Award-winning landscape design and construction for Canterbury’s family homes, period gardens and tree-lined streets. Forty-five years of experience across Melbourne’s east — and a free on-site consultation to start the conversation.
Why Canterbury Homeowners Choose John French Landscape Design
Canterbury sits at the heart of Boroondara, and the gardens here reflect it. Generous family blocks, established trees that pre-date most of the homes around them, and streets like Rochester Road, Mont Albert Road and Balwyn Road carry a character that is genuinely difficult to design for without local experience. The interaction between period architecture, mature canopy, heritage overlays and how families actually use their outdoor space day to day shapes every decision we make on a Canterbury site.
We have been designing landscapes across Melbourne’s east since 1981 — forty-five years of work in suburbs where the homes are loved, the budgets reflect real ambition, and the finished garden needs to look right thirty years from now, not just on handover day. John French Landscape Design is multi-award-winning and rated five stars on Houzz. Our team handles every stage of a project in-house, from initial concept through construction and final planting, so your Canterbury garden is delivered without the handovers and miscommunication that stretch projects out by months.
From Canterbury Gardens through to the streets running between Maling Road and Canterbury Sports Ground, we design landscapes that suit how Canterbury families actually live and that hold their value over decades. As part of our wider work as landscape designers across Melbourne, our experience spans heritage Federation homes through to architect-designed contemporary builds — and includes residential landscape design at every scale.
Designed for Canterbury's Period Homes and Large Family Blocks
Canterbury is one of the most architecturally consistent suburbs in Melbourne. Federation, Edwardian, Californian Bungalow and Interwar homes dominate the streets, and Boroondara’s heritage protections mean the front garden — and often parts of the rear — must speak the same language as the house. This is not a constraint we work around. It is the foundation we design from.
Heritage Overlay and Boroondara Council Permits — Handled With Care
Significant portions of Canterbury sit inside Boroondara Heritage Overlay (HO) areas, particularly around the period-home pockets near Canterbury Road, Rochester Road and Mont Albert Road. Council assessments cover front fencing, paving materials, plant species, tree removal and any structures visible from the public realm. We have been navigating Boroondara’s planning requirements since they were introduced, and we know what gets approved, what gets refused, and how to design a garden that satisfies both the heritage officer and the homeowner. Detail on the current controls sits on the Boroondara Council heritage planning page.
Working With Mature Trees, Federation Architecture and Established Gardens
A Canterbury garden almost always comes with mature trees that need protecting — elms, oaks, claret ash, plane trees and significant native species that were planted decades ago and are now non-negotiable parts of the streetscape. Tree Protection Zones (TPZs) dictate where you can excavate, what root-zone disturbance is acceptable, and which structural materials can sit where. We design and build around mature canopy rather than fighting it — often using suspended decks, raised garden beds and pervious paving to give roots the air and water they need.
Soil, Aspect and Family-Use Considerations in Canterbury
Canterbury soils are typically grey-brown to red-brown clay loams, with pockets of heavier clay along the southern parts of the suburb closer to Prospect Hill. They hold moisture, but they also crack in summer and need careful drainage design. Aspect matters too — east-facing rear gardens (the most common orientation here) heat up quickly in morning sun and need either shade structure or planting that handles the swing. Family use shapes the rest: lawn that survives kids and dogs, paving that handles bikes and scooters, lighting that lets the garden work after dinner, and entertaining zones that connect to the kitchen rather than sitting marooned at the back fence.
Our Landscape Design and Construction Services for Canterbury Homes
We deliver every stage of a landscape design and construction project in-house, from the first site visit through to the final plant going in. Below are the services that come up most often on Canterbury jobs.
Custom Garden Design
Every Canterbury home is different, and every garden we design starts with the property — its architecture, aspect, soil and the way the family actually uses the outdoor space day to day. We deliver detailed landscape plans suited to your home, your family and the long-term character of the suburb. Most Canterbury commissions begin with a custom garden design before any construction starts.
Pool Landscaping and Pool Surrounds
Pools matter on Canterbury blocks — the deep backyards, the entertaining culture, and the architectural fit with period homes mean the pool is often the heart of the garden rather than a service zone tacked on. We work with limestone, travertine, bluestone and timber decking, blending pool zones with planting, lighting and shaded outdoor living to create a cohesive whole that works with — not against — the heritage home it sits behind. Browse our pool landscaping projects for finished examples.
Heritage and Period-Home Garden Restoration
Restoring a heritage Canterbury garden requires both horticultural skill and architectural sensitivity. We work with clipped formal hedging, parterre layouts, period-appropriate species (box, yew, hornbeam, viburnum, hellebores, climbing roses) and existing stone structures to bring tired gardens back to life without losing their character. This is one of our strongest service lines across Boroondara.
Patio Design, Hardscaping and Outdoor Living
Stone paving, retaining walls, fire pits, timber decks and outdoor kitchens — the structural elements that make a garden usable year-round. We design and build hardscape that fits your home’s material language and stands up to Canterbury’s climate over decades. Patios that work with Federation verandahs need different proportions and materials than patios behind a contemporary build — we make those calls during design, not afterwards.
Environmental Design — Drought-Tolerant and Native Gardens
Sustainable design is not a trend for us — it has shaped our work since the early 1980s and remains central to how we approach plant selection. We choose palettes that thrive on Canterbury’s natural rainfall, reduce ongoing maintenance burden and contribute to the wider ecology of Melbourne’s east. For Canterbury sites the brief usually combines period plant choices with drought-tolerant fillers, so the garden looks correct for the home but survives Australian summers without obsessive irrigation.
