Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Apr 06, 2010 5:30 pm Hi all, I have recently moved into my home at milang. I am needing some serious help. I cannot decide as to what to do for my front garden, i seem to get lost in all the politics of gardening and then just leave the nursery. I have added some pictures, its rectangularin shape 30 metres one way but 3/4 metre setback for front yard to road. My house is a corner block so i have a substantial size front yard. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This is obviously before my house was finished but you get the idea of the space. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This is out the front of my ensuite and bedroom window. any ideas would be appreciated. Thankyou and kind regards building heysen4e through SarahHomes at Milang IM THE PROUD OWNER OF DIRT house into council 22/08 Unconditionally approved 25/09 mortgage docs signed 29/09 land settled 09/10 land titled 22/10 start date about two weeks away!!! http://www.mymilangbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: i need some serious help, lonely gardener 2Apr 06, 2010 5:47 pm i forgot to add my soil is very sandy and loose. (you should see the neighbour good neighbour fencing and you will understand) I like plants that are hardy. Im not a fan of bushes or large trees. I was hoping for a simple yet carefree. i like these kind of plants, names unknown Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ i like these kind of designs Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ and i also like these, actually anything to do with palms. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ building heysen4e through SarahHomes at Milang IM THE PROUD OWNER OF DIRT house into council 22/08 Unconditionally approved 25/09 mortgage docs signed 29/09 land settled 09/10 land titled 22/10 start date about two weeks away!!! http://www.mymilangbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: i need some serious help, lonely gardener 3Apr 07, 2010 7:14 am That's a wide frontage. Lovely to have so much room to plant in though.... Is there a driveway at the front, or along the side? Anything you need or want to fit into the front yard, such as paths that have to lead to a side gate (or your meters), that kind of thing? Make sure you plan for those traffic areas before you start planting. The plants you like are yuccas - as Fu will tell you, those things get BIG, although it might take a while. Anyway, don't do what many people around me have done and plant rows of the things as a border all round the front yard. I'm just waiting for them to start ripping them out in a few years' time. You need to come up with a basic design, and then put some serious work into improving that sandy soil - there's heaps of info here on how-to. THEN you can start planting. I have no idea how palms go in your climate, but I suspect that it may be a bit dry for most of them. Ponytail palms, maybe? Whatever you plant, mulch it well and keep the gravel for pathways (unless you like cacti....they seem to thrive in gravel). Stepping stone pavers in gravel for paths is a cheap alternative to soild paving, and not too difficult to DIY.... there are lots of grasses in pretty colours and varying heights and textures that would be reasonably low-maintenance. Maybe some other SA gardeners can offer suggestions for shrubs, trees and groundcovers that will work for you. Re: i need some serious help, lonely gardener 4Apr 07, 2010 8:21 am Quote: Im not a fan of bushes or large trees. I was hoping for a simple yet carefree. Was a bit stuck thinking of plants that were not bushes or trees, I suppose you mean you want low ground covers or small shrubs? Quote: Maybe some other SA gardeners can offer suggestions for shrubs, trees and groundcovers that will work for you. Ok, ok, here is one I live in Whyalla, where it is hotter and dryer than Adelaide and soil is sandy - we have boosted our soil with top soil before we started. Anyway, those cordylines which are popular atm do well here, we dont have any but many new gardens are planting them. Purple fountain grass does well if you want a grassy looking thing - but check which size you are getting, we bought some suppossed dwarf ones which are now 1.5 m high Other easy low maitenance plants: grevillea (comes in various types, from ground cover to medium shrub) pig faces, they are ground covers, will have bright flowers in summer. Rosemary,Plumbago, lavender, daisies - they are good growers, I have them in my garden but probably getting away from the style you are after Not sure what else to suggest as the spiky modern garden isnt really the style we have Good Luck and Happy Gardening Re: i need some serious help, lonely gardener 5Apr 07, 2010 11:05 am By not including small trees and shrubs several things occur with any landscape. One is that you will be kidding yourself about maintenance. To me it's the landscapes that don't include these that have the greatest environmental impacts and have the greatest work and