Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Mar 13, 2012 3:34 pm Hi all Just looking for some feedback, attached is the 'plan' on what were thinking for our backyard, however ive never done anything out in the garden before (whole life with folks renting, so no real incentive) so wouldn't mind any suggestions Spent ages lurking around here, learning things like Fu's soil prep and "Feed the soil, not the plant" mentality and seeing things like the raised wicking beds With the 'plan' (and I say plan in the loosest sense of the word) just to note that the border between the concrete and the lawn/veggie plots will actually have a retaining wall of some sort as there's quite a step up. Were also thinking of 'boxing in' the backyard by also planting the conifers around the corner towards the pergola for added privacy. At the moment, species of conifer being planned is "Smaragd", which seems to fit the bill with the soil and climate where we are and the ability to eventually hedge in, but suggestions welcome At the moment theres nothing outside the house, we really do have a blank slate to work with, to the point we only have the back fence, though the left one will be going up shortly. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: The backyard plan - starting with blank canvas. 2Mar 13, 2012 9:10 pm House2Home Hi all Were also thinking of 'boxing in' the backyard by also planting the conifers around the corner towards the pergola for added privacy. At the moment, species of conifer being planned is "Smaragd", which seems to fit the bill with the soil and climate where we are and the ability to eventually hedge in, but suggestions welcome My only suggestion is don't plant the conifers to hedge as in trim them into a square wall, they will look heaps better in their natural growth style. Plant them close enough for privacy but not to close so they loose all shape and characteristics. They are a nice looking conifer. http://www.google.com.au/search?tbm=isc ... l1l0.llsin Re: The backyard plan - starting with blank canvas. 3Mar 24, 2012 8:56 pm Judging from your plan, the back yard is fairly narrow. Personally I wouldn't go with conifers in that space. Conifers generally get very large, and are also alleliopathic, i.e. their roots and foliage chemically inhibit other plants from growing beneath them. So your vegie garden will suffer. The straight species of Thuja occidentalis can get to 20m high if not trimmed. Not necessarily a problem, but I assume you still want some sunlight during the day for your vegetable garden. Re: The backyard plan - starting with blank canvas. 4Mar 25, 2012 12:49 pm Maybe check with your nursery for local native plants that can be used instead of conifers. Re: The backyard plan - starting with blank canvas. 5Apr 06, 2012 7:53 pm Where is north?? Personally I have an aversion to exotics(unless they are Supercars) Conifers are so 1970's as well There are plenty of other plants that will provide a hedging solution. I will be doing a hedge of citrus. (thanks FU!!) Think outside the box. But knowing which way north will help when doing vege and herb gardens I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! It's possible but a soak well is usually much larger. Your 'soak well' only holds 424 litres when full. What is your soil type? Soak wells need sandy soils. 10 9454 Need advice on the backyard plan above. Should I excavate and cut all of the dirt to level with the house slab or semi-excavate as per photo above? Both left and right… 0 25384 |