Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 May 02, 2011 8:34 pm I know it's much better for the soil to have natural mulch ie: bark, lucere etc but I am interested to see what people have done to their garden using either mulch or pebbles/rocks. I think a huge factor why our garden is doing so well is the use of lucerne we have and cow manure. We are onto our 2nd huge round bale. I love the stuff but ideally looking at something in particular for the front garden. Whilst I like the look of garden pebbles, I almost prefer mulch (in a bark form)but really don't know what will look the best. Coloured bark I have read offers no nutritional value. Or does it? Pebbles are nice but don't they heat up especially in summer and absorb all the moisture from the soil and potential burn the plants/roots. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 2May 02, 2011 9:51 pm Pebbles are a versatile material but I'd avoid using pebbles if you have children. Pebbles laid in situ creates visual interest on the ground plane, just have a look at some of Rick Eckersley gardens in Melbourne. “A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.” Frank Lloyd Wright Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 3May 02, 2011 9:55 pm Thanks. Yeah I prefer the visual aspects of pebbles but difficulty is have no clue what kind I should get. I'll check out some of Rick's gardens. Thanks. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 4May 02, 2011 10:30 pm I suggest not using pebbles art all and the reason is based on the fundamental basics of soil and healthy soil is what gives you healthy plants. Bags of chemical fertilisers don't do that. So to have pebbles in the short term when they are used to 75mm thick will have a small benefit but overall do not meet all the requirements of a waterwise mulch. No one is out in the forest chucking fertilisers around to make them grow. The whole thing works by returning organic material back to the soil. Fungi, bacteria's, and a plethora of micro-organisms do this. The organic material is made from organic compounds and those compounds are further broken down by other things we can' t see into very available forms of nutrients that well and truly out perform what is in a bag. It does that because a bag can't re create that unbelievable living universe that is the soil. The more sterile and fertiliser dependant a soil, the more problems you get with your plants. The less waterwise they become. The greater the impact a garden has on the environment. That impact collectively throughout cities is enormous. No more so than in new urban areas. So to have pebbles means the soil runs out, its used and exhausted. It is not a never ending resource. Pebbles cut that cycle. Like starving a city. A very big city in this case. You can have 5 billion living organisms on one fingernail full of healthy soil. These are not going to kill you, they deserve no fear. Just amazing life at work Check the link in my signature and I'll post many more thread links on this Don't fall for the whole "pebbles are low maintenance" thing. The opposite happens Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 5May 02, 2011 10:34 pm It has been suggested that as a result of studies done by the Universitty of NewCastle that Australia has around 15 years of usable soil left for farming. That has been argued but the argument has been about how long it is, not whether it is true or not. Unless our agriculture practices change, what I am talking about in regard to mulch can happen in the bigger picture also Remember what you export from your garden as clippings was once to large extent soil, so what comes from the garden should stay in the garden. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 6May 02, 2011 10:36 pm Okay Fu. I am sold. The picture of your mulch will be useful to see too. Do you think organic mulch? http://www.epsomsandandsoil.com.au/products/mulches/ Which of these do you suggest?...on top of my existing lucerne. Now a good time or wait until the end of winter. Clearly I have no idea. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 7May 02, 2011 10:40 pm Fu do you have a thread of showing your garden? Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 8May 02, 2011 10:55 pm This is hard to show particle size but after hosing in the finer stuff goes to the bottom, leaf litter is just under the chips. That is around 150mm thick in spots. The garden consumes that 2 times a year and I can even push that to 4 but only if I can be bothered getting the soil going and microbes to consume it. Smells Sooooo good out there right now. You just want to be outside .... So now I'm outside Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 9May 02, 2011 10:59 pm Dollar Fu do you have a thread of showing your garden? No, and only some moderators have seen parts of it. I changed it all since anyway I have never needed a fertilizer or chemicals. The life in there is what I spend my time admiring, the plants second. Barely lift a finger on it. Growth rates using sustainable principals are far in excess of traditional commercial and chemical methods. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 10May 02, 2011 11:10 pm It would be fair to say that growth rates are around 3-4 times faster and better as far as the look of the landscape goes. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 11May 03, 2011 9:02 am Thanks Fu. Much appreciated. http://www.epsomsandandsoil.com.au/products/mulches/ Which mulch out of these would you suggested? Eucy or organic mulch? Will post photos when the garden is looking up to scratch and I have mulch down. I like at people's gardens in the neigbourhood and I reckon I would be right in saying their plants haven't grown at all compared to ones I planted a few months ago. Not the same plants but the neighbour's growth rates don't seem to have changed. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 12May 03, 2011 9:55 am the pine bark which is far from my ideal choice. The picture depicts recycled tree mulch as more of a semi composted version of we get over here. More like what the local tip offers for free. As mentioned the best and cheapest is going to be sourced from your local tree lopping mob. Give 'em a call and get them to dump it at your house. Might cost a carton, $50 for some diesel or maybe $100. What you don't use, well just pop a sign on it out the front and it will be gone in a few days. "Free Mulch" Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 13May 03, 2011 9:58 am Here, I just googled tree lopping in Epsom and got this http://www.taylorstrees.com.au/ http://www.taylorstrees.com.au/taylors-mulch.html Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 14May 03, 2011 9:59 am Avoid any sort of processed mulch and although it has been shredded, it is just one process Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 15May 03, 2011 3:45 pm The closest mulch that I have seen to fresh tree lopper mulch is the bush mulch at aumanns, it doesn't have as much green matter in it, but you oculd always put a bed of the faster break down mulches underneath. http://www.aumanns.com.au/default.asp Under products tab. Some people don't have time to do the job right the first time, but seem to have plenty of time to fix their mistakes. Build Thread Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 16May 03, 2011 6:12 pm I'll post some links and other threads later. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 17May 03, 2011 7:15 pm Thanks Fu and Richo. I will ring around the local tree loppers (know just the place in mind) here and see what I can come up with. Thanks for both your help. Much appreciated. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 18May 03, 2011 7:31 pm This may sound dumb but when planting with the plan to mulch do you raise the plant to the level you plan to have the mulch or still ensure it's no higher than ground level and mulch around it? Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 19May 03, 2011 9:38 pm Ask em what they want for it. Re: Show us your garden! Please. Tree mulch V Garden pebbles 20May 03, 2011 11:18 pm **** a brick!!! I just searched my mulch posts and there is 25 pages of them search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&keywords=mulch&author=Fu+Manchu&start=480 Hello. I just bought a few acres in Habana, Mackay, and my horses seem to love hanging around under this tree. I would like to name the paddock after this tree. Can… 0 9529 Fellow Perth dweller. Looks like pruns nigra. It's a dark leaf flowering plum. Doesn't get massive and is easily trimmed deciduous tree. Very popular in small gardens in Perth 7 2763 |