Landscaping Ideas/Inspiration

Hi all,

I am in need of some ideas/inspiration to improve our current garden.

We have recently moved in and I don't believe we are as keen gardeners as the previous owners. We are looking for a low maintenance (mowing and trimming is fine), family friendly outcome that we can do ourselves.

I have attached the site plan with some photos from different angles, with my initial thoughts as follows:

Front garden

• Retain the weeping tree and fruit trees along the northern boundary
• Remove everything else (rose bushes, shrubs, wisteria)
• Plant a hedge line (lilly pilly's or similar) along the nature strip line and along the driveway line with say a 1m garden bed behind for low maintenance, drought tolerant plants
• Plant turf (couch is my preference) for the balance of the front yard
• Construct a hardstand area for bins at north west corner of the front yard

Back garden

• Remove large central tree on western boundary (provides some shade from western sun in summer, but is quite large and would not allow much to grow underneath)
• Remove 2 olive trees
• Remove all other plants except screening trees in north western corner
  
• Install garden bed along northern and western fence lines and plant something low maintenance that hides fence to some extent
• Construct a shed in south-western corner, with washing line to the east
• Two elevated vegie patches to go in near the shed/washing line
• Plant turf for the balance of the back yard
• Find a spot to plant a lemon tree, thinking centre-north side of the turf area (viewable from living room/deck)

Would greatly appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.

 

Get approval for tree and shrub removal etc. Lemon trees ? You must not get cockatoos.

I would rip out all that bark etc in the rear yard. Rocks, pavers the lot.

 

If you want simple.... rip it all out and lay some nice sir walter or sir grange on top of some high quality underlay.

 

I would keep the trees.

 

My understanding from the council website is that no approval is required as the stump is below the minimum diameter.

Lemon tree is one we have sitting in a pot that we want to plant. We use a lot of lemons!

Both back and front yards I was just thinking of getting a mini-excavator/dingo and stripping 100mm or so off the lot.

 

Problem is in summer, nothing grows under that large tree in the back, it also makes quite a large backyard seem small. With kids, it would also be a good to have a play area out back.

 

I suggest when starting fresh to go with a theme. Cottage, Japanese,rainforest, aust native etc that way the place doesn’t look hodgepodge in a few years.

Cottage might work seeing you could keep some of the plants . I presume your joking about removing the wisteria ??

 

Treehouse? There is actually a lot that will grow under trees. Check indoor plants section in nursery’s. Most of these plants have been under established trees for over a year and I don’t have time for my garden so I haven’t done much except chuck manure around in spring.

 

Japanese

 

Thanks for the feedback. Its a good suggestion to stick with a theme and not something I have thought about (I was more just thinking of low maintenance that opens things up a bit more).

I was being serious about the Wisteria. In summer, it requires a fair bit of maintenance and sends out various "runners" into the rest of the garden. I like the look of it, but not sure it is worth the hassle.

 

I like the look of these, does seem to keep with the current theme (or theme when it was regularly maintained!)

 

Fair enough. I guess for me, I would want some grass and play space out the back and I don't think that tree will allow for that.

 

Yeah they do need some heavy pruning In summer after flowering and in autumn cut back to four leaves . They flower from the inner buds .What colour is it?

 

It has a purple flower. It looks nice, its just the amount of maintenance that an issue for me.

 

Maybe you should consider selling it. I have one but not as established as yours. Winter is the time to transplant. I think it takes ten years for them to flower.

 

Have you considered engaging a garden designer to help you?

 

Thanks for that, I was certainly not aware. Glad I didn't take the chainsaw to it last weekend!

 

I did consider getting a landscaper/landscape architect to look at it. I wasn't convinced it was value for money. I am starting to change that stance a little.