Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Sep 11, 2011 7:00 pm I know a Landscape gardener and we paid him to draw up a plan for our gardens and I don't really like any of the plants he has suggested. He didn't charge us alot and I don't really have the heart to go back and ask him to do it again. We are in Eastern Victoria. He has suggested plants such as Dianella Tas Red, Nandina Monnbay, Lomandra Longifolia, Bottelbrsushes, Correa Alba, Purple Fountain grass, Philotheca Profusion. (Hopefully this will give an idea of what we don't want) There are a couple of plants I don't mind like Dietes, an Acacia Lime Majestic, an Ornamental pear and Robina Frisia (as a feature in the centre of the front) all of which he suggested. Here are some pics of the front Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ To the right of the driveway we are thinking of having a narrow garden bed with white pebbles and possibly the rest as grass with a few trees against the fence. I am thinking maybe 4-5 Ornamental pears here. To the left of the garden we are thinking of a mirrored narrow garden bed with pebbles which will continue curving in front of the front of the house. Something simple such as Echeveria Perle von nurnberg and maybe some small black grasses in between (not sure what these are called!) In front as a feature I want to create a diamoond shaped garden bed with black mulch surrounding a feature tree (possibly the Robina Frisia) and then some white pebbles surrounding this with 4 black grass plats dotted in the corners. Hopefully from what I have described I have given an idea of the type of garden we are looking at, something modern, minimialistic , contemporary and most of all low maintenance. I am not a fan of shrubs that overgrow and take over. Can someone please give me some alternatives for the feature plant at the front (originally I wanted a weeping maple but apparently because it will cop all afternoon sun it won't work in the front garden). Also, what elses can I plant instead of the ornamental pear that would give a similar look but possibly evergreen? And any other plants bases that I may like to give me a modern looking front garden. Thanks in advance Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 2Nov 12, 2011 4:18 pm *bump* We have garden beds ready for plants!!! But I need some suggestions for a feature tree in the diamond in the centre. Have been told the Weeping Maple won't cope with the afternoon sun here, what elses can I put there? Help please Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 3Nov 12, 2011 4:34 pm Fu posted this url yesterday, some beaut ideas. Hope you like them too? http://www.phillipjohnson.com.au/ Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 4Nov 12, 2011 9:40 pm Also make full use of the stickies in this forum One in particular will have a link to a WA plant list which is just as suitable for the East Coast folks. http://www.watercorporation.com.au/w/wa ... h_west.cfm Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 5Nov 13, 2011 5:28 pm Small black grasses may be mondo grass. There's an evergreen ash that would look a bit like the pears. Otherwise if you want something weeping how about the wa peppermint tree agonis flexuosa. Or a white barked eucalypt like caesia silver princess. Dietes can die out in the middle and look like poo after a few years. I'm not sure why you like the dietes and not the dianellas and lomandras as to my mind they are a nicer plant and more modern look - you may have to be a bit more specific about what you don't like and why! Need help... landscpaing from scratch 6Nov 13, 2011 6:44 pm I'd strongly advise to not use dietes. They are an aggressive plant with teeth and they bite. Not really but they suck to attempt to remove years later. They take over. Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 7Nov 13, 2011 8:20 pm Thanks everyone, I love the idea of a magnolia but not sure I want to wait so long for it to grow. I also love the flame tree but not sure I want to have adeciduous tree losing all its leaves and making a mess of the dimond garden bed its sitting in (with the white pebbles and black mulch which will be a feature in itself) Also read somewhere in hear Fu recommending someone try a Frangipani- loooove this but read it should be planted against a brick wall (somewhere it can get more warmth) to increase the chance of it working. Also, did someone mention dietes??????? I didn't think I had even mentioned them but weirdly I did buy 10 small plants today Seriously re-considering now!! I get what you are saying about them taking over and did notice others in the neighbourhood today and how big they are!! Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 9Nov 14, 2011 8:15 pm Black mulches serve absolutely no purpose in a garden other than making your garden hungrier on water, hotter, the soil less able to absorb water and harms plant root health which retards nutrient and water uptake. Why is it sold? Because people like the visual look of it and are totally unaware of the harm it causes gardens and resources. Mulch should never form the basis of a landscape feature. The plants are the features and effective hard surfaces such as walls, paving etc. Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 10Nov 15, 2011 7:16 am Evergreen trees shed more leaves per year than deciduous trees. Go evergreen and you will cleaning up year round vs a deciduous tree that dumps for one month a year. Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 11Nov 15, 2011 11:56 am Spot on Also deciduous are best in strategic locations to get the most of winter sun. Also better in fire prone areas. The leaf litter is great mulch for the garden. What comes from your garden should stay in the garden. Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 12Apr 01, 2012 1:06 pm Just re-visiting Homeone because we are finally ready to plant! We put it off over Summer because we didn't want the new plants to suffer in the heat. Thanks for all of the feedback. I have decided I love the Lomandra Little Con so this is what will be plated on either side of the Driveway. Should I continue this in front of the windows too? Maybe with something else in there to break it up? I have also narrowed down the feature tree in the centre diamond to be some sort of Maple. But I want something spectacular and colourful which looks gorgeous all year round rather than just in autumn. Thanks for the information regarding the black mulch fu. Can we use Black pebbles instead or is this a no-no too? It's only a smals area, say 700*700. Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 13Apr 13, 2012 5:16 am [url="http://www.beaverlandscape.com"]Landscaping in Vancouver, Coquitlam, Burnaby BC[/url] Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch 14Oct 19, 2012 12:47 pm I have almost finished our front landscaping so in the interest of others searching for pics/ ideas I thought it would only be fair for me to post some pics. Obviously once the plants mature it will look alot better, it is a tad boring at the moment. But I was going for a more uniformed look Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I just need to add a couple of the grassses and miniture flax around the letterbox and maple tree, just struggling with how to position them. Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch- Update with pics 16Apr 12, 2014 5:04 pm It's been a while since I have posted in here but I've come in to have a read for some inspiration on a few unfinished things around my garden. I will post some new pics of our front garden when it stops raining outside as the plants have grown heaps and I'm pretty happy with how it looks. A couple of things I need help with... 1. I have a spot on the dead side of our house which can be seen from our bedroom window. I've tried a couple of things in here but it doesn't drain very well. I'm thinking clumping bamboo as it will cover the fence and be narrow enough in this small garden bed. Can I upload pics in here from my phone easily? Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch- Update with pics 17Apr 12, 2014 5:06 pm Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Re: Need help... landscpaing from scratch- Update with pics 18Apr 12, 2014 5:14 pm #2 We have a small garden bed in the back corner of our backyard which seems to be a damp spot (moss grows over the soil and in winter it's a boggy spot) Can anyone give me an idea on what I can plant here. Was thinking some sort if tree or big shrub. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32574 Generally, the texture that you listed will have a 2mm size stone chip in it which is dragged with float to give the lines Any patch work needs to be 2mm less than face… 2 1835 Hi there, I'm a conplete newbie to this, but I'm looking to put a floor down in my 6x9m shed. It's currently sitting on a 100mm thick concrete perimeter (dirt floor… 0 6573 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 23880 |