Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Feb 20, 2011 8:25 pm hey guys! Last year my partner and I bought our first home! very excited about it still. We have been doing a lot inside and so therefore the outside has been left alone and not been getting much care. the most we had done was rake up leaves and cut down a giant fricken plant thing.... We are in the process of landscaping the garden, both front and back. We've cut down some trees, and low hanging branches and are in the process of clearing out a lot of the overgrown and unmaintained garden beds. These garden beds get A LOT of sunshine in the back yard, but the front hard is shaded by the house and a lot of trees, however it still gets a decent amount of sun. The main problem with our garden is that there are 3 GIANT gum trees on the property that litter it contantly with leaves and bark and just crap... The property is blessed to have a few giant agaves scattered around the place, including one that is the size of a breakfast table... its huge. I wont be replanting that one as it would be a big job, but the others I would like to scatter around the place, put in some other succulents, hard wearing plants and some decorative grasses. as well as a couple of bird of paradise plants (which are scattered around the property too). My question for everyone here is that, since we have 3 big trees around the property, Im aware I will need to have a lot of maintenance of the gardens for them to look good, and Im prepared for that (hence the choice of low maitenance plants to counteract). I would like to put a layer of pebbles on the beds for decoration purposes. I was wondering what everyones thoughts - and experiences with that was. My partner has a blower that would be able to blow the leaves off, and they get a lot of sunshine so they wouldnt stay wet for long... but I have heard that people say to avoid pebbles around trees as much as possible. I would put lawn edging, tiles or rocks around the edges to contain the pebbles and keep out leaves from the rest of the lawn coming in. I just dont want to spend money on pebbles to have them fail miserably... But I dont want to put mulch down as there is a high risk of termites in the area.... Would we be able to get away with large pebbles (with small pebbles on the bottom, but compacted down) and blow the leaves off lightly? or will it be a waste of our time and money. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 2Feb 20, 2011 10:31 pm I would work with what you have got (but then again I would love to have 3 Gums in my yard) I think you have got it around the wrong way, you see the gums as the issue and not a resource The leaves and bark are perfect FREE mulch so get a nice thick layer of it down around the plants with some treelopper mulch for real worry free gardening. Gardening as a whole is never low maintenance, however working with what you have I would group the Agaves and BOP together in one bed As for the risk of termites there are effective systems that work as an early warning system that you can place around the property However I have never had termites in my mulch 10cm thick treelopper mulch(even though the house next door is riddled with them and so is one a few doors down) but did get them in a Large log I had in the front yard as it was treated and then removed and never had a termite problem since so in short the pebbles are a WOTAM IMO I would be looking at more native plantings 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! 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 3Feb 20, 2011 10:54 pm Omfg. Dear oh dear you have your concepts of your garden arse-about. we can sort that in no time... When I get time. Step one for "low maintenance" garden, scrap pebbles idea. What comes from those trees will actually be the sustaining life force of the entire landscape into the future. With out it your landscape will become high maintenance and a constant pita to keep. 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 4Feb 20, 2011 10:56 pm Also your fear about white ants is just that, a fear. Wouldn't worry about it. I bet it was pest controllers or people that have had the fear of god put up them by pest controllers that does it. Studies have shown that mulch is not a hazard to white ants when you use the right type. There are many species of white ants and the ones that need hard timber structures are not likey to be able to survive on mulch. The ones that might are not likely to be a threat to your home. This is something that has scientific merit. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 5Feb 21, 2011 7:05 am thanks guys for the replies. I dont know about mulch... the leaves would go on top of it and make it look very untidy... Cause its not just leaves, its twigs, bark etc - the soil is in very good condition, and Im assuming you guys are going to say this is because of all the mulch that was already there. Mecha-Wombat, Im sorry but I have no idea what WOTAM IMO means.... I would prefer not to have leaf mulch as a top layer.. I dont mind maitenance, but I was saying that I know keeping the leaves off the garden will be high maitenance as it is, so I would like to keep the plants as low maitenance as possible. 