Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jan 11, 2010 8:40 am Ok I am looking for some water wise, tough small shrubs ( approx max height of 1-1.2 m) to plant along the base of a retaining wall. The wall faces s.e. and is 20 m long. What ever I plant has to be fairly tough and will have to be able to cope with the onslaught of rabbits. This is going to be my biggest challenge. Rabbits! Not the lack of soil through most of my garden area. (There is soil in this section at least) I don't mind having a mixture of shrubs or having the same shrub all the way along the wall. I have plenty of other places to plant other stuff. Suggestions? I was considering buying tube stock and replanting it into pots until whatever grew bigger. Maybe this is the most economical way to do it given my rabbit problem. What does everyone think? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Shrub suggestions for along the base of a retaining wall 2Jan 11, 2010 6:14 pm Verticordia nitens (very strong orange yellow flowers) Olearia (silver foliage) Verticordia chrysantha (butter yellow flower) Thomasias (very tough, love a clip, have great flower) Leucophyta brownii (silver foliage) Correa dusky bells (excellent flower show) Banksia (Dryandra) nivea (wonderful low growing with amazing flower) Eremophila nivea (this would be amazing!) Acacia Limelight Walpole waxes and Esperance waxes Diosma (gold or dwarf pink) Philotheca Bournda beauty Darwinia citrodoria Re: Shrub suggestions for along the base of a retaining wall 3Jan 11, 2010 6:49 pm HI Fu thanks for your input. I've now got as few ones i really like the look of from that list and will keep and eye out for them. i wonder if i should try planting them up into pots if I can get tube stock size then growing them up before planting them out. what do you think? We had golden and dwarf pink diosmas along the brick retaining wall at the back of our last house so was considering doing something different this time even though i do still like the look of them. I might put a couple in the front garden bed area yet. I've had a bit of a google of the ones in your list: Philotheca Bournda beauty--- likes shady areas. hmm won't be shady for a long time. A shame as it is really pretty Eremophila nivea -can get to 5m x 2m too wide and too tall. too big, love the colours Darwinia citrodoria - lemon scented myrtle -- size sounds promising & looks good Acacia Limelight- will prob put some of these or something like this out the front. thanks for this one. Banksia (Dryandra) nivea could also be a go-er for out the front Correa dusky bells also a possibility but prefers moist soils and this area is quite sandy. Leucophyta brownii promising. BUT the lady around the corner keeps losing hers in the high winds which is odd as according to what I've just read it is usually ok for windy areas Thomasias - sound interesting and looks pretty. hard to find supposedly ( old data as the article I was reading was 2004) Verticordia chrysantha- nope Olearia- likes sandy and gravel soils. could be a go-er as well. I was considering having at least one of these out the front thought. ( the little purple flowered one- Olearia picridifolia x rudis). Re: Shrub suggestions for along the base of a retaining wall 4Jan 11, 2010 7:03 pm I tried hedging the Eri nivea to about 50cm, it wasn't cool. They are from Meekatharra way and they vary a huge amount in their growing heights. Down your way I was thinking they'd be a bit smaller for you. Thomasias are easy to get, on ya next trip to Perth, pop into Zanthorea The Philothecas are fine in the sun. I have one and I've used them with great success in other landscapes. Very well suited to tough conditions for us here in WA but that is my experience only Correa dusky bells just keeps doing so well for me. I have used it in many coastal landscapes as well as formal hedges. Very windy, poor sandy soils and they go nuts with some good soil and two days a week retic. very heavy flower show. They have just as well inland more too the info you have read is relative to the east no doubt and their native soils are just as you describe. We have WA growers using Correa root stock for getting even some of our harder to grow WA natives going by grafting onto them. There are some plants from up Shark Bay way that they find hard to grow so they tried Correa root stock and bammo, it worked Get your stock as tubes, it's such an economical way to buy them If you get stuck finding some, let me know and I'll see what I can find Re: Shrub suggestions for along the base of a retaining wall 5Jan 11, 2010 7:13 pm ok thanks for that. I'll have another look at the Philothecas after tea tonight. I will keep in mind your offer if i can't find some tube stock. I've got such a big area to work on tubestock is going to be the way to go. 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 7780 Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 5184 I've filled, levelled and compacted around 100mm of roadbase in preparation to lay some outdoor court tiles. Prior to doing the final compaction, I dusted the top with… 0 3044 |