Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Feb 16, 2009 4:42 pm Just thought i would share my landscaping pics with homeone members.
SOME OF THE PICS SHOW THE DATE 2006 AGAIN MY SON TOOK THE BATTERIES OUT OF MY CAMERA AND I FORGOT TO RESET THE DATE seem to have that habit is it because im a woman Unfortunately i couldnt do this myself so had to get a landscaper who is a friend of one of my girlfriends. He finished the front last OCT In day and a half which i thought was pretty good going .And the back and sides of the house he completed just recently in 2 half days.. on his own shock: He still has the courtyard area to complete which wont be done till i get more money. Its a simple landscape .front yards a dry creek bed with drought tolerant plants.. lost a few plants the last couple of weeks due to heat.. large rocks pebbles and steppers around the front of the house. The nature strip has edging with mulch and few grasses. Once the rains come im sure the plants will take off. Lots of pics hope they downloan quickly . tried to resize looks like it didnt happen The back is a narrow Garden bed along the fence line mulched with edging again filled with PITTOSPEROMS for privacy and a few Camelias ,grasses and a Dwarf Lemon Tree . the paths are steppers filled with Tuscon toppings. All simple and easy to manage Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: my landscaping pics 2Mar 09, 2009 2:57 pm Question, did you get approval from council to remove the nature strip grass? Normally you have to apply to council before replacing their grass with other materials. Stevep79 & Principessa Finished building Wisdom Homes Impression 33mkII in The Ponds, Sydney http://lilypadintheponds.blogspot.com Re: my landscaping pics 3Mar 09, 2009 4:01 pm stevep79 Question, did you get approval from council to remove the nature strip grass? Normally you have to apply to council before replacing their grass with other materials. Really?? I don't want grass 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: my landscaping pics 4Mar 09, 2009 4:21 pm nice, even though the plants are small the rock work looks really good and good for you for going for a drought tolerant garden without grass.
the grass thing with the council Ive never hear of but it may depend on which council. here in my neighbourhood all the old front lawns are long dead. You're allowed to plant out the verge as long you keep the plants to a height that will not block the sight of people entering and leaving driveways (about 50cms) but this only applies to the council verge area. If you're planning on using rocks or pebbles on the verge it's also best to contact the council as many won't allow it if it's dangerous to pedesterians (they don't want people slipping over and suing them) but your landscaper hasn't put any rocks on what looks like the council strip. It would be good to see how it looks next spring ! Re: my landscaping pics 5Mar 09, 2009 6:26 pm Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. Those photos where taken last october when the plants were just put in, they have increased in size but not alot .. just waiting for more rain and putting osmocote on will hopefully give them more growth.
The landscaper said they will grow more but they will not take over. Trying to avoid lawn but might sow some lawn seeds around the courtyard area. In Victoria we dont necessarily have to have lawn on the front nature strip , just small plants ,mulch, gravel nothing that will cause a hazard.. i guess not going to too much trouble is wise as the council, utility companies can come along and dig it up. Re: my landscaping pics 7Mar 11, 2009 7:45 pm clath Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. Those photos where taken last october when the plants were just put in, they have increased in size but not alot .. just waiting for more rain and putting osmocote on will hopefully give them more growth. The landscaper said they will grow more but they will not take over. Trying to avoid lawn but might sow some lawn seeds around the courtyard area. In Victoria we dont necessarily have to have lawn on the front nature strip , just small plants ,mulch, gravel nothing that will cause a hazard.. i guess not going to too much trouble is wise as the council, utility companies can come along and dig it up. If you choose lawn seed avoid the fescues and ryes as they absolutely gobble water in summer. Using osmocote on your plants does make them grow in some cases but overall gives you water hungry plants that wilt and are susseptable to disease more. It is just what many fertilisers do. A very little of this stuff is ok but if you want growth, feed the soil not the plants Poos, seasol, powerfeed, seamungus, olsens greenbio, molasses is what will give good growth. avoid black mulches or composted mulches. You'll get it going nuts with what I mention Re: my landscaping pics 8Mar 12, 2009 9:46 pm Thanks Fu didnt know that about osmocote Does blood and bone do the same? my father always used that stuff on his vegies plus manure
why avoid black mulches? ive just had that stuff put on the garden beds in the back. Is it the dye they use in it.? or putting the mulch to close to the stem of the plant dosent do the plant any good? Dont think i will used Cordalyns again apparently the heat kills them off easily ... its the heat in the soil or something they drown ..well thats the explanation i was given by bunnings to day Re: my landscaping pics 9Mar 12, 2009 11:20 pm Wow, where do I start with black mulches?
