Landscaping advice

Hi all,

I am looking for some landscaping advice for the front of my property, which currently looks like a mine dump!

I removed the old staircase and I’m going to brick up the section in the small retaining wall (which already has footings in place).

There are 3 areas I want to address (referring to attached)

Area A: Looking for suggestions for plants, which are very low maintenance which I could run along the top of the small wall. Ideally these plants would help with water abortion in the wet winters (as the area gets quite waterlogged) but able to handle the hot try summers.

Area B: This is the area alongside the driving way, not sure if I should plant anything along the side?

Area C: Im planning to fill up the old stair case, but I’m thinking of creating a few rock “ledges” with some of the existing rocks. How do I go about making those “ledges”?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Robbie

 

I have lived in the house for 4 years and the stairs have never used by us or visitors as the previous stairs were in terrible state and more of a hazard than anything else.In our street, i think our house was the only house with stairs, the rest of the houses use to driveway to access house.

Interestingly, a few sales agents who have been to the property suggested removing the stairs.

 

On a similar note, if its not going to cost too much, perhaps putting in some stairs could be an option. At the bottom of the driveway is a carport and parking area, so we seldom have have to walk up and down the driveway, we drive.

 

I could put some stairs alongside the driveway, but his property is going to become a rental property in the coming months, so for now i dont really want to spend too much on it, i just wanted to tidy up the area and remove the unsafe stairs there previously.

 

Not everyone can negotiate stairs so the driveway alone for access is fine in my view.

Make sure you get plants that like "wet feet" for that water logged section.
I would plant lower type ground cover or something like that to the edge of the driveway and have plants that then get higher in height as the garden goes back.

As far as making ledges, just dig down and put a small footing in to stabilise these, nice and level or even leaning slightly back into the slope. Then plant out with ground cover cascading over.

Easy peasy.

 

Are you still looking to move interstate?

Easiest way is turf and plants! Forget the stairs

 

Turf needs mowing, tenants don't usually look after that as one would hope. Low growing ground cover I reckon.

 

Yup, im moving interstate so i dont want to put too much money into it..

What I thought of doing is planting a double row of agapanthus along the wall (which should help with water absortion and will survive the hot dry summers).

I'll re-use the existing moss rocks and scatter around the slope or create little clusters and plant a few golden diosmas. I might scatter a few lower type ground cover.

Once done ill cover the area with mulch..

I dont think the above will come to more that $1000.

 

I could problably make use of the old staircase and make a ledge at the bottom and top..

 

It took less than 20mins to re-shuffle a few existing rocks to get some idea (which i will set properly when i go ahead).

Attached is probably what ill do..

Yellow marking - Goldern Diosma
Greed marking - Agapanthus
Red marking - low growing grass/ plant cover

Will cover rest of area with mulch

 

I think you should lay the bricks at the bottom properly, rather than just leave them dry stacked.

 

Yup, ill definitely be doing that

 

I suggest using bricks similar to the rest of the wall, and considering drainage too.

 

Ill definitely be using matching bricks. Those loose bricks you see are actually from the dodgey staircase, which i just put to the side. I actually have spare matching bricks which ill use.

There is currently drainage and footings in place in that "gap", so ill just brick up with matching bricks

 

Looks like you've got it sorted. Easy care as you could get, well done.

 

Out of interest.. i got a quote from a landscaping "one man show" company to supply a few plants, make a few little ledges (like ive done), fertilize and mulch.. $5500 (cash).

Are they having a laugh?

 

Tbh looks like a 20 min job haha . You need some topsoil to lean the rocks against.
I would be using the rock as small dry wall rockery around the diosma about 1 m away, and up the driveway a bit.
Similar thing on other side of path.
I dont think you can pretend theres no path. Stairwell in the brickwork is a give away.
I would use those pavers as informal steps ( 4 pavers together, 600 ml between groupings) that say a kid could hop their way to the top or adult stride.

 

As i said, it was just a quick 20mins for me to visually get an idea. I am planning to order some additional soil and mulch.

If you read the earlier posts, the stairwell is going to be closed up with matching brick, so you will never notice.