Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Apr 26, 2009 5:11 pm Hi All, My name is Bec and I'm building a house with my fiance Craig. We are due to move in around July - August so i wanted to share with you what we have decided to do with the front garden. We would appreciate if you could: 1) let me know your thoughts on the garden (good n bad) 2) what plants to use - keeping in mind we like this garden 3) what lawn to use - type, seed or instant, 4) what type of wood for decking and side fence 5) Sand, rocks and other bits Oh and by the way we will have clay soil so preparation tips will be FANTASTIC also good suppliers in Melbourne and websites would be helpful. Thanks in advance Bec Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ THIS IS NOT OUR HOUSE... ITS A HOUSE WE TOOK AT PHOTO OF BECAUSE WE LIKED THE GARDEN...(sorry not good quality) Carlisle Atlantique 32sq - Handover 13th Aug... MAYBE? (1 week) Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 2Apr 26, 2009 10:02 pm When selecting Landscaping businesses it is a very sound move to choose someone who is a member of your states Landscape association. This means you are getting the correct info, the correct designs and the correct result. There are too many cowboys out there. http://www.liav.com.au/ Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 3Apr 26, 2009 11:30 pm Strappies! Lomandra, phormium, dianella, cordyline, liriope . . . I love strappies. I know some people put them down for being trendy at the moment but if it's what you love don't worry about it. They also happen to suit the current architecture styles very well. I sympathise about the clay soil, been there, doing that. I'd work on improving it and not rush into getting anything planted. (I think the words are "organic matter" but I'm not the best person to ask, we planted and then thought about the soil, oops!) It seems there are new varieties of plants, especially the fashionable strappies, coming out every spring. On the other hand sometimes I've found the old varieties perform better. But I think if the garden centres there are anything like ours they will have more to choose from once the warmer weather arrives so you may as well wait. Do you particularly want a lawn out the front and will you have a rainwater tank? (A dilemma we're wrestling with ourselves, is it worth having a front lawn.) There was a great thread recently with pics of lawn-free gardens. I'll see if I can find it. Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 4Apr 26, 2009 11:33 pm These pics are just great! viewtopic.php?f=19&t=16404 Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 5Apr 27, 2009 10:00 am The current overwhelming new house fashion seems to be rows of spikey plants. I don't know why. Are they cheap ? Do they tolerate a big variety of soil types ? To me they just scream "default garden for new build". Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 6Apr 28, 2009 7:49 am It's a nice simple design, Bec. I'd be inlcined to visit a few nurseries and see what plants are available that look similar to the ones in the photo, and decide what you like. Look for ones with low water requirements, given the ongoing drought here... Macy gave you a few good suggestions already for strappy plants. You could pick one or two feature plants too - something with a bit of WOW to be a focal point. If you've gone for mainly greens, choose a red foliaged plant. Or something that's a totally different shape - I'm a bit partial to Bird of Paradise. Maybe even a feature tree? Talk to the nursery guys if you're going to DIY the project - draw up a rough sketch, with approximate measurements and ask the staff what they suggest in terms of types and numbers of plants. Can't help with lawn types - don't have any in my garden. The sand is probably granitic sand (also called granitic gravel). Have a look at the garden supply places - you could also use toppings. IN this kind of situation you wouldn't need to compact it, so don't worry if anyone tells you you need to hire a whacker - it's probably not neccessary, just water it in a bit. Rocks - I bet there are plenty ****** around new estates in your area, waiting to be carted away.... As for your timber, any decking timber is good - it will come down to availability and price, as some are more expensive than others, and some are in short supply. We used spotted gum because the imported timbers went way, way up in price when the Aussie $ nose-dived. It's a beautiful timber, but can be hard to get. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I have lots of garden photos and have listed the plants I've used on my blog if you're interested. I'm in Melbourne's north, but same kind of soil.... Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 7Apr 28, 2009 8:20 am Cabinfever The current overwhelming new house fashion seems to be rows of spikey plants. I don't know why. Are they cheap ? Do they tolerate a big variety of soil types ? To me they just scream "default garden for new build". I'd guess a combination of the fact that these are usually drought tolerant and also contemporary looking. (We will be doing this when we reno our garden) Renovating a post-war house in Brisbane | On the first rung of the property ladder Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 8Apr 28, 2009 9:01 am Try going to All Green nursery or Wombat Gully nursery, they both located on Old Geelong Road, very close to Alamanda. Blog - http://clageonewhouse.blogspot.com/ Building Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=10886&hilit=milan I am in, with my husband and my beautiful bunny Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 9Apr 28, 2009 11:55 am Cabinfever To me they just scream "default garden for new build". you just hit it on the head. Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 10Apr 28, 2009 2:40 pm Hey guys thankyou for your feedback. we like this design - we will make it our own with diferent plants and trees and colours, but they layout is nice. i actually really like the lawn patch out the front it's appleaing to me ( The girl who has never mowed in her life - and dosent plan to ) we are not going to rush into anything.... To me Preperation is a big part of it... once the garden is done then i know i can sit back and admire not worrie about problems due to lack of preperation - though i can get a bit to excited and, i'll want to finish as son as i can. kek - i love you steps! they look fantastic.. did you do this your self? thanks for all you tips sound like you know what your doing. id love to follow your blog about gardening. i have been thinking about feture trees inlcuding bird of paridise, yuckas (maybe in the pots and door) this other plant i got from bunnings that i love hahah its a spikey tropical looking plant thingy. Another Question: is it better to do preperation through winter and plant through spring/summer? even with the grass? because we want the roll out grass an i have heard that you need to water this grass heaps ( we will have a water tank but it will be empty be cause we would have just moved in) should we PREPARE The area through winter and then get the grass laid in spring? Carlisle Atlantique 32sq - Handover 13th Aug... MAYBE? (1 week) Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 11Apr 28, 2009 5:44 pm Bec N Craig kek - i love you steps! they look fantastic.. did you do this your self? Yes...well, no....my husband did it. I did help a bit - handed him screws and nails. Mainly I just hid so I didn't have to listen to the swearing. Bec N Craig thanks for all you tips sound like you know what your doing. id love to follow your blog about gardening. I should do - I've been doing it for a loooong time. This is a whole new adventure though: drought-tolerant and hopefully sustainable; not my old style at all. I'm learning a lot and watering very little. I'll leave your lawn question for the grass experts. No good asking me, I've joined the anti-lawn brigade. Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 12Apr 29, 2009 12:06 pm kek No good asking me, I've joined the anti-lawn brigade. Boooo You can lay the turf in the winter, that is fine. Both have positives and negatives. Laying in winter means loads of free water when it rains The growth rates will be much lower and it will all happen slower, but it sure won't die. The biggest focus for any new garden is not the plant selection but the soil selection. Never spend the money on the plant, always invest it in the soil get loads of certified organic soil and your garden no matter what you plant will not look back Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 13Apr 29, 2009 8:01 pm I just noticed the flourishing crop of Patterson's Curse (or Salvation Jane if you prefer...) in the foreground of the photo. If it was my house, I'd be over there with my sprayer full of Roundup. You don't want that stuff spreading...our council has an eradication program underway that, judging from the purple hillsides everywhere, is spectacularly unsuccessful. Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 14Apr 29, 2009 8:20 pm kek I just noticed the flourishing crop of Patterson's Curse (or Salvation Jane if you prefer...) in the foreground of the photo. If it was my house, I'd be over there with my sprayer full of Roundup. You don't want that stuff spreading...our council has an eradication program underway that, judging from the purple hillsides everywhere, is spectacularly unsuccessful. They've had eradication plans for years... they need to focus on keeping council equipment (mowing tractor things) clean between sites as a first step '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: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 15May 09, 2009 6:08 pm Hi Bec, Love that front garden in the picture!! Will probably eventually do something like that with ours. Where are you going to put your tree in a pot? LOL it's a weird Alamanda guideline! I also like the look of grass much better. I think that pebbles and rocks everywhere with no grass makes of look like we are in a desert! Building Monaco32 with Carlisle Homes in Alamanda Estate 20/08/2010 - HANDOVER 24/8!! Blog - http://ourmonaco32.blogspot.com/ Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=14415 Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 16May 10, 2009 10:41 am sarahq I also like the look of grass much better. I think that pebbles and rocks everywhere with no grass makes of look like we are in a desert! Not if you know what you're doing and use plants a bit creatively.... I have seen some awful front gardens, where people have simply replaced a square of lawn with a square of mulch or pebbles. With nothing planted in it, it looks terrible - just screams of: I have no imagination. And yes, it is a bit desert-like. My theory is: if you're not having lawn, then don't pretend you ARE. Do something different. Like these: http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=16404 Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 17May 10, 2009 8:34 pm Kek, Some of those gardens do look pretty good!! The thing is none of those really seemed like front gardens. I'm not a fan of front gardens that are simple full of plants. I won't be having a whole heap of grass but think it does break up things nicely and makes them uncluttered. Building Monaco32 with Carlisle Homes in Alamanda Estate 20/08/2010 - HANDOVER 24/8!! Blog - http://ourmonaco32.blogspot.com/ Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=14415 Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 18Jun 23, 2009 10:25 pm I can't see that linking this will be a problem. Check this topic out with the greatgardens team here in Perth. There is no way I could post those pics and the info without linking it so this should provide plenty of ideas as well http://greatgardens.ning.com/forum/topi ... -gardens-1 Re: Bec n Craig's Front Garden (Point Cook) 19Sep 08, 2009 7:46 pm Is this place in Waterways? I swear we've taken photos of this place also for their garden!! ICK So glad the building is over, never again. Loooove our house, but still not quite sure it was worth all of the stress they put us through! Building Standards; Getting It Right! Hi All, We have a fall from road to garage front. But we cannot put a drain/grate because no discharge point put by the builder. Now they complain not enough space for… 0 9248 Hi, I have this sewer inspection point sitting in an odd spot in the rear of my yard: https://imgur.com/ghLI98q What I'd like to do is put a firepit in that corner of… 0 6534 |