well they themselves hold loads of moisture. Not cool when you need the moisture in the soil and not the mulch. The plant roots then tend to grow up into this nutrient rich composted mulch. Over time you will see What then happens is when it gets hot the plants vital surface roots are even closer to the surface and are heated by the sun, therefore further increasing the plants water requirements and increasing plant stress. It has been shown in some trials that water consumption can increase using these mulches not decrease. The darker colour means more heat absorbed, which means the moisture in the mulch evaporates, which means the layers of soil just beneath the mulch lose moisture to it and it too evaporates. It is a mulch that many professionals will never use. It is also an excellent growing medium for weed seeds to germinate in. They blow in off the wind so use all the weed mat you like, it won't stop the weeds weed mat is a wrought unless used under gravel. This a terrible photo but the best I have just now. We did a trial on this very topic. Black mulch (and this one met Aust. standards!) was applied thick to some large pots that we grow trees in. After just 3 weeks we flicked off the surface layer of the mulch. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The roots are only just visible in the over exposed phone camera shot They are the fine squiggly bits The finer particles had gone to the bottom and left the larger ones on top. The mulch had gone a bit grey from the sun too. The finer particles had formed a rich moisture laden layer and the plant roots had grown up into it already! They are the roots that absorb water and nutrients quickly. The WA water corp, water wise training strongly suggests not using black mulches. Most of this states best horts and ag scientists also suggest avoiding these mulches. Some of the black mulches can become hydrophobic and prevent water penetrating the surface layer after many months during the summer. They will still absorb water from the soil underneath that crust too! It looks great though that's the only positive about it For a truly waterwise and fertiliser wise mulch, get onto your local tree lopper. For us in WA try mulchnet. Most tree loppers are cool with a carton of Coranas (which are cheap as here in WA ) or $50 for some fuel for the truck Better than them paying the council to dump it who then on sell it to the soil mobs who then compost it further and sell it back to you and then sell you the minerals that would have been in it had you got it straight from the tree lopper No weeds in the tree lopper stuff either and it smells great water consumption drops dramatically, water stays deeper in the soil. Evaporation is reduced markedly, nutrients from the tree end up in your soil in available forms saving you money The environment gets a win That's why you shouldn't use black mulch Re: my landscaping pics 10Mar 12, 2009 11:45 pm might add that if colour is ever used it is the form of iron oxide and that is fine for the plants.
Mulching, http://www.watercorporation.com.au/W/wa ... 1#Planning http://www.greatgardens.info/docs/GG002.html from this page... http://www.greatgardens.info/docs/GG005.html Quote: Remember the mulch. Mulch is essential as strategy to draw and hold water in the soil. It will also reduce soil temperature fluctuations (critical for good soil organism health and development) and suppress some weed growth (NOT grasses such as couch or kikuyu unfortunately). The best mulch is the cheapest mulch -street tree prunings (ie chipped up branches and trees containing leaves, fruits, flowers and bark). This should be kept back from the trunk of the plant and should be 5-7cm thick. Don't use woodchips or soil conditioners like Karri peat on the surface as they tend to soak up any moisture often leaving the soil and your plants bone dry underneath. Your mulch should be rough and prickly so that water is easily drawn into the soil and help there away from the desiccating effects of the summer sun. Remember the trick: Take your shoes off and walk on your mulch. If it doesn't hurt your feet it is probably not a good mulch. http://www.greatgardens.info/docs/GG009.html Re: my landscaping pics 11Mar 13, 2009 5:35 pm Thanks Fu will have to reread your info again later. From what i understood ( its friday and im tired) its the Black mulch thats the trouble not the other mulches that are on the market.?
