Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Aug 07, 2010 10:35 pm Time has come where I need to think about a garden.... Now we dont have kids but evenutally we will so we want a kid friendly garden... Does anyone have any suggestions. I have put some pics up to give you an idea. I also have more on my blog Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Suggestions for side garden 2Aug 09, 2010 3:10 pm wow! You're gettin in early! hehe...firstly i'd have a look at improving the soil, looks like clay. Should not be hard to do. Secondly depends how old your kids are. I'd put in a sandpit, just scan it for local cat droppings. Also, a kids veggie patch is a great idea, kids love planting and harvesting tomatoes and strawberries and the like....I think once the house is built you will see where you get more sun than other areas to suss out what kind of plants would suit.. maybe a bit early yet! Re: Suggestions for side garden 3Aug 09, 2010 10:48 pm Hi oohsam, We are about 5 weeks, just posted ones of when the slab was poured. We are at lock up now We dont have kids right now but we want a kid friendly garden for later down the track thanks for your ideas! Re: Suggestions for side garden 5Aug 15, 2010 11:58 pm Herb garden?? and plants with Textures or smells Lambs Tounge, lavender, rosemary, Grevillea's, and oranamental grasses?? kids also LOVE bugs (ok BOYS do) so maybe a butterfly friendly garden http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresour ... arden.html http://anpsa.org.au/APOL11/sep98-6.html http://www.floraforfauna.com.au/article_news.asp?id=478 my garden I think is kid friendly and is made up of exculsively of Natives my back yard had 15 Banksia integ.(now 14 LOL) and it attracts birds from all round Gymea lily and a grafted WA Flowering gum plus some exotic lawn the front yard has been design to feel like a coastal heathland with some bits added for my veiwing pleasure grevillea (rosemarinafolia, and some hybrid ones ??) banksia(ericifolia and spinulosa) Austromyrtus (this one is a fav as it was from a rare form and it goes ranpant plus it has edible sweet YUMMY purple berries) Callistemon (bottlebrush - a pink cultivar) NSW waratahs (do not bother they keel over so easy!!!!!) Brachyscombes (break of day daisys) Yellow buttons Gymea lily Lemon scented Tea tree Isoplesis nodosa (knobby club rush) a couple of tree ferns and a Showy Xantharroea and some grasses which I cannot remember the name of All of these plants attract birds My Son (the Joey) love seeing all the birds coming to the gardens Rosella's Galah's Cockatoo's Noisy Miner's Rainbow lorriket's willy wagtail's Blue wren's Magpies( these are a particular favourite of my sons as the are so bold and they come close) plus many more there is also the Flying foxes that visit the Banksia integ.out the back at night At the end of the day I love NATIVES and I made the garden for me, however it has become my sons favourite place to explore and play with the textures, flowers, smells I do minimal work in it but brings so much joy this probably has not helped one IOTA however you can adapt most gardens to be kid friendly just be prepared to lose plants ( I had to very CRAZY pugs to sort out what would work or not !!) I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Suggestions for side garden 6Aug 16, 2010 7:47 pm Absolutely. A kid friendly garden is one that will provide fun interactions and opportunity to encounter living things Provides memories that will last a lifetime Finding where the sun is and isn't will be essential as oosham said. Really tough to work out. I would advise a lawn area but only in the back. Therefore it makes sense to ensure side access is wide enough and easy enough to get a cylinder mower through so 800mm should be fine. If a front lawn is used, what is the purpose? Looks? What is the maintenance costs, water? You can get the same look or better with other plants. f you choose to cover your front in plastic then I will be disappointed If a lawn goes out the front for kids to play on then build a wall round and a secure gate so they can play safely and you get more usable space in the future. That then allows back yard space to be dedicated to more practical gardens involving native and waterwise species and productive veggie and fruit growing areas which can sustain a young family. Saving seeds will be easy and eventually you just won't need to spend money so much on seedlings and seeds. Include small shade trees like say a Chinese Tallow or some of the small WA Mallee Eucalypts. These will serve to cool the home and reduce garden water needs. They add value to a home when correctly chosen species are used and with that in mind they won't be a hazard to homes in a structural sense. I have fond memories of climbing trees as a kid as do many. Provide your kids with that opportunity You will need entertaining space of course and that can easily be integrated with a sustainable garden or productive garden. decking or paved or other hard surfaces. You will need a feel of what the site is doing for you. Where are you walking, tracks forming? Think about that stuff. Practical access, storage for tools and junk in a shed. Bins, where will they go? Shade structures? Where will you dry the clothes on a rainy day? Do you want a covered area or just shaded? Rainwater tanks. Set up close to utilities like dunny and laundry where rain water can be used to fill dunnys and washing machines. Take a look in the rain which down pipes are flowing the most water. They don't all flow the same Get around and take note of textures and materials you like the look of. Colours too. What plants are doing well nearby or in older suburbs in a similar area. I have posted a few places to get ideas but also take a visit to NGIA accredited nurseries (Nursery and Garden Industry Association) that have a reputation for good knowledge. Get ideas from them about plants. Visit the NGIA website to choose good award winning nurseries Re: Suggestions for side garden 7Aug 16, 2010 7:56 pm Oh and have a look at this list too for plant ideas http://www.zanthorrea.com/info.php http://www.zanthorrea.com/design.php http://birdsinbackyards.net/spaces/gardening.cfm http://birdsinbackyards.net/spaces/ (The following is not just for Perth ) http://www.watercorporation.com.au/W/wa ... -2374-1092 http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/costa/tab-l ... ct-Sheets/ http://www.greenlifesoil.com.au/factshe ... garden.htm Where do you live? That is extremely important. Soils, spend the money on your soil, not on your plants Re: Suggestions for side garden 8Aug 18, 2010 10:05 pm Oh thankyou so much for all of this Shall be looking at all your suggestions Hi, Building a new place and I have limited space from garage to fence. 3130mm width, then opens up over 5000mm once I pass tmy garage. I need a fence that goes from… 0 3324 Hi HomeOne, I'm in the midst of landscaping a cat run down the side of my house, and the recent rains have me wondering if I need to install some sort of drainage. I've… 0 12285 My land is 260m2 (10m x 26m) located in claymore NSW. Under campbelltown council. I know in general the following setbacks would apply ground floor side setback =… 0 6931 |