Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 May 20, 2009 8:40 pm We have free front landscaping from our land developer and it's time to avail of it. We will be given one tree and 20 plants. Do you have any suggestion? I wanted a Japanese maple or Ornamental Pear.. but I wonder which one is better? We were also given their suggested planting list and some of the trees/plants in the list are: EVERGREEN TREES - She-oak - Flowering gum DECIDUOUS TREES - Hedge Maple - Ornamental Pear - Crepe Myrtle - Chinese Elm LARGE SHRUBS: - Banksia - Wedge leaf Hop Bush - Feijoa - Tree Violet - Leucadendrom - Sticky Boobialla - Native Rosemary SHRUBS - Correa - Showy Hebe - Lavender - New Zeland Flax GROUNDCOVERS/CLIMBERS/GRASSES - Kangaroo Paw - Cut LEaf Daisy - Silver Bush - Flax Lily - Wild Iris We have dial-up connection at the moment, so can't see what these trees/plants look like.. hoping that our experts here would help me choose the right trees/plants. BTW, we bought some rocks that were placed at the corner of the front garden. This is to give us some sort of protection due to the recent accident that happened around our corner. We might change the rocks to bigger rocks, because I think they do not provide enough protection (but we can't put fence, not allowed). Wonder if you have any suggestions? Thanks! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built the Nevada 42 Next project - landscaping! Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 2May 20, 2009 9:26 pm Both for benefit of both the look of your house and resale value it would be good to continue with the style of your new house. That way the garden is going to flow with the house design. If you have a contemporary/modern style house I would go with something like the Ornamental Pear (Pyrus) with the smaller plantings being similar theme plant such as the flax, Kangaroo paw and wild iris in mass plantings in the garden beds An older style house I would go one of the deciduous trees such as the elm, maple or the crepe myrtle, with the garden beds to contain some more flowering shrubs like the daisy's, hebe, silver bush, maybe the odd iris in there too. You can also get your natives in there too with the species that are left and make it fit a theme with clever planting and as long as it fits the garden layout . Usually the "free" gardens they supply with land packages in housing estates are pretty vague and are done on the cheap. Maybe an idea, throw up a few piccies for us to look at and get an idea as to what will work best. Not sure on layout restrictions of your yard, can you build your own elements into the design? Cheers Rod Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 3May 20, 2009 10:09 pm Thanks Rod for your suggestions. We have a modern house and so I guess Ornamental Pear is the way to go? But I fell in love with the Japanese maple (love the colours of the leaves )... no idea about Ornamental Pear. What's the difference between the two in terms of maximum height when it matures? Don't want to have too big tree in front of the garden, as much as possible. Yes, free basic landscaping to the front garden is really cheap. That's why we're planning to add some more plants and we upgraded the turf (to Buffalo). And we have a say on the design, we just have to pay the landscaper extra. We're planning to go for the basic landscaping at the moment and improve it as we learn more about landscaping this area is not really our forte. The landscaping had starting with laid turf, mulch and the arranged rocks. Landscaper is just waiting for us to give him the list of our preferred plants. So your suggestion is much appreciated. Any more suggestions? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built the Nevada 42 Next project - landscaping! Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 4May 20, 2009 10:40 pm It would be nice if they gave you a plant list with the botanical names not some common name. Feijoa is good as you can get some fruit off of it. Kangaroo paws can get quite large, depending on what variety you get. What sort of banksia, what sort of leucopogon? I know native rosemay (if its the one I'm thinking of) can get to about 2m. Mine hasn't stopped flowering since last June. Correa has lovely tubed flowers. I have some that come in different shades of pink. Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 5May 20, 2009 11:08 pm VJ Thanks Rod for your suggestions. We have a modern house and so I guess Ornamental Pear is the way to go? But I fell in love with the Japanese maple (love the colours of the leaves )... no idea about Ornamental Pear. What's the difference between the two in terms of maximum height when it matures? Don't want to have too big tree in front of the garden, as much as possible. Yes, free basic landscaping to the front garden is really cheap. That's why we're planning to add some more plants and we upgraded the turf (to Buffalo). And we have a say on the design, we just have to pay the landscaper extra. We're planning to go for the basic landscaping at the moment and improve it as we learn more about landscaping this area is not really our forte. The landscaping had starting with laid turf, mulch and the arranged rocks. Landscaper is just waiting for us to give him the list of our preferred plants. So your suggestion is much appreciated. Any more suggestions? We have a number of ornamental pears , and one Japanese Maple in our front yard. They were planted about 2 and a half years ago. I love the Japanese Maple but it requires more water than the ornamental pears which are pretty hardy once they are established. The ornamental pears have reached a height of about 4 metres. The Japanese Maple is slightly shorter - but there are so many varieties of Japanese Maples and they can vary enormously in their average height. We are in Melbourne and they all took a beating during the terrible summer heartwave but have survived. There appear to be 2 types of ornamental pears. There is one type where the branches seem to curve upwards like candelabras, and another type where the branches grow straight. We have to latter but wanted the former! We inherited a huge Lemon Scented gum which is quite beautiful but is causing us many problems with its root system and tendency to drop (at times large) branches and gumnuts. Council regulations forbid us from removing it. Eucalyptus trees are not on my list for future plantings! They have shallow but extensive root systems that can potentially mess up your drainage, depending on the type of Eucalypt. Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 6May 20, 2009 11:11 pm The maples are nice though not too practical. Your water issues are not going to get better. Think ahead and make sure the plants you put in are going to either be productive or waterwise. I am a bit iffy about the wild iris because there is a growing concern with them being invasive. The dietes bi colour would be the worst offender. Not fun digging them out! I love using Feijoa. There very tough and drought tolerant as well as being a productive plant in the garden flowers can be used in fruit salads and the fruit can be made into alsorts The flowering gum will be a great feature. It will bring birds to your garden in years to come. Correas make excellent formal hedges so you have an Australian plant that can be used in contemporary garden design Also bird attracting. The hebes will be good, I find the flaxes burn and bleach in the summer. That might just be here though. Leucadenrons are going to be amazing when grown and in flower I have seen them beautifully hedged. The honey eaters will love the protection these provide. You can't go wrong with kanga paws because they are West Australian The birds love them too. Don't pick to much. Stick to a few choices to keep it simple. If you want to see these, visit your nearest library. they should have"the internets" and plenty of books The single best web page for looking at plants commonly used in landscape packages and what should be used in landscape packages is found at the WA water corp website. http://www.watercorporation.com.au/W/wa ... -2374-1092 Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 7May 20, 2009 11:17 pm VJ We have a modern house and so I guess Ornamental Pear is the way to go? But I fell in love with the Japanese maple (love the colours of the leaves )... no idea about Ornamental Pear. I agree with the advice given but it's not a hard and fast rule. I've seen Japanese maples in modern display homes and they look great. You just wouldn't surround them with daisies and cottage garden type plants in that sort of situation. One thing though to bear in mind is that they don't like too much sun and wind so if your front garden faces west and gets the worst of the prevailing wind then a maple may not be the best choice. Ours is somewhat sheltered but the leaves at the ends of the branches do dry out in the hottest part of summer. It would probably do better if we had improved the soil more. A relative's tree in a slightly less protected position but with better soil and more undergrowth to keep the roots cool doesn't seem to be as affected by the summer heat. Both of these were just the usual unnamed variety. A more expensive but perhaps better option might be the coral bark maple which we were told is hardier. Maybe someone could confirm that. That would probably also be my pick of maples for a modern rendered house because in winter the bare red branches are stunning. I agree it would be useful to know the full botanical names. Hebes come in a variety of colours and range from about half a metre to a metre but there are some that grow to two metres. Correas I believe vary even more, and good drainage is apparently very important for them (just planted our first this summer). Flaxes look fantastic with modern architecture but need to be positioned carefully to allow for their ultimate size. There is a house near us that looked fantastic a couple of years ago but the flaxes are now encroaching on the footpath. Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 8May 21, 2009 1:53 pm Thanks for all suggestions! Much appreciated! I had a look at the ornamental pear... and i'm wondering which of these are better: - South worth dancer - westwood Korean Sun I also saw Cercis Canadensis Forest Pansy.. which looks very nice. As i've said, I prefer a tree that won't be too big in the future... and easy to maintain. Which of the trees above are better for a front garden? Will check the others that you suggested... Very limited time to surf during luch break. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built the Nevada 42 Next project - landscaping! Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 9May 21, 2009 2:03 pm Oh I LOVE the Forest Pansy. But everything I've read about them indicates they need more water and shelter than maples so we didn't get one. Which way does your front garden face? Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 10May 21, 2009 7:55 pm I have suggested the forest pansy many times on here. Did you read other posts or was it recomended by others? As far as water and shade and the comparison to maples being easyier, well that does go against what I have seen from these. The swan valley here in Perth has some nice examples. Water is isn't really needed from my experience any more than anyother tree. The soil there is clay or loam through to sand and they do well. It gets hotter there than most areas closer to the beach. They will need a little protection when on Perths windy coastline but it is the second windiest coast in the world. That gives you an idea as to what they take. Remember too that any plant in poor soil will have a small root system that needs lots of water. Feed the soil and that changes Just amazing trees Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 11May 21, 2009 9:36 pm Fu Manchu As far as water and shade and the comparison to maples being easyier, well that does go against what I have seen from these. I didn't need to know that. I'm running out of space for more trees. Good news for VJ though! Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 12May 21, 2009 10:43 pm Quote: I have suggested the forest pansy many times on here. Did you read other posts or was it recomended by others? As far as water and shade and the comparison to maples being easyier, well that does go against what I have seen from these. Yes, Fu... I read your previous posts about Forest Pansy and so I checked it out and liked it! It was also recommended by a friend (but after I read about it in this forum ). I really love it... and now, after looking at the ornamental pears (and the potential problems with Japanese maple), I'm torn between Forest Pansy and Ornamental Pear. So which one? BTW, I forgot to mention that our front yard is facing South... and we have clay soil. As for the plants, I've checked out what you guys suggested and so far I like Hebe and Flax. Will check out more just to make sure I'm not missing some good plants. I think I need one more plant for the front yard. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built the Nevada 42 Next project - landscaping! Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 13May 22, 2009 11:54 am Here are some photos of our front garden: 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 ⋅ So I wonder what to plant at the side of the garage? Do you think we can put Juniperus Communis there? or stick to thes smaller plants? So far I like the Flax, Hebe, Cordyline (Australis purpurera), bird of paradise, Pittosporum, Salix Caprea & Yucca Elephantipes. I patiently googled them last night (with dial-up connection! ). So not sure if they would look good in our front garden. Would greatly appreciate your suggestions, now that you see some photos of our garden. Thanks! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built the Nevada 42 Next project - landscaping! Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 14May 22, 2009 3:40 pm I love your house. The rocks look good but if you're on a corner I'd get bigger ones I think. Would you prefer to hide the fence and the neighbours or isn't that a priority along the side of the driveway? (Also don't forget not to plant anything tall enough to obstruct visibility for drivers right down to the street. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious but I've seen people plant a 2m hedge right to the kerb.) Pittosporums (which come in a range of sizes, colours and variegations) make lovely screens but usually do need regular pruning. There is a new one that goes by the names Golf Ball or Tennis Ball and is only supposed to grow to about half a metre. We planted some last year and so far we are very happy with them. Is that your gas meter in the garden bed? Don't forget to allow access for the meter reader, and no prickly shrubs nearby. (We learned about prickly shrubs the hard way. ) Fu, regarding the hebes, we've found that some of the newer varieties, which seem to have larger softer leaves, don't look too good after a couple of years whereas most of our old ones, some of which I think are still sold, are still going great. Wondering if you have any comment on that? We have very hot summers and frost in winter so perhaps my experience isn't applicable in milder climates? Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 15May 22, 2009 4:03 pm VJ having seen the house, I would choose an ornamental pear, however only if it was Pyrus Ussuriensis which is a Manchurian pear. Others can get pretty big. I'd bung in some Big Red roo paws because they are Western Australian and becuase in a few clusters they'll look great with the house. Correas but more the small leafed ones like dusky bells. and some convolvulus cneorum (silver bush) for contrast. Either a cluster of roo paws around the tree base with some correa as a low hedge boardering around the property. (buy some extras to fill the gaps) and a few silver bush near the letter box and just off from the tree? Or what about doing a bunch of correas under the tree then a few clusters of roo paws and some other clusters of silver bush. Just heavy mulch and no lawn. Over the years increase the size of the clusters by dividing the roo paws in march/april. Maybe instead of mulch use pigface as a ground cover, not on the list but easy as to buy, grow and propagate. Or even plant a few shore junipers as a ground cover instead of mulch? that way it looks nice and green with both ground cover options Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 16May 22, 2009 4:07 pm Macy I love your house. Fu, regarding the hebes, we've found that some of the newer varieties, which seem to have larger softer leaves, don't look too good after a couple of years whereas most of our old ones, some of which I think are still sold, are still going great. Wondering if you have any comment on that? We have very hot summers and frost in winter so perhaps my experience isn't applicable in milder climates? They can get a bit yucky in the cold, go black in some bits. lacebark would have some good feedback on these too You are probably right, many newer breeds are breed for flower so maybe some are not as tough. Not something I could say is such an issue for us and we do get pretty cold here in late winter/ early spring especially. The newer ones would need more clipping to keep fresh growth on them and keep the flowering up. Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 18May 24, 2009 2:49 pm General tips - Check out the locals, and what they have in their gardens - looking more particularly at areas with similar growing conditions to yours, and the more neglected gardens the better, as this tells you what survives the best. Try to check out mature specimens as well as nursery plants, you might like the look of a plant when it's young, but find it annoying as it matures! Pay attention to the size stated on labels and do more research by looking at existing specimens too - don't choose a potentially 3m tall x 3m wide plant for a smaller spot and think it'll be ok if it's pruned to size, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The right plant selection makes all the difference, sometimes it takes tinkering to get it right. Soil preparation makes a huge difference to the end product, make sure you add loads of compost/soil improver before starting to plant, as much as you can afford, it pays. Manchurian Pear, definitely, over the Cercis Forest Pansy, as it's much tougher, and will stand out better against your red bricks. Correas would look fantastic, Dusky Bells is also my favourite. Dianella tasmanica Tas Red would be great as a grassy-type leaf contrast. Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 19May 24, 2009 4:48 pm Sorry, childus interruptus... Flax Lily is a common name for Dianella, so that was a lucky inclusion. I'd steer clear of the Hebes, they can be ******* here in Perth, I reckon they're best left to their Kiwi home. Some of the native rosemarys would make a great hedge along your driveway - Westringia Glabra Cadabra (listen to Fu singing that song...) is a toughie, can be shaped nicely too, and the smaller Westrringia Jervis Gem has more compact growth to 1m, both with puple flowers. Hope this helps Re: Which tree & plants to use for our front garden? 20May 24, 2009 8:04 pm lacebark Westringia Glabra Cadabra (listen to Fu singing that song...) You cheeky so and so You have done it again! It's stuck in my head! Now I'll be singing it for ages P.S. I did post a word that for what ever reason came up with a different word and that word was way worse than a female dog What's with that She knows the mental torture that plant gives me Murraya could be a great option for you. It creates a great tall screening hedge but doesn't drop fruit like lily pilly. The flowers smell divine. 2 10357 Hello. I just bought a few acres in Habana, Mackay, and my horses seem to love hanging around under this tree. I would like to name the paddock after this tree. Can… 0 9556 |