Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jul 15, 2009 2:06 pm Hi Guys I am definitely suffering from 'building burnout' atm so I need some help with the last part of the garden Mr B has levelled off the side courtyard in order for fake grass to be laid. This will look really nice on the side...somewhere for the kids and dog to play. I just need help on selecting a plant for mass planting to go along the fence line where the white river rocks are at the moment. I have a vision in mind of this area to have a tropical 'feel' to it so I would like the plants to have big glossy green/purple foliage and only grow to the height of the fence. Small perfume flowers would be a bonus as well. I would perfer the same plant to give the area consistency. It may be a fern, tree, plant etc but it must be able to fill out the area. Conditions of courtyard...very cold winds during winter, not much sun during the day and a Melbourne climate. Also, as you see we have a dog so we would consider putting the plants in 'architectual' style pots if needed. I have also included photos of the back garden to show you the 'theme' (or lack of) we are attempting...I love the bali look The plant needs to be fairly hardly but can still be a showpiece of the garden as it is on display like a front garden. Are there any ideas...I cant seem to wade through all the plant sites as I am just so confused and over whelmed by everything at the moment Mrs B The area for the plants is on the left side of the pic where the white rocks are...all along that fence line. 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: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 2Jul 15, 2009 2:52 pm How wide do you want them?? Did you want a lot of shade or only something to cover the fence? A tropical feel doesn't really tie into the rest of the area with those kangaroo paws and grassy things. How about a star jasmine up a wire trellis? Do you have enough sun for some dwarf citrus? they're glossy and nicely shapable Edit: d'oh, just reread the bit about not much sun. Liriope are popular glossy droopy grassy things that don't mind shade. There you've just about hit the limit of my plant knowledge. I live in Perth and so I know more about drought-proof plants than cold tolerant ones! Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 4Jul 15, 2009 9:15 pm Mrs B Mr B has levelled off the side courtyard in order for fake grass to be laid. This will look really nice on the side...somewhere for the kids and dog to play. Good luck them going on it in summer. The synthetic turf generates so much heat, I have seen kids have burns from it and dogs paws burnt from it. I have also heard many accounts of similar in my day to day work. It will get hot like the road does! ouch. It can also have an adverse effect on surrounding plants due to the heat. Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 6Jul 15, 2009 9:37 pm Hey Hey Hey! It's Fu Albert Helyn, the Red riding hood used to be called a Dipladenia. A bunch of shiny bum botanists have now said it is to be reclassified as a Mandevilla . It was under the Mandevilla umbrella so to speak. A much better option is Crimson Fantasy. They really shot themselves in the foot with red riding Hood because the bloody flowers are pink and the Crimson fantasy was bred from red riding hood to have a Mandevilla that really has a strong red These climbers though are going to be a challenge there. The bloody things are going to chase the light if it gets shady, giving not much lower down but yellowy leaves and loads of top heavy green growth up top. I have some concerns though. I see I didn't read properly either about the shade this area gets. Is it shady now or in summer though? Remember the sun is going to start to move south as of the last few weeks. If you do choose to have pots there, they may struggle to support a climber. They will have a massive surface area of foliage that will need lots of water and the size of the pots will limit the plant to be able to supply that. You'd be watering 5 or 6 times a day as it drinks up the moisture from the soil Half a wine barrel type size is going to be what you would need to do that with any chance. For fruiting plants in the shade or in a lot of shade it will be a push. you'll get more leaf than fruit I would suggest some dracaena marginatas or Black Knights in the pots you want. Much better. Then attach some screening to the fence or construct something more substantial along there. A nice hedge of Murraya would go a treat but need to be in the ground. Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 7Jul 15, 2009 9:47 pm We have fake turf in the backyard of the rental that we are in & I'm sorry to say but I wouldn't recommend it with a dog. We have a whippet & it smells when he wee's & does his other doggie business. I bleach it & disinfect it but after a few days it smells again. We now have a blog. http://allaboutthebuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 9Jul 15, 2009 11:10 pm i don't fancy the chances of the cordy fruiticosa varieties but if anyone in Melbourne has done well with them in the open let me know Same with the beautiful Helaconia pictured Looks like it that's for sure I love them My picks would be some of the following overexposed phone shots from my various wanderings and gardens. This is a Chinese lantern or Abutilon, They do fantastic in Melbourne This was freshly trimmed in a very narrow bed. Imagine it with all the orange chinese lantern flowers hanging down Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ and a Murraya, again very over exposed Oh, that is Palmetto growing in what is normally total shade. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I have some of these clipped just 50cm wide down the southern side of my joint. The next option is Hibiscus. A fav of mine for it's dense foliage and resistance to pests is Fijian Pink Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Perfect height, loads of colour and the leaves stay greener easier than nearly any other variety I have grown, and that is lots This one I took in Mareeba in FNQ. I have tremendous success with these here and we do get plenty of frosty mornings I have also seen these grown in WA's SW and that is very cold and wet. I'm talking about the red ones in the shot. Acalypha wilkesiana. They can be hedged up really well Loads of colour! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 10Jul 16, 2009 7:50 am Thankyou so much everybody I really appreciate the time you have taken to answer my post. Sun...all the plants in the pics are gorgeous, cant have spiky because I think I will poke my eyes out, but the foliage of the others are the colours I am after. I do like the first big red leaf plant in pic 1. Damna...Oh no!....just when I thought a small patch of fake grass would be perfect. Its a difficult area and real grass is not an option. All the other neighbours have tried it but it dosent grow and just turns into mud. Our other option is to pave it. Our dog had caused havoc in the garden but thats what happens when you have a dog I suppose Fu...thankyou for all your suggestion I didnt really want a creeper as our neighbours are funny about the fence and I dont want to cause any dramas. I am going to write down all your suggestions and take it to the plant farm. I like the last plant...purple leaves one. The space only gets sun for about 1/2 in the morning...that was when the pic was taken. Not sure how much it will get when summer arrives. I will let you know what we decide to go ahead with...this is the last space we have to conquer. Mrs B Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 11Jul 16, 2009 1:45 pm I'm going to go against the grain and guru here and say I think fake grass would be perfect for that patch. We have a similar size area in our current home's courtyard. We (my Dad who was a landscaper by profession) tried to lay grass but it just wouldn't work in the space, it was almost impossible to try and get a lawnmower in for such a small area and it just didn't take well. In the end we decided to buy some fake grass, we didn't get the real good stuff (Tiger Turf etc) just brought a cheap one off Ebay (not the overly false looking cheapo ones though ) and it has been fantastic. We have an american staffy who digs and chews everything, but she hasn't tried to dig/eat it at all! As for her buisness, the wee I haven't even noticed, no smell or stains, and the poo's we just scoop off with a rake and if there is any left over we wash it off with the hose - good as new It wasn't too hot in summer at all, no hotter than the pavers and the kids wore shoes so it wasn't a problem. I'd certainly consider it for your area - it looks great! In our new house, we will go real grass, due to it being a bigger area and we are hoping to have better luck with growing/maintaining it now it is a better space for it. Before Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ After Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Note - DH laid the fake grass, so not a professional job, also you can see the join line where he rang the second lot in the wrong direction giving it 2 different colours A professional and better quality grass would come up with a much better look My karma ran over your dogma Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 12Jul 16, 2009 7:03 pm Thanks Bel I remember when you did that...great transformation! It looks fantastic in a small area Well we went to the grass guy again and we had selected one of the most expensive grass as its only a small area. I spoke to the guy and he was honest about the dog smells. He told me that some dogs dont like the feel/smell of the grass and will continue to do their business elsewhere...all depends on where your dog goes now. I know it will look fantastic but the dog smell has got me concerned...I didnt let Mr B order it today because of what may happen. I