Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jul 31, 2012 8:47 pm hi everyone just after some advice as i have just moved into my home. We have a pergola setup. As you can see. im after a modern feel white pebbles etc i will be removing the trees and sorrounding plants. Im not to sure what to do with the existing brick work. i am also looking to hide the fence maybe blue board and painted. let me know any suggestions would be greatfully appreciated. http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz202/aspire029/P1040984.jpg http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz202/aspire029/P1040967.jpg http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz202/aspire029/P1040966.jpg http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz202/aspire029/P1040965.jpg http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz202/aspire029/P1040964.jpg http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz202/aspire029/P1040968.jpg Re: advice on backyard design with pictures below 2Jul 31, 2012 9:53 pm Quote: im after a modern feel white pebbles etc i will be removing the trees and sorrounding plants. Im not to sure what to do with the existing brick work. i am also looking to hide the fence maybe blue board and painted. A little more information about exactly what you want to achieve would help. What do you want to do with this space? Specifically: What will you use it for? Who will be using it? (kids, adults, anyone with limited mobility, someone with specific hobbies....) What features do you want to incorporate? (BBQ, outdoor dining, water feature, kids' play equipment, veggie garden, clothes drying, etc) Where are you located? - climate is a factor in planning outdoor spaces. Why do you want to remove all the existing plants? Do you plan to replace them with new plants? I've edited your post to show your photos; makes it easier for folks to see them. advice on backyard design with pictures below 3Jul 31, 2012 11:36 pm I wouldn't remove those plants. They look like well established plants that are worth keeping (IMO) You've got a great space to work with, grass looks in fairly good condition. Could you keep brickwork and just render over it? Plant hedges in front of fence to eventually cover? The road to success is always under construction House completed April 2011 - slowly making it a home... Re: advice on backyard design with pictures below 4Aug 01, 2012 11:23 am Whilst the tree's along the back are established, they're all trunk and not much foliage. Brickwork seems to acting like a retaining wall. Also wondering if your clothesline is in the best position with it being in shade there? Re: advice on backyard design with pictures below 5Aug 03, 2012 2:39 pm It would be a pity to remove the trees. Although, in this case it would be advisable... on one condition. That you replant a couple of other trees more suitable in the new garden. The wall is needed. Keeping the trees you have will mean an expensive problem later. This is yet another example of this business of planting trees on fence lines. Its really not great. Such a shame to waste a tree. A well chosen tree will add around $12000 to a properties value in years to come. A poorly chosen and planted tree will not. That is a fantastic canvas to do something with. So much usable space. Way too much fence that you are looking at right now. First thing, minimise the lawn area more. What you have is a great deal of wasted space using the lawn to cover for the sake of it. I would explore extending that path going right round along the retaining wall. This will make keeping the lawn tidy a much easier job and improve access and usability of the area but I'll get to that. kids will make very good use of a circular path. they love them. Have the path along that wall around 1.5m wide. It could be concrete or use pavers like those under the verandah. Depends on budget. Then with that you have somewhere to grow a stack of your own food in small containers. they can be moved depending on the season and you get some healthy homegrown food for the table. Home grown food has far more nutrition that shop bought food. Containers need not be expensive. I don't know of one horticultural tv/media personality that uses fancy hubs or containers in their own homes. They al reuse and adapt cheap options. Things like plastic rubbish bins for fruit trees, those blue agricultural containers cut in half, planter bags, or those floppy plastic trugs sold in hardware places. (The ones all the English tradies use) You could then in that space have enough room to put a very large dent in your grocery bill. Plan that there will be no water. You guys over East have lots and I'm a little shocked at how quickly so many forgot what no water was like. I'd really seek to hedge the area around. In this case a few varieties of native shrubs will clip up wonderfully. They will bring a lot of life into the garden. Shrubs like Hakeas, Callistemon, Eremophila, Grevillea. All will clip better than exotic choices. But if you choose McLilyPilly's I'll slap you. Go for something different. Another option may be drop a couple of pine posts in and grow/espalier some stone fruit trees flat along the fence. Amazing flower flower show in spring, yummy fruit in summer/autumn straight from the garden. With the back drop of the shrubs/ trees over the fence it will still look nice enough in winter. They will handle a bit of shade in that circumstance. Move the clothes line. Bring it closer to the verandah perhaps. Where it is now is a great spot for a deciduous tree. Something like a Chinese Tallow or two Chinese Tallows better still. One more towards the patio planted sort of near where the shadow of the basket ball ring is in the first shot. Do your self a favour and ditch the weed mat. Its a really bad thing to use in gardens, great stuff for commercial nurseries though with nothing on top of it Don't get sucked n by that stuff. When the trees, McYucca, McPalms are removed, have them mulched and left on site, that is going to be the best mulch you can get. The larger trees and shrubs behind the fence are a great backdrop to work with. Leave the cordyline in the shade there. In that shady