Xeroscaping.

[Dorasmum]

Okay I'm looking for ideas for landscaping a new house in a waterwise fashion without it breaking the bank. I want the front yard to be lawn free, I'm thinking pebble and paver paths with possibly a coniferous garden mixed with lavender and rosemary plants. The other option of course is the native garden route.

I want to have some grass in back, I'm thinking the drip irrigation under the lawn is the way to go.


It's all bit of a steep learning curve for me, I've so far proven to be a terrible gardener but it makes a difference when you're renting, you don't have the pride or the desire to to spend money on someone elses garden.

So any ideas for great shade trees, plants or tips would be great. Gotta run, bub is begging for booby.
Em

[justincredible]

sorry... fak... but i would go a compacted crushed brick over a pebble pathway... weeds suck!
natives are definitely worth looking at, as long as they are native to your region. some local councils have some great info on natives etc...
sorry typing one handed ... back in a tick.

[Dorasmum]

I wanted to go for the dry river bed look with the pebbles. You can lay weed matting and/or newspaper underneath and it's still allows the moisture through.Also was thinking of an artistic mosaic look using recycled bricks and pavers around a tree in the front. Not sure yet. May be something that I try and don't like when it's done so I could rip it up. It's gotta be better than the acres of browning grass in all the neighbour yards.

Em

[hanabi]

It would help to know where you live Emma so that we know your climate and rainfall.

My preference is ALWAYS natives, combined with some features plants like succulents, cycads or grass trees and ground covers. If you have room for one decent shade tree you'll have all the ingredients for a beautiful garden.

A patch of lawn is always good play space for children. If your intention is to keep the thirsty lawn and garden contained in one, what about growing food and flower plants around the perimeter of your lawn? Would you enjoy caring for fruit trees?

[emd]

We have a native front garden that requires zero maintenance. No pruning, no weeding, no watering. Photos below.

There is a path of pavers, which requires no weeding. Shade is provided by a tall gumtree. There are two silver birches that block some of the western sun in summer, but are deciduous so allow it through in winter. Not native, but they serve a purpose. We also have lots of native shrubs whose flowers attract birds (more so than the bird feeder!). Ground cover is mostly fallen leaves/bark, but we have lots of grevillea too.

There's a few flowering non-natives too (much to DH's disgust) but they're drought-proof. Some ancient rose bushes, and a few bulbs that come up in autumn and spring.

Your local native gardening society should be able to give you tips on what will grow well in your area.

[Dorasmum]

I'm in south west WA about 5 km from the coast. This area is supposed to be a mediterranian climate, but it has been drier like the rest of the country, and and the soil on our block is pretty pale and sandy, the bush nearby is sparse and scrubby

I was thinking about some non-native deciduous trees for the purpose emd described, shade in summer but lets the light through in winter. How fast does silver birch grow? I'm trying not to be impatient but I want some reasonably fast growing tree to give good shade within 5 years or so.

And yes I was thinking fruit trees down one side of the fence line in the back yard and a small veg patch over the small section we aren't allowed to build anything permanent on.

Emd your garden gives you what I'm aiming for also, more privacy. I also want less maintnance of course.

How hard is it to bring the sandy soil up to scratch for planting? It looks terrible, I guess I need to get a truckload of compost brought in and use tons of wettasoil.

Em

[emd]

Not sure how fast silver birches grow, or what soil they would suit.

Photinia grows fast if you want a privacy hedge, and is fairly tolerant of poor soil and drought. It's native. Not deciduous though, so you won't get light through in winter.

Is the shade mostly for a play area for the kids? If so, you could try planting trees that better suit your long-term purpose even though they may be slower growing; and put up a temporary gazebo for shade until the trees have grown. My sister just did this in her back garden, and it works well.

The most important part of any new garden is soil preparation though. If you spend the extra time improving soil quality and eradicating weeds, you'll have a flourishing, low maintenance garden once the planting is done. It can take a couple of months to get rid of all the weeds before you can plant, but well worth the wait.