This inspired garden in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, has served as a test garden for award-winning landscape designer Arthur Lathouris for 15 years. The cool climate and high altitude aren't easy to work with, but Lathouris' mix of sturdy, lush plants thrives. The 3,500-square-foot oasis surrounds the Lathouris family home; it's split into several smaller gardens connected by winding, paved paths. Each small garden reveals something special: modern metal sculptures contrast with carefully pruned hedges; tiny pots of succulents adorn a sunny courtyard; and brilliant patches of bugleweed sit underneath flowering cherry trees. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer Lathouris cleared a few radiata pine trees from the edge of the property to give the planting beds more sunshine. The pines were cut into bulky beams and used to build the family's home. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer Now this courtyard is filled with bursts of color, thanks to a blend of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Dissectum Atropurpureum', USDA zones 5 to 8), Japanese boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. japonica, zones 5 to 9) and Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata, zones 7 to 10). Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer Lathouris' wife, Rosemary, set up colored tripods around the property to mark the flower color changes of her deciduous dahlia plantings. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer The smaller gardens are connected by pebbled and mulched pathways lined with salvaged bricks. Dianella 'Little Jess' hedging adds softness to this path, while the rich color of black tree aeonium (Aeonium 'Swartkopf', zones 9 to 11) picks up on the home's accent colors. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer The site's shallow and sandy soil presented some challenges, but frequent additions of manure and compost increased the soil's water-holding capacity. Lathouris composts all of the garden's green waste and doesn't use a watering system; the garden is extremely self-sufficient and sustainable.

Here a pathway lined with bechtel crabapple (Malus ioensis 'Flora Plena'), golf ball kohuhu (Pittosporum 'Golf ball', zones 8 to 11) and red claws (Escallonia macrantha, zones 8 to 10) beckons visitors. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer The rounded shapes of Lathouris' carefully pruned Japanese boxwood lessen the formality of this structured hedge. Lathouris strategically planted a variety of textures and colors to change with the seasons. In autumn this particular pathway bursts with burnt orange Japanese maple. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer Sculptures, including this piece, titled "The Golden Gate," can be found throughout the property. Lathouris has several pieces — mostly made of recycled steel — by artists Ian Swift, Norman Organ, Mark Davis and more. Here the stonecrop (Sedum 'Autumn Joy', zones 3 to 9) draws the eye to the angles in the steel sculpture. Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer These hanging scrap metal rings were salvaged from a nearby building site. They hang gracefully on the veranda near a Japanese flowering cherry tree and a patch of bugleweed (Ajuga reptans, zones 3 to 10). Arthur Lathouris Garden Designer Ironstone, a local sedimentary rock, can be found naturally all over the property. Lathouris used the stone to build retaining and feature walls that complement the garden's natural growth.

This ironstone sculpture enhances the eulalia (Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegata', zones 5 to 9), blue fescue (Festuca glauca, zones 4 to 8) and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 8) that are so prominent throughout the garden.