bit, maybe plant a Murraya hedge. That will look a treat. Perhaps leave a gap where your urn thing is and do a small screen say 1.5x1.5 and have that as a feature. Do maybe tiles on it, timber slats, reuse the brushwood on it, do some stone, maybe some cory steel? Just a bunch of ideas. As the Murrayas grow the screen becomes like a window framed by Murray clipped tidy. (Clipping is not time consuming, nor difficult, maybe 1hr in total a year) (All clippings become new mulch so no waste.) ? Just some ideas. Def move clothes line in toward the verandah/house more. Remove trees inside that retaining wall. Two deciduous trees place further into the yard will make that a wonderful place in summer and winter as well as provide more free fertiliser for the garden when the leaves drop. Just rake up and use as a mulch. Re: advice on backyard design with pictures below 6Aug 03, 2012 2:42 pm Or a section of espaliered fruit trees from where that first tree is against the patio to about where the 3rd tree is in the retaining wall, would do really well. They will be fine inside that retaining wall if espaliered (grown flat attached to wires) Re: advice on backyard design with pictures below 7Aug 05, 2012 1:12 pm Fu Manchu It would be a pity to remove the trees. Although, in this case it would be advisable... on one condition. That you replant a couple of other trees more suitable in the new garden. The wall is needed. Keeping the trees you have will mean an expensive problem later. This is yet another example of this business of planting trees on fence lines. Its really not great. Such a shame to waste a tree. A well chosen tree will add around $12000 to a properties value in years to come. A poorly chosen and planted tree will not. That is a fantastic canvas to do something with. So much usable space. Way too much fence that you are looking at right now. First thing, minimise the lawn area more. What you have is a great deal of wasted space using the lawn to cover for the sake of it. I would explore extending that path going right round along the retaining wall. This will make keeping the lawn tidy a much easier job and improve access and usability of the area but I'll get to that. kids will make very good use of a circular path. they love them. Have the path along that wall around 1.5m wide. It could be concrete or use pavers like those under the verandah. Depends on budget. Then with that you have somewhere to grow a stack of your own food in small containers. they can be moved depending on the season and you get some healthy homegrown food for the table. Home grown food has far more nutrition that shop bought food. Containers need not be expensive. I don't know of one horticultural tv/media personality that uses fancy hubs or containers in their own homes. They al reuse and adapt cheap options. Things like plastic rubbish bins for fruit trees, those blue agricultural containers cut in half, planter bags, or those floppy plastic trugs sold in hardware places. (The ones all the English tradies use) You could then in that space have enough room to put a very large dent in your grocery bill. Plan that there will be no water. You guys over East have lots and I'm a little shocked at how quickly so many forgot what no water was like. I'd really seek to hedge the area around. In this case a few varieties of native shrubs will clip up wonderfully. They will bring a lot of life into the garden. Shrubs like Hakeas, Callistemon, Eremophila, Grevillea. All will clip better than exotic choices. But if you choose McLilyPilly's I'll slap you. Go for something different. Another option may be drop a couple of pine posts in and grow/espalier some stone fruit trees flat along the fence. Amazing flower flower show in spring, yummy fruit in summer/autumn straight from the garden. With the back drop of the shrubs/ trees over the fence it will still look nice enough in winter. They will handle a bit of shade in that circumstance. Move the clothes line. Bring it closer to the verandah perhaps. Where it is now is a great spot for a deciduous tree. Something like a Chinese Tallow or two Chinese Tallows better still. One more towards the patio planted sort of near where the shadow of the basket ball ring is in the first shot. Do your self a favour and ditch the weed mat. Its a really bad thing to use in gardens, great stuff for commercial nurseries though with nothing on top of it Don't get sucked n by that stuff. When the trees, McYucca, McPalms are removed, have them mulched and left on site, that is going to be the best mulch you can get. The larger trees and shrubs behind the fence are a great backdrop to work with. Leave the cordyline in the shade there. In that shady bit, maybe plant a Murraya hedge. That will look a treat. Perhaps leave a gap where your urn thing is and do a small screen say 1.5x1.5 and have that as a feature. Do maybe tiles on it, timber slats, reuse the brushwood on it, do some stone, maybe some cory steel? Just a bunch of ideas. As the Murrayas grow the screen becomes like a window framed by Murray clipped tidy. (Clipping is not time consuming, nor difficult, maybe 1hr in total a year) (All clippings become new mulch so no waste.) ? Just some ideas. Def move clothes line in toward the verandah/house more. Remove trees inside that retaining wall. Two deciduous trees place further into the yard will make that a wonderful place in summer and winter as well as provide more free fertiliser for the garden when the leaves drop. Just rake up and use as a mulch. wow thank you so much for your time , i didnt think i was going to get much help. ive read over it briefly but just was excited to say thankyou, im going to read your ideas in depth now so you might hear from me soon.... cheeers much appreciated i felt so depressed about the yard i think option 2 is much better with easy access to the garden without having to walk through the new sunroom which makes it a better room for guests and TV .a simple… 2 8227 Regardless of wall hung toilet or floor pan toilet your feet will be right on drain, seems to me the waste should not be in that location given the design. Also are you… 6 7041 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 |