Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jul 13, 2008 5:44 pm Hello. My husband and I know bugger all about gardening and will be getting our front and back yard landscaped very soon. We have to choose some feature plants for our feature urns and don't really know where to start. We tend to lean towards the palmy look but I like the idea of some color too. Any green thumbs out there with any ideas? Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 2Jul 14, 2008 10:03 am This is a hard one Mikita . You need to tell us what conditions your urns will be facing, I mean climate, Australia is a biiiiig continent with many climates, what is yours? Is it windy, sheltered, sunny, shaded, any water restrictions as big planters need reticulation I think as they do need regular watering.
The first plant that comes to mind are cycads, they belong to the conifer family, look like palms, grow very slowly, this means they do quite well in planters. When they are smaller you can always underplant them with something temporary that is colourful but in my mind it makes for a too busy a picture. Just remember plants are living creatures, they are not nice pieces that you add up to dress your home, they need looking after, and like all of us need water, food, air and need growing conditions they were created for. Do your research, go to nurseries and ask them for advice. Some nurseries have beautiful displays and these can give you some ideas. Maggie Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 3Jul 14, 2008 10:24 am I rather like the new range of dwarf fruit trees. Dwarf citrus, like lemon, are useful for dozens of purposes, and are also an attractive evergreen. There are many other dwarf varieties covering most fruit suitable for medium to large pots.
To me palms tend to look like the stuff corporations put in their foyers from industrial plant suppliers. But having 'productive' plants sends a good message. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 4Jul 14, 2008 10:33 am Hi Mikita
I'm just going by what's coming up currently in my head which to me, looks great as feature plants: 1. Yucca and the likes 2. Red Star, Puple Dazzlers (they're red, purply red colours) and the likes 3. Agave and the likes Cycads are love ly too. If you're having it in a planter / urn - that should be alright. I worry when people grow it inground, in front of their front window under the eaves cos' they do grow huge. Does anyone know, if Cycas, are like agave - in that when they grow to a certain size (in bigger form), you can cut the Agave back and regrow them if you don't want to see their stalk. Does the same apply to Cycad (I find it hard to imagine you can cos' they have wide "trunk') If I think of more, I'll keep you posted Mikita. Do advice us where it's going to be and where it's going to face I think, therefore, I am! Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 5Jul 14, 2008 5:42 pm Thanks very much for your help so far. I do like the Cycads. We're in Melbourne and the plant will be in a very large urn in the front yard with little to no shelter.
Thanks for the dward citrus suggestion too..that hadn't crossed my mind as an option. Slab down mid Jan - now at fix stage. Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 6Jul 15, 2008 10:47 am as a reply to TJ175
Quote: Cycads are love ly too. If you're having it in a planter / urn - that should be alright. I worry when people grow it inground, in front of their front window under the eaves cos' they do grow huge. Does anyone know, if Cycas, are like agave - in that when they grow to a certain size (in bigger form), you can cut the Agave back and regrow them if you don't want to see their stalk. Does the same apply to Cycad (I find it hard to imagine you can cos' they have wide "trunk') Cycads grow very slowly, they are not succulents, they are ancient pines so no you cannot cut them at the base and they will not shoot back, it will kill them. They are very expensive when they are big so people can always sell them with the provision that the buyer digs it up if it outgrows its alocated position. Because they grow so slowly they are very well suited to planters and restricted root run also slows their growth like. Maggie Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 7Jul 15, 2008 3:59 pm Thanks Maggie,
Someone recommended Cycads to be grown in our garden bed which is at the front of the house right outside front room. I can't see it being a good spot as it'll grow up to the eaves of the house as I've seen how big they can grow although slow. I could have the attitude of 'oh well, let new owner worry about it as long I get to enjoy it's beauty" but I don't want karma comes biting my butt later .. LOL Thank You for your confirmation. I will definitely grow them in a pot / urn. That's the "safest" way to go I think, therefore, I am! Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 8Jul 16, 2008 5:24 pm I must be doing something wrong as my response comes up within the quote
You are a very responsible home owner my hat comes off for you TJ175. Yes a cycad under your eaves could be a problem. Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 9Jul 16, 2008 10:03 pm G'Day all and haven't been round for a while.
