Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Oct 23, 2010 4:35 pm Hi all, I'm just trying to decide what to do with my front garden. It's going to have to be a DIY job because funds are a bit tight at the moment. The garden is 6.5m wide by 4m deep. The only main issue I can see is that it's on a slope. I have no idea how to measure the slope, but here's a photo so you might get an idea: http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/oo276/sjs137/231020102398.jpg (sorry bout the poor quality photo) I was originally thinking having three 'levels' by putting in some railway sleepers or similar, but that's a bit beyond my physical and technical capabilities. So now I'm thinking maybe nice river rocks with some trees in front..?? (although I'm not sure if the rocks will just roll down the slope..??) I get morning sun and afternoon shade. I'm avoiding lawn and weedmat at all costs. I have a guy coming in to do some rotary hoeing and I'm all ready to go with my gypsum and top soil, so I'm really just looking for creative ideas. Any help? Thanks, P. Re: Help with ideas for front garden 2Oct 23, 2010 6:37 pm Hi there There is a house around the corner from us who has a similar front yard. They put some large river rocks in (grouped like nature does it) and then planted a combination of a few feature trees (I think they chose a red bottlebrush type tree) and underneath were some nice grasses. It looked very natural and sort of desert - oasis like. Hope that makes sense! The different levels were created with a natural rather than a rigid line/level look and worked well. Re: Help with ideas for front garden 3Oct 23, 2010 10:13 pm Ok there is some questions you need answer first What style of garden do you want? What colours do you like? Rough budget? Now with all good gardens prep is the Key Gypsum wont really be as effective as powerfeed, Molasses, and Seamungus(As PER FU) now sloping sites are FANTASTIC as it allows you to show plants off to there full IMO the dry river bed is a great idea however it can get hot throughout the day as those rocks radiate the stored heat through the day(which can be a benefit to curb frost) If you are after a native type dry creek bed garden you will need to get different sized pebbles best to talk to a bulk garden supplies Plants are EASY as you could have a Grafted gum Acacia cognata Isolepis nodosaKnobby club rush Bunyip buttons Flannel flowers Dianella Grass tree these are pretty much standard in a dry creek bed plantings But all look great if you have to do the nature strip it will look awesome if you continued the creek down the hill across the to the strip 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: Help with ideas for front garden 4Oct 24, 2010 7:51 am Thanks both... mecha-wombat I've googled a lot of the plants you suggested and some I like, some I don't I'm not sure about the dry river bed idea - but having said that I don't really have a clear idea of exactly what I want. I was thinking of something a little more formal - but not too formal. I think I'd like some flowering plants in there, something to bring a bit of colour (maybe even bring out the purple in my door). I'd also like a bit of contrast in the ground - maybe not entirely the same rocks - the river idea has inspired me a bit though, perhaps I could have a meter of rocks on either side of a some mulch and put some plants in that. I'd like something to give the garden a bit of height, but nothing too big. Anyway, I'm off on a drive now to go and get some ideas from neighbours and display houses and then back to the nursery for some more soil preparation supplies. P. Re: Help with ideas for front garden 5Oct 24, 2010 9:25 am Here are a few photos that might give you some inspiration, Piper.... The rendered retaining walls are probably not a DIY project (at least I wouldn't attempt it or it would be all higgledy-piggledy ), but you could use sleepers or rows of bush rocks to achieve a similar effect: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Rocks, rocks and more rocks: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This type of path takes a bit of hard work, but isn't difficult or expensive. Looks nice and neat too: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Some pretty plants here - the purple fountain grass would go with your door : Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ You could go all Zen: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Doing a tour of display homes is a great idea - there are bound to be plenty with slightly sloping front yards - and see what they've done with the garden. Also search out landscaper's websites and trawl through their galleries. You should pick up some good ideas there. Re: Help with ideas for front garden 7Oct 24, 2010 10:22 am keen one might be grey water and one drinking water although it looks like both have a meter and why would grey water have a meter? Re: Help with ideas for front garden 8Oct 24, 2010 1:00 pm kexkez keen one might be grey water and one drinking water although it looks like both have a meter and why would grey water have a meter? They're both mine - one is for drinking water and the other is for recycled water (the whole estate has a recycling water system). The taps are pretty ugly actually.. I'm going to have to come up with a way to hide them. P Re: Help with ideas for front garden 9Oct 24, 2010 1:58 pm Piper+1 The taps are pretty ugly actually.. I'm going to have to come up with a way to hide them. P Easiest way is to just plant a shrub in front of them. You can get a plumber to sink them below ground level in a pit with a cover, but the shrub method is easier and cheaper. Re: Help with ideas for front garden 11Oct 24, 2010 2:32 pm keen Is that your garage in the photo?, If not where is the boundary ? (halfway between buildings?) My garage is on the left, there's a gap between the two buildings and the other car you can see is my neighbour's. P. Re: Help with ideas for front garden 12Oct 25, 2010 4:39 am Okie dokie formal garden design which will highlight the purple of the door ......Check! this is where you would use purple and white flowers So we would have Lavender Magnolia Camelia blue fescue So the Magnolia would be planted in front of the door and behind the pipe the camelias would be the hedging plants instead of traditionaly buxus they would be planted along the side connecting the neighbour and in front of the windows ending as the wall ends to the front Radiating out from the tree would be a ripple of the lavender like the magnolia was dropped in the there (you could even use salvia) in ever increasing circles or if you wanted to be a little more cheeky a spiral with the centre again from the magnolia fill the nature strip with blue fescue and lavender in a random pattern (the smell hmmm the smell) just be aware formal gardens are slave drivers and you will be out there every other week preening and pruning to keep it looking at its best but you would have by far the best looking front garden in the estate this one would be probably ok with a monthly preen as opposed to a proper formal garden Now I just reminded my self that this on a budget, so I suggest you find a TUBESTOCK nursery to keep costs down but also the plants will grow stronger than those from a 200mm pot However spend up on a decent sized mature magnolia for instant 'WOW' I know if you ask your local Bunnings they can order in Blue Fescue in bulk or if you are after an native alternative to the fescue you can use a Poa Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Lavender on a large scale Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Magnolia Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ camelia Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Blue Fescue 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: Help with ideas for front garden 13Oct 25, 2010 6:20 am Mecha-wombat, you might want to resize large images before posting... the thread is now too wide to fit on the screen. Scrolling back and forth is a bit annoying. I'd do it for you, but I don't have time this morning, sorry. Can somebody check - did I turn invisible over the weekend...? Re: Help with ideas for front garden 14Oct 25, 2010 10:50 pm kek Mecha-wombat, you might want to resize large images before posting... the thread is now too wide to fit on the screen. Scrolling back and forth is a bit annoying. I'd do it for you, but I don't have time this morning, sorry. Can somebody check - did I turn invisible over the weekend...? Yes you did turn invisible and I have NO idea what you are talking about Kidding I got some smaller images 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: Help with ideas for front garden 15Jan 15, 2013 4:43 pm I'll bump this topic... anymore ideas for a front landscaping I recently finished my house and after landscaping, have begun to plan a fence. To be honest its been a bit of an afterthought so I'm after some much needed advice. The… 0 2017 Fig Landscapes has produced an e-book and native plant index, available for purchase from their website. It's a great resource, full of inspiration and tips. Another… 1 12252 |