associated costs. Don't mistake perceived low maintenance with "no maintenance". You will be sucked in A landscape is more than planting a McGarden and standing back and seeing something that appears to be easy for the few weeks it has been planted. Small trees will reduce costs of water and increase the effectiveness of the water that naturally falls on your landscape from the rain. they significantly reduce the home energy cost too and that is something we have already seen with Homeone members reporting increased energy bills. ($300 bill to a $1000 energy bill) A tree won't cost that every few months! They also serve to reduce far greater reaching problems that are having a chronic effect on our cities and directly affecting our overall urban weather. It is an issue that McGardens have a fair bit to answer for. There is no greater place that this style of gardening is evident than our outer urban suburbs where these gardens are consuming enormous amounts of resources and having the greatest environmental impacts And why i invest so much of my time to try and prevent here at Homeone. Shrubs will stop you viewing the fence and they will, with good choice, provide an excellent habitat for birdlife to visit your place. Then a landscape becomes far more effective and begins to provide easy enjoyment. It begins to have a purpose and function It starts to do something for you A well chosen small tree will provide additional value to a home. That is now and this is expected to be an even more important asset in years to come as water and home energy costs sky rocket. Where possible follow some basic landscape principals that work all around the world. Floor, walls, ceiling. A house never looks quite finished or right with out a roof and the same goes for a landscape Nice floor covering is important with the clever choice of ground covers, low native or bird attracting shrubs. Minimise turf so you maximise household water use. Maximise any small plant that may be able to do something in the garden. Have a squiz at natives options, you'll be amazed how easy and truly low maintenance they are. The walls will provide a softening or elimination of the visual impact a fence has on any home. The ceiling is good selection of small trees Without this approach you will more than likely be doing the garden again in a matter of years at additional unnecessary cost. I say this from experience. That is money better spent in repaying a mortgage or a future electricity bill. The plants you are looking at are still good choices but designing an entire landscape based around them is not going to be of a benefit to you They will fit in well with many other styles and types of plants. There is always far more to any landscape than just a visual look to it. This is true of every famous landscape and it really is easy to create in your home following some basic concepts Re: i need some serious help, lonely gardener 6Apr 07, 2010 2:09 pm I would think a bit of privacy as well. Everyone can look in the windows if you do not plant anything shrubby. If you only plant little plants, apart from looking miserable, you will die in summer, or having an incredible electricity bill. Shrubs and especially trees make a BIG difference in temperature. I would always use the land and plant some fruit trees in the front yard, maybe you don't want to. Then it would be great planting a native garden. Natives (of your local area) are adapted to the climate and are relatively care free. I would ask the local council or a landcare/bush care group or someone who knows what really grows in your region. If you look at good gardens, then they always have different heights and shapes, only low growing plants will look boring. I would avoid lawn as you have to mow it. Re: i need some serious help, lonely gardener 7Apr 09, 2010 12:41 am Great point to bring up is that of privacy. In the front of any property there are two rules. One. If you have a front boundary wall, inside will be secure enough to create a cosy court yard garden. Two. If you have an open frontage, never hide the windows. Security is a priority. You should not create a hidey spot for burglars doing some naughty things The frontage should remain viewable. So essentially you make a frame around the frontage of the property. A small well chosen tree. Good shrubs down the sides, again make the right choice and you will have little work And the base of the frame is made up of low bushes and perhaps a well chosen turf area Hi VK, I am now retired however I have stood beside over 300 owner builders in the past 18 years that have successfully built their own homes. First of all a building… 10 22668 Thank you so much for the effort. We will use it to talk with builder. We also had idea of building duplex instead and seeking suggest ions. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=106744 11 13833 Hi there, I'm a conplete newbie to this, but I'm looking to put a floor down in my 6x9m shed. It's currently sitting on a 100mm thick concrete perimeter (dirt floor… 0 6467 |