Containing (and uncontaining) the beauty of nature with Hibernate Outdoors

Renowned landscape architects Secret Gardens have long made a case for creating an outdoor space you never want to leave. Whether it’s a corporate terrace garden or an expansive residential project spanning over a decade, each Secret Gardens landscape exudes its own unique appeal, highlighting the abundant beauty of nature while complementing the existing architecture. Now, the Secret Gardens team, helmed by Matthew Cantwell and Rochelle Abood, has simplified the process of creating your own lush outdoor space, with the release of the Hibernate Outdoors range.

“In our love of designing gardens with clients of Secret Gardens, we often could not find the right products, so we usually made custom pieces,” explains Secret Gardens CEO Rochelle Abood. “We originally designed the Hibernate pot range for our gardens, but after using them for 18 months, we started to get requests from other design professionals and hence Hibernate Outdoors was born.”

Beginning with pots and planters in various profiles and sizes, the Hibernate Outdoors range now also comprises house numbers and letters, firepits and chic gardening tools.

The clever name can be attributed to Rochelle and Matthew’s then 10-year-old son, Max. “We were describing what we wanted the brand to be, about creating an environment that you don't want to leave, your space filled with beautiful things. 'Hibernate' fitted that brief perfectly,” Rochelle says. “It was funny as we had about 30 adults working on various names, including a design agency, and we had ruled out half, the other half could not be trademarked, and it was solved by a child's free and curious mind.”

Incorporating both linear and organic lines and coming in earthy tones, the Hibernate Outdoors range fuses functionality with beauty. Each collection of pots comes in a specific angle from the rim to the base – 86, 87, 90 and 92 degrees – with varying angles able to be combined to create a visually interesting yet still cohesive effect.

Each pot is handcrafted from durable fibreglass, a lightweight material that makes the range well-suited for use on apartment balconies and rooftops, or in other locations where weight may be a factor.

Used alone or in combination with uncontained plants, pots and planters can be used to add a sense of cohesion to any space.

“Pots can be used to create drama, strengthen a particular design theme, decorate dull areas, become a focal feature, provide shade and break up corners,” says Secret Gardens Design Consultant Mark Curtis. “They can completely change a house's front entrance with a focal pot and plant. In apartment living, they can offer privacy and a green outlook.”

Groupings or clusters

Arranging pots together in groupings, or ‘clusters’ as the Hibernate Outdoors team likes to call them, can be an effective way to add visual interest to outdoor spaces. Mark recommends mixing and matching different pot finishes to create an eclectic look and adding a ribbed pot into the mix for textural interest.

“Sizing is essential, and the pots want to be able to nest together visually and not be disproportionate,” says Mark. “Ensure you stagger the heights of the pots and understand the scale of the plants you want to use in them.”

Selecting pots from the same degree family (such as the rounded 86-degree range or the sleek 90-degree selection) ensures each cluster or grouping has a sense of continuity despite the variations in size, texture and tone.

Striking the right balance  

Although those living in apartments may be restricted to solely contained plants, those with gardens and rooftop spaces can use pots as an accompaniment to uncontained plants. Mark recommends reviewing the opportunities and limitations within your space and pairing these with the desired scale and plantings you wish to use before beginning a project. “In rooftops and gardens, pots can be used to create a focus in entertaining areas or on the end of a bench or a table, acting as more of a highlight where room permits to have uncontained garden beds.”

Scale up

Pots and planters can be used to create a sense of scale in garden spaces alongside uncontained trees or architectural plantings.

“A large pot against a house wall will diffuse its scale,” says Mark. “It can also create a sense of permanency and purpose, a feeling that they are supposed to be there.”

Explore the Hibernate Outdoors range of pots and planters on ArchiPro.

Words by Tanisha Angel