Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Feb 26, 2013 12:11 am Hi all, This is my first post on the forums but I have been lurking for long time. I have a blank canvas of a yard in my home and I really need some information. A few years ago I attempted to plant trees and shrubs and nearly all of it died. This time I have done my homework, I know my soil and my area and I have selected plants which should grow in my area. I live near the surf coast in Geelong however I am fairly protected where I am My question is, when can I plant my trees, shrubs and plants? I see people building new houses near me and they seem to plant their gardens straight away, without waiting for a particular season. Could I do this or am i asking for trouble? I intend on planting mostly natives and trees that I see have done well near to where I live, such as coastal banksia and gums, with some coastal grasses. Any help or comments is appreciated. Re: When to plant 2Feb 26, 2013 8:24 am Once it cools off in March. This is the best time to plant in vic. As long as your garden bed soil drains and isnt a waterlogged slop pit over winter you will be fine. Re: When to plant 3Feb 26, 2013 9:34 am Hi Joanne, we also have a coastal home (in Vic) and like you intended to plant mainly natives and plants that we noted grew well in our area. But, then decided to branch out and try lots of other types of plants that we hadn’t seen too many others try. We like a challenge. So I guess what I’m trying to say is to not be afraid to experiment a little with your plants (that are coastal/salt tolerant) and see how you go. We have the following in our backyard that is quite exposed to the sea air/salt and they are all thriving..... yucca, agave, bird of paradise, flax, cordyline (with bromeliads underplanted for shade/protection), canna, Gymea lilly, grass tree, echium, jasmine, lilly pilly (hedging), iris, lavender, lots of miscellaneous grasses and cacti and succulents. Along with many of the natives you mentioned in our front yard we also have a coastal woolly bush that I love - if you haven't seen them check them out they are very cool. I'm hopeless with the right times to plant (I leave that to my hubby), but what I would advise is that for each plant you select the most appropriate place in your garden to suit its needs (eg full sun, part sun, shade etc), you prep the area before planting (if required), use good quality potting mix/soil in the hole, don't over/under water and fertilise regularly. Re: When to plant 5Feb 26, 2013 1:16 pm Thanks everyone especially Moo. I am looking into all of those plants you mentioned and I'm going to ask around at my local nurseries. I'm not using potting mix just digging in some organic matter after the results of my soil tests. And I'll try to be patient and wait until March to get the right result. Thanks again Re: When to plant 6Feb 26, 2013 2:44 pm No drama's Joanne, hope it helped. And yes, I am having a blonde moment it's not potting mix which is of course for pots. I forgot to mention a couple of others that are also thriving in our backyard - red hot pokers and a pomegranate shrub if they interest you too. Let us know what you choose and how you go. Look forward to seeing the result of all your hard work. Re: When to plant 7Feb 26, 2013 4:33 pm Those red hot pokers are terrifically tough. Been meaning to get some for here after seeing some growing on the verge of the house opposite us when we were building. Re: When to plant 8Feb 26, 2013 6:37 pm Kniphofia winter cheer is a ripper too. Great for brightening up the greyness of winter. Re: When to plant 9Feb 26, 2013 8:31 pm I agree, the pokers are really hardy - you should go for it and plant some Kexkez! The echium is another that has thrived for us, it grows so fast its not funny. We had to give ours a severe haircut the other month. But, I just love them when they flower they are so cool. Re: When to plant 10Feb 26, 2013 11:45 pm Moo, Echium's don't take heavy pruning. Some bits will re-shoot but often its easier to control their size by letting one of the hundreds of seedlings (weeds ) grow up and the oldy to snuff it. So not need to dead head it if you want more plants, They aren't long lived either, they keep going but are very ordinary looking shrubs after 3 or so years. Re: When to plant 11Feb 27, 2013 8:39 am BeatrixKiddo - oh no really?!! Ours (the echium) is about 18 months old and last time we visited the house (its our holiday home so we aren't there all the time) it was like it had been on steriods. Trying to take over the garden. Seriously, this thing was humungous. So we gave it a severe cutback. Have we stuffed it now? Didn't know they look average after a few years. Hmmmm - maybe I need to replace it something else... Sorry for hijacking your thread Joanne... Re: When to plant 12Feb 27, 2013 9:20 am Most likely it wont like the pruning but sometimes they re-shoot if the pruning is not too harsh. You should see seedling popping up around the big bush just let them go. The reason they arent long lived is that they can't really be pruned/trained that well to shape and they become all gappy. Again they will keep growing 5 years plus but once they don't look the way you want their is not much you do about it. Re: When to plant 13Feb 27, 2013 7:16 pm I've planted a grevillea ned kelly to start with. I've tried to dig some holes in the lawn but it's rock hard so have called on a landscaper to visit tomorrow to give me advice and do some hard labour In the future hopefully (ie plant) I'm definitely going to plant some interesting grasses at the front of the house. I've also fallen in love with a tree called lime magik which the landscaper said will grow well here. I wanted to plant them near my back fence but I'm worried it won't have room to grow. the first pic is the holes for the front of the house Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This pic is the back fence where my agonis is doing ok but not really thriving Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: When to plant 14Feb 27, 2013 7:21 pm Seeing as though those pics worked, here are a few more. Side of the house, total blank canvas Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The planted grevillea Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And another of the front where I want a few trees near the fence and some grasses in the stones near the house Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Any ideas are welcome. The house will become an investment as I'm moving to the south west of Victoria so I know I could go all out but also need to contain costs. Re: When to plant 15Feb 27, 2013 7:36 pm hmm that s not a big area for a grevillea ned kelly. My kids have a nick name for ours. "bee tree" even though they are a shrub. I've planted 3 at our current house and had one at the old house. I love the flower colour and leaf shape. I'll have a hunt for some pics Re: When to plant 16Feb 27, 2013 7:58 pm ok planted just over 2 years ago. This one is prob somewhere between 1/2 and 2 /3's of it's final size. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ For a sense of scale this is me with that gargoyle in the background of that photo. The ground is not what I'd call rich in nutrients by any stretch of the imagination. Water repellent silt would be a good description. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ . This is also a grevillea ned kelly. It gets a a lot more nutrients as it is near a leech drain. This one's been in about 18 months. However the ground is a mix of rock and clay and doesn't drain well. Although I did add a little perlite and zeolite to the hole I dug for it. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ For an idea of size. My dog( background) is knee high and the fence post would be around 1.2-4m high. Nearmap comes in handy. The red circled plant is a grevillea ned kelly. It's pretty old in this pic. prob at least 9-10 years old maybe much more. It's almost the width of the single driveway. This is our old house. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I think you are going to need more space for it. It is pretty difficult to prune as it always seems to be in flower and is extremely popular with bees. Re: When to plant 17Feb 28, 2013 12:18 am Hmm. Maybe I'll move it. I appreciate you uploading the pics. Re: When to plant 18Feb 28, 2013 12:26 am I will say nice pick. I happen to be very fond of this particular grevillea. It was the very first grevillea I ever purchased for myself. So I was thrilled when I found it down here. I now have 3 in teh garden here and many other grevilleas. . Some people have an allergic reaction to this particular plant though. Re: When to plant 19Feb 28, 2013 5:45 pm Pretty excited! Just had the landscaper out and he is going to line my fence with Line Magik, wooleybush and burgundy agonis and put them all in for $1000. About 23 plants in total. Later on he is going to put in a low garden bed for smaller plants. I thought the cost was really reasonable for the enjoyment I will get from them. 0 3484 |