Thinking back in time to my old garden i remember the roots of the pittos coming to the surface and travelling but they had different mulch around them.. i put that down to the drought.. the roots were looking for water. Re: my landscaping pics 12Mar 14, 2009 10:00 am yeah black mulches and composted mulches are ones to avoid.
the links will offer a better idea. Stuff from the council is something I would avoid too if you can. Composted material as well, just not composted well. It can have weed seeds too and become water replant. Pebbles are trendy but they remove the opportunity to "feed" the soil. That is the single most important factor in reducing costs and keeping an amazing garden Pebbles are great in that they don't hold water Re: my landscaping pics 13Mar 14, 2009 12:28 pm Hi Fu i beg to differ on the stuff from the council Ive actually got the council mulch on the front nature strip and sides .Only been a few weeds that have come through :wink
And the stuff has kept my tree green n alive while the other neighbours trees have suffered in the heat. I did worry about what was in the Council Mulch when i ordered it ,you know foreign material yuk. and weeds ,but ive been pleasantly surprized Re: my landscaping pics 14Mar 14, 2009 1:22 pm I do agree about the osmocote, it's ok in pots but is a bit gutless as a general fertiliser IMO (I meant to say something about the osmocote before but got side tracked with your lovely rock work)
blood and bone and some compost or manure would be much better to feed up the plants, especially until they get established. The mulch I like best is fresh treelopper mulch, I can usually get it free when I see a treelopper working in my area and the big advantage with it, is that it has all the green stuff as well as the woody stuff so it's a lot more balanced than a woodchip mulch and a truckload goes a long way but you need somewhere to put it. If you dont have anywhere to store it though tell your neighbours to hop in and help themselves as well to the mulch. Re: my landscaping pics 16Mar 14, 2009 2:23 pm clath Hi Fu i beg to differ on the stuff from the council Ive actually got the council mulch on the front nature strip and sides .Only been a few weeds that have come through :wink And the stuff has kept my tree green n alive while the other neighbours trees have suffered in the heat. I did worry about what was in the Council Mulch when i ordered it ,you know foreign material yuk. and weeds ,but ive been pleasantly surprized Oh that is correct but weed seeds is a risk more than a given. depends on what green waste people are dropping off, how long it is composted for. It will vary throughout the year. It is better than nothing in the case of council mulch, but considering the comparative abundance of tree lopper stuff and what it can cost, why not use something better still. however it was a good move to use it as opposed to what the majority of folks use Re: my landscaping pics 17Mar 16, 2009 12:08 am clath This might be a dumb question but could tree lopper mulch have termites in it. Normally a tree with termites would be treated to kill the termites before it's removed but I guess there is always a small chance it could happen. But I can say I've been using it for around 10 years (many loads over that time too) and I've never had termites in it. Re: my landscaping pics 18Mar 16, 2009 3:32 pm A point often brought up. The research on this doesn't indicate that the white ants remain active after this. They are not likely to survive the mulchers and those that do find themselves unable to survive. The structures of mulch are not going to support the various species of white ant that are destructive to homes.
Those trees treated for white ants prior to cutting down are not going to remain a problem. Teh chemicals in them are not considered hazardous. Also most tree lopper mobs don't supply tree waste that has come from a tree with white ants in it. More through a courtesy than anything else Re: my landscaping pics 19Mar 17, 2009 10:25 am The black mulch info is interesting - thanks for that Fu.
We always used redgum mulch at our old house, but when we did the big tidy-up prior to putting it on the market, we covered a messy utility area at the rear of the yard with black mulch. It was behind a screen and housed compost bins, a small shed, a potting area, wheelbarrows and bikes and we just wanted it to look neat. There were no plants in there, so I can't comment on the shallow root thing, but the weeds were a nightmare! I must have used a bucket of Roundup keeping it under control. I'm glad we decided on a natural mulch for the new place. I've noticed one of our neighbours, who has black mulch, is having a battle with weeds.... Hmmm, I have checked your past posts and it seems that you are in NSW, not WA as I had thought. It pays to show your State in your avatar. Retaining wall regulations… 5 7853 Hi, you've probably already resolved this, however, Commbank will probably pay the funds to you after you send evidence the work is done regardless the change in the quotes. 1 35321 Ideally you would engage a landscaper to give you some insight what they may need in the space to make your vision come to life… 1 13637 |