well as bringing a bit of Melbourne to south London, City lawyer Melissa hopes those that come and support St Christopher’s Open Garden scheme enjoy the same sense of serenity she does.
“It just gives me a sense of peace, tranquillity and calm. It feels like an oasis away from the busy city life. It’s very special.
“I wanted to create an Australian style atmosphere bringing the outdoors seamlessly into the back of the house with the sense of a cascade of garden.”
Designer Ula echoes that explanation of the concept: “The aim was to create a seamless, organic transition from the house into the garden, softening the architectural elements introduced to resolve the level changes between the interior and exterior spaces. I wanted the garden to feel informal and subtle but contemporary at the same time. A space for relaxing, entertaining, exploring and simply being.
To complete that look and feel, the house had to be dropped down a few feet. Only completed in 2023, the garden is still quite young but already has a number of features Melissa hopes visitors will enjoy.
“There was already an apple tree at the back of the garden and Ula has created a woodland feel with a little meadow next to it. She’s brilliantly created a kind of terracing, with different levels which feels super organic with higgledy piggledy steps and metal clad beds that blend in.”
Ula says she was inspired by the close proximity of Dulwich Park and wanted to work with the existing informal feel.
She adds: “The planting design builds on the garden’s ethereal, orchard-like atmosphere, enriched with edible greenery and fruit trees such as pears and apples. The meadow running along the garden’s central axis invites wildlife into this urban space, enhancing its sense of natural calm.”
Given the youth of the garden, Melissa isn’t 100% sure what visitors can expect to be in bloom in May.
With the help of her two children aged 13 and 10, friends and volunteers from St Christopher’s, Melissa will definitely provide a warm welcome and hopes to lay on refreshments too.
Speaking of volunteers, it was a visit from the St Christopher’s Open Garden dynamic duo, Myra and Jo, that persuaded Melissa to participate in the scheme that gives people a chance to enjoy floral delights across south London between April and September; while raising valuable funds for St Christopher’s Hospice.
“My next-door neighbour recommended me to Myra and when she and Jo came and had coffee with me I just couldn’t refuse. They’re beautiful people and I know St Christopher’s because I’ve donated previously and there’s the shop close by in Dulwich.
“I haven’t got a specific personal connection to St Christopher’s, but I did lose my mother to cancer aged just 67 and caring for people at the end of life is such an important issue so I felt very supportive.
“Additionally, I grew up in a very community-oriented family. As children we’d deliver books for the church and I’d like my kids to have an opportunity to do something positive in the community.”
While Melissa admits to very limited horticultural knowledge, she certainly enjoys the garden and sees that only growing as she ages.
“I love sitting on the sofa out there watching the birds and the bees and even in the winter we’ll sit outside with the wood burner and enjoy the peace. Then when I retire I think I’ll become obsessed with gardening.”
Melissa will be opening up her garden to visitors on Sunday 17 May 2026, in aid of St Christopher’s Hospice. Find out more here.
To see all of our 2026 Open Gardens, please click here.
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