Landscape Architecture
For larger Canterbury sites, multi-residential developments and architecturally-designed new builds, we provide landscape architecture services across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. This includes site analysis, masterplanning, schematic design, documentation for planning applications, and construction administration — the same service offered to architects and builders working on Canterbury projects.
Landscape Gardening and Soft Landscaping
Plant selection, garden bed preparation, seasonal planting and the long-term softscape plan. On Canterbury jobs this typically runs alongside the hardscape build, so beds are prepared and irrigation is in place before plants go in. Our landscape gardening team manages the establishment phase too, so the garden you see on handover is the garden that thrives into year three and beyond.
Construction Administration
Managing a landscape build means coordinating trades, schedules, council permits and material deliveries. We handle all of it directly, so you have a single point of contact from the day construction starts to the day we hand the finished garden back to you. No second-guessing the project manager — John or Russell is reachable through the entire build.
About John French — Founder, Designer and Builder
John French has been designing and building gardens across Melbourne’s east since 1981. With formal horticulture training, forty-five years of hands-on experience on Boroondara, Banyule and Yarra Ranges sites, and a portfolio of multi-award-winning residential and commercial projects, John leads every design personally and stays involved from concept through to handover. The studio operates from 3/29 Susan Street, Eltham VIC 3095, with field teams covering Canterbury, Camberwell, Kew, Balwyn, Hawthorn, Surrey Hills, Ivanhoe and the wider eastern suburbs. Read more on our about page.
Recent Landscape Projects Near Canterbury
Recent projects in Canterbury and the surrounding inner-east include heritage front-garden restorations, family pool surrounds and full block transformations. Browse the gallery below or view our full project portfolio for more completed gardens across Melbourne’s east.
What Our Eastern Suburbs Clients Say About Working With John French
We are five-star rated on Houzz with a track record of multi-award-winning projects across Melbourne’s east. The reviews below are from real clients describing real work — design conversations, construction experience and the way the garden has lived since handover. Most of our recent reviews are from clients in surrounding eastern suburbs; as our Canterbury portfolio grows we will surface suburb-specific reviews here too.
John Calleja
Russell and his team did such a great job on my backyard. From start to finish Russell was professional and very easy to deal with. His hard work and high quality just showed exceptionally through my background when it was finished.
Marleina Vella
We engaged the team at John French Landscape Design to create a landscape design following the construction of our house in Eltham. They delivered an excellent response to the brief, incoporating thoughtful design lines in addition to use of tiered rockwork and a stunning variety of plants and trees. We're extremely pleased with the outcome and happily recommend this business to anyone seeking a similar outcome.
Cathy Evans
Russell did a fantastic job with our mum's new landscaping. From start to finish it was very professional and we were given great options to choose from. Amazing result."
Raju Singh Rathore
When we employed them to landscape our backyard, John French came and sat with me to find out what ideas I had and how I wanted it to look. John arranged everything, he was very professional, friendly and made everything so easy. The sub-contractors he used were very nice people. There were no problems whatsoever and they did a sensational job."
Frequently Asked Questions About Landscape Design in Canterbury
How much does landscape design cost in Canterbury?
Costs vary with scope, site complexity, hardscape extent and chosen materials. Most Canterbury design-and-construction projects we deliver fall in the $60,000 to $350,000 range, with full estate redesigns sometimes reaching higher. Canterbury’s larger blocks and period-home contexts often translate to larger budgets than smaller inner-east lots. Every property is different, so book a free on-site consultation for an accurate quote.
Do I need a permit from Boroondara Council for landscaping in Canterbury?
It depends on what you are building. Front fencing, paving in the front setback, structures visible from the street, and any work in a Heritage Overlay area generally requires a planning permit. Removal of significant trees almost always requires council assessment. We handle the permit process for you as part of construction administration — drawings, statements, council liaison and condition responses.
How long does a landscape design and construction project take in Canterbury?
Design typically takes 6 to 10 weeks from initial brief to documented plans. Council approvals — when required — add 6 to 12 weeks. Construction varies from 8 weeks for a smaller courtyard up to 6 to 9 months for a full block transformation with pool, structures and mature planting.
Do you design family gardens, pool surrounds and large blocks in Canterbury?
Yes — these are the three things Canterbury asks for most. Large family blocks with pool, period-appropriate front gardens, and rear-yard family zones connecting house, garden and pool are our most common Canterbury brief.
What does a free on-site consultation include?
A 60 to 90 minute visit at your home with John or a senior designer. We walk the site, discuss your needs, talk through what is possible within heritage constraints, and give an indicative budget range. There is no obligation to proceed and no charge for the visit.
Areas We Also Service Near Canterbury
We work across Boroondara and the wider eastern suburbs. Adjacent service areas: Kew, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Balwyn, Surrey Hills, Ashburton, Glen Iris, Mont Albert. Further afield: Ivanhoe, Eltham, Ashwood, Bayswater, Belgrave.
Book Your Free On-Site Consultation in Canterbury
Ready to Plan Your Canterbury Garden?
Whether it is a heritage front-garden restoration, a family-pool transformation or a full estate redesign, every Canterbury project we take on starts with a free on-site consultation. We come to you, walk the site, and talk through the brief and the budget — no obligation.
Email: info@johnfrenchlandscapes.com.au
Studio: 3/29 Susan Street, Eltham VIC 3095
Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00