Some things to think about when useing urns. Ilove the suggestions so far. Some great plants. I see it every week in my job. Folks by some expensive pots and an expensive plant. Then buy the crapest, cheapest potting mix to fill it up???? A plant will only ever be as good as the soil they are growing in. Get the best mix possible. That may not be a plant specific potting mix either (eg. Fruit and Citrus or rose or palm and fern) because often they can be lower grade mixes sold at a higher dollar value because they appear better by the info on the bag. Brands varry around Australia, so from some nationaly sold brands I would recomend the following. Debco tub and terracotta, Osmocote "premium potting mix" in the blue and white bag. Lots of other out there so if you get any recomended by nursery staff make sure it is a brand backed up by senior horts there or by someone with a trusted track record of service and advice. there are certain nurseries that I would apply this too more than others! Once a plant goes into an urn, it aint comin' out of there with the urn in one piece. they are narrow at the top and with an established root system in them they jus won't come out unless you break the pot. people love tall pots, and why not they make such a good statement in a garden. just make sure that a tall plant won't make it blow over. As I said i encounter this every week. Cordies, Yuccas, Cycads (Thorasii mainly) will get big and maybe top heavy in the near future. They look great small though Cycas Revoluta would be pretty ok because they are smaller and far slower growing than the common Thorasii. They are more expensive but worth it, especially in pot sizes around 300mm. (sure in like a 1000 years they will get big) Fruit trees will need regular repotting every 3 or 4 years to stay strong and healthy in a pot. Best in tubs or wine barrels than in urns other wise smashing the urn will be needed to do this. Would look good though Pennisetum advena rubrum (purple fountain grass) would be an easy care option, cheap, fast growing and it can be chopped up/ dug out of an urn in years to come without wrecking the beautiful pot. http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk321/FuManchu5ltr/PENNISETUMadvenarubrum3.jpg (I do pics now ) Another great option would be Draceana Marginata. A good tough well tested option that can tollerate full sun (unlike other varieties) If you know some one that has one they can be cheaper still Yeah they get tall but are not overly heavy. They can be sulptured easily meaning they can have their height controlled. Getting it out in years to come? well yeah...? A frangipani (plumeria) would look awsome too. especially with a solar led spot light in there to illuminate it at night In winter they can be a work of art when lit from below. You will need to prune it a fair bit to keep it's size down though and I'll be stuffed if you can get it out of there in years to come without smashing the urn. Oh and if at all possible add a bag of blue metal or two in there at the bottom. Not so much for drainage but to act as a ballast. Maximise the soil space though to maintain healthy growth. Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 10Jul 17, 2008 5:38 am Wow, Fu Manchu, You must be a pro, it is like a book guide
When I read about "pot smashing" another idea comes to mind, put blue metal at the bottom of the urn and later plant in a big plastic pot that will fit in the urn. When the time comes to repot, you just take this out and if you need to destroy the plastic pot, hey no expense as they ususally cost about $10. Maggie Re: Needing some advice from a green thumb 11Jul 17, 2008 10:30 am Now that Maggie is a bloody good idea too Versaloc is a mortarless besser block system that still needs a properly engineered footing. If you just do a 400x200 footing it will fail in time. At 17m long you need it… 1 18047 Hi VK, Think it's worth investing time in an Owner Builder course to equip you with basic knowledge on Australian Building Industry and its regulations. Also, I suggest… 11 23323 Hi All, I engaged a tradie to install concrete retaining wall 600-800mm high over 32 meters in Victoria. Sleepers are 200*75*2000 mm installed over 17 steel posts. I… 0 6917 |