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 6Feb 21, 2011 8:26 am Soil is an exhaustible resource. Like a tank of fuel for your garden. If it doesn't get refilled, your soil runs out of "good" and then it becomes even higher maintenance and problematic. 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 7Feb 21, 2011 8:28 am And to keep any plant low care takes great soil. Great soil onto the foreseeable future. You got your very own petrol station for your garden 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 8Feb 21, 2011 8:31 am I'll give a better help when I'm home on the pc. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 9Feb 21, 2011 8:39 am But if they are succulents they shouldnt need great soil... right? Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 11Feb 21, 2011 9:07 am Leftover.eidos But if they are succulents they shouldnt need great soil... right? That is a misconception, i guess. People think since they are hardy and tough, they don't mind the soil. Your succulents would thrive and look nicer, healthier in great soil. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 12Feb 21, 2011 9:11 am I've similiar "issues" with Leftover.eidos . We live near reserves and they have huge gum trees. The leaves, bark, seed pods, twigs all come frequently with the wind to my garden, path, gutter. Honestly, I think it is messy but i know from this site that they are goodies to my garden, so I am learning to bear with it and just brush them to the garden bed. yep, that needs a new mind-set. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 13Feb 21, 2011 12:15 pm what would everyone suggest to put as a top layer for these garden beds? being under the trees, and being that we would like to keep a modern garden. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 14Feb 21, 2011 12:20 pm keeping in mind that we use a blower to clean the leaves up... so I dont know if mulch is a good idea as we may blow that away... thats why I thought of Pebbles... Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 15Feb 21, 2011 6:15 pm WOTAM IMO = wastse of time and money in my opinion 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: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 16Feb 22, 2011 12:13 am Nope, if you use a natural mulch from your local tree lopping bloke, it will knit together perfectly. Won't blow around. Then the leaves aetc become one with it and it really just becomes far less work. This was done by Homeone member Simon Pawley http://www.sustainableoutdoors.com.au/mulching/ Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 17Feb 22, 2011 11:42 am My opinion would be to work with what you already have. If you get a load of eucy tree-loppers mulch delivered, any fallen bits and pieces will be right at home amongst the mulch. I got a load delivered a couple of weeks ago and while it looks 'messy' for a couple of days, once it is well watered (which the Melbourne weather has helped with) it compacts down and is basically flat on top. This means it won't blow around or be washed away, and already if you remove the top couple of cms it is almost like rich soil underneath (before getting to the actual soil layer) and it's only been a few weeks. I've planted 2 small eucalypts in the garden and I just wish they would grow faster! I also have a mixture of stones across the front garden beds (the mulch is in the backyard) and while it looks appealing, I know it isn't doing my soil any favours. Especially if it is getting walked on, the soil underneath just compacts and the rock is just pushed down into the soil. On the plus side, the weeds are easy to pull out if they grow in any gaps (because they have a long shaft from the soil to the leaves). I guess it comes down to personal taste, but I don't think you need rocks to look contemporary, and I don't think mulch looks messy or untidy. I've seen plenty of modern, neat, low-maintenance gardens that use mulch on the beds, and IMO a bit of randomness (bigger twigs, etc) adds interest. I've also seen plenty of black/red barkchip that looks revolting not to mention being bad for the soil. Pebbles are purely decorative. Second Time 'Round Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 18Feb 22, 2011 12:42 pm I think you guys have convinced me! I'll talk to my partner about putting mulch down. We will do some nice barriers to the garden beds to make it look less messy and avoid any excess leaves getting into the gardens. My partner's father works for a company where apparently he gets free mulch. I do not want red mulch! the sticks and leaves would stand out so badly on that stuff! How often do you need to replace mulch? Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 19Feb 22, 2011 1:27 pm Hi Leftover.eidos Don't let everyone scare you. We're all learning a lot through this forum about how to care for our gardens and how to get the best out of them. It's making some of us a little militant! Your garden sounds like it's fairly similar to what I have, with the large gums and some random succulents etc. Great starting point for you. You're very lucky to inherit an established garden, rather than having to start from scratch like so many people have had to do on here. Because your garden has existed for a while and you have the benefits of the gums dropping 'free mulch' on your garden, you will likely have pretty good soil. I understand that you find the gum leaves etc messy and are concerned about termites, but once you've done some reading on this forum and the links suggested by Fu in particular, you will soon see how beneficial they are to your garden. Fu might seem like he can bite at times (he's very passionate about what he does, and does well), but he's a kitten really and the best piece of advice I can give you is to listen to what he says. I promise you - you will not regret it For your mulch - try to get fresh tree lopper mulch if you can. It's still fairly 'green', in that it's still got a lot of nutrients in it that will be added to your garden. You can get it from some garden centres, but it's cheaper to get a trailer and pick some up from the side of the road when you see it (ie free) or at least get a arborist to drop some off (many sell it as a sideline). Do not use the dried bark rubbish - that's just ornamental. It will give some benefit, but very little for the effort and cost involved. And don't try to keep the leaves and twigs off your garden. This is the best mulch you will get as it's specific to your garden, is totally free, it keeps coming, and is delivered right where you need it Just use your leaf blower to clear the paths and driveway, and grass if you prefer, but blow the leaves into the beds. The bed edgings will help keep it there. You probably want to mulch twice a year, depending on what you use and how fast it breaks down. The wetter and warmer your weather, the faster this happens. Fu will tell you the best times to mulch, but I think from memory it's autumn (ready for winter to protect from frosts and give the soil a boost) then spring (to keep the moisture in as the weather warms up and provide nutrients for the coming growing season). Okay, so, a modern garden style, incorporating the existing succulents, birds of paradise, plus you want some gravels and grasses.... A modern garden should be one that is sustainable and environmentally friendly, but I will presume by 'modern' that you want an outdoor entertaining area, perhaps a patio or decked area? Some hard landscaping, maybe a water feature and some structure to the garden? I know you have sun most of the day to the back and part sun to the front of the property, but it would be good to know some more so we can see what you have to work with. Which direction does the front of your house face? Where are the trees positioned in your garden, particularly in relation to the house etc? Do you have any existing patio/decking/paved areas? What plants do you want to grow, other than those you've already mentioned? What's your weather like and of course, where do you live roughly? Now, succulents, as with many plants, are adapted to cope in free draining soils, that often have poor nutrient levels. This doesn't mean that they prefer these conditions, just that they've adapted and can survive in those conditions better than other plants. As with many Australian natives from similar conditions, they will do well in poor conditions, but will do fantastically in better conditions. Birds of paradise like rich soils, that are moist and full of organic matter - the gum trees have probably kept them very happy! They prefer full sun or part shade and can cope with light frosts, but may die back slightly. How big are the plants in your garden? If they have orange or yellow flowers and are up to 2m, they will be fairly low maintenane and probably won't even need additional watering seeing as they're established. If they're bigger than that, it's likely that they are giant birds of paradise and there may be a parent plant, with lots of babies with suckers around it. These guys can grow to around 6m high and spread to form clumps of around 3m. The roots are pretty invasive and should not be planted near a building, path, driveway or even a fence - they'll knock it over. They can get pretty massive, though maybe less so or at least a slightly slower rate if you live in a cooler area. Re: 1st Home Owner- Beginning Gardener 20Feb 22, 2011 8:06 pm Hey Kerry, Thank you so much for your reply! I went straight out to shoot photos of the garden... but it was too dark... and when I went to go back inside I realised I had locked myself out... Half an hour later, the other half comes home.... I will take lots of pictures tomorrow and Im probably going to draw up a plan of what I want the garden to look like eventually. Long term plan is a deck out the back, a vege garden in the corner, to increase the small patch of lawn that we have and to create clear, defined garden beds, and clear defined walkways/communal areas. Everything tends to mix up into one at the moment and the paths have been uprooted by the .... tree roots... Thanks for all your help... I will be back tomorrow with pictures... and I will also find a place outside to hide a spare key... Hi there, We’ve recently had plans approved to add a 1st storey addition to our existing house for a growing family in Sydney. With the current cost of building… 0 4294 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 22663 |