am not concerned at all about the heating up because the area does not get sun at all except for about 1/2 hour a day. So....we still have this patch of prepared area for fake grass, waitng for my decision...or pavers but I didnt want to go down this road Picking paint colours and taps was so much easier Mrs B Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 14Jul 16, 2009 7:31 pm sun Indoor red Cordyline they are the top left. i love cordylines Thanks Sun I will put them on my list of plant names. I just love the colour of the leaves. Mrs B Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 16Jul 17, 2009 2:25 am They are the cordyline fruiticosa They are indoor plant generally in southern areas of Australia because they are tropical. In winter it may not be very cool for them in the exposed winter air If you live in Sydney or brissie they will grow in the sun no worries. I thing that area will be very hot and sunny come summer. Why? because the sun at present is in the North at almost it's most extreme for the year. Your shot shows the shade from that in what must be the mid to late arvo? Going on the shadow. So that would mean far less shadow come summer and almost direct sun over head possibly. Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 17Jul 17, 2009 2:28 am as fgar as fake turf goes, choose pavers because I am yet to see a fake turf that doesn't look.... well fake, no matter how much you spend. I fear that fake turf will be the mission brown or fondue set of the modern garden era in the near future. The carbon off set for that stuff would is horrendous. Pavers in that area will be a piece of cake and surely cost the same with a quality paver. It will look a million times better. Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 18Jul 17, 2009 7:52 am Fu Manchu as fgar as fake turf goes, choose pavers because I am yet to see a fake turf that doesn't look.... well fake, no matter how much you spend. I fear that fake turf will be the mission brown or fondue set of the modern garden era in the near future. The carbon off set for that stuff would is horrendous. Pavers in that area will be a piece of cake and surely cost the same with a quality paver. It will look a million times better. Mr B is prepared to do pavers now but set it out in a way that allows random plantings around the edges. I hear what you are saying that the fake grass is not good for the environment It is probably this sole reason why I would get pavers now. Unfortunately with the water restrictions in Melbourne, its a booming business, that and placing stones everywhere in your garden....some houses around us just have big rocks everywhere with no plants I really do want to be imaginative and creative with this space...fake grass was such an easy alternative Fu, the pictures was taken at 8am in the morning as I wanted to show the sun at that time. The backyard gets full sun all day but that area seems to be sheltered from the shadow of the house besides us. Mrs B Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 19Jul 17, 2009 1:57 pm Those wanting outdoor Cordylines in melbourne should stick to the australis species and it's varieties for hardyiness. While nurseries do stock quite a few fruticosa varieties which do look very nice, in the south is too cold for them and they struggle with frost. For colour variation, go with greens and yellow such as "Yellow Wave" or "Albertii", purples, reds or pinks go for "Red Fountain", or "Pink Sensation" or "Cabernett". We have just completed a Melbourne Tropical garden and use these to good effect, along with other species like Strelitzia, Liriope, Phoenix, Phormium, Kniphophia, Agave, among others which complemented the theme Re: Plants for along fence line....courtyard 20Jul 17, 2009 2:32 pm Yeah very good advice PlandedLS, have you guys got good access to Cordy Electric pink over there? I know you can get Cherry Sensation, a good strong pink Australis. The Electric pinks tend to hold up without bleaching as much in summer. Great suggestion on Red Fountain. This is a variety that is one of the most popular in Australia now. In that spot with a fair bit of shade, they are going to do so well Burgundy spire will be another Australis that will do ok there. It should be protected a fair bit in summer so you won't get the hybrid Australis cordies going so brown or burnt or bleached. Burgundy Spire will get really good burgundy leaves remaining healthy down most of the trunk. They don't look like a dunny brush so much. Have you used Torbay dazzler. That is a good performer in the long term A nice yellow and green cordy aust. Firstly the ableflex that has been installed needs (manufactures specification) a sealant cap over the top, preventing water draining down between the slab and the… 3 5400 4 7875 Hi everyone, Looking for some advise. We are about to build an above ground pool in our backyard. There is a private sewer line running under the pool at 1.6m… 0 7969 |