Marjoram and Oregano
Once prized for their antiseptic and medicinal properties, marjoram and oregano and now fairly common in Aussie kitchens and gardens and with good reason. Easy to grow, gorgeous to look at and tasty as, these two herbs are a vegie gardeners dream! Oregano, due to it's spreading habit, is also an excellent ‘living weed mat’ giving you a tasty plant that does the weeding for you.
Planting Time: September – December
Position: Full sun
Water Needs: Low
Difficulty: Easy
How Long: These two are ready when you are
A warm, but not hot spot, in full sun is ideal for both of these herbs. Great as rockery plantings, in pots, or along borders.
In the vegie bed, marjoram and oregano will respond well to a soil with a moderate amount of compost and decent drainage. Don't overdo it, as soils that are too moist and too high in organic matter may see marjoram rot off. Try to maintain a neutral pH (7), as this will give you a more productive and flavourful harvest. In pots, always choose a good quality organic potting mix.
Worm wee or a pelletised chook-based fertiliser should be applied at planting and again after flowering to keep these two herbs happy.
Water is where oregano and marjoram can be a bit fussy. While they love a sunny, warm spot, they also like a bit of moisture, so mulch well and water regularly. As they are shallow rooted, both these guys have a tendency to dry out rapidly, especially in warm, windy weather, so vigilance is the key! Ease off on the watering over cooler months to prevent rotting.
Like many culinary herbs, marjoram and oregano can essentially be harvested as required. Keep in mind that oregano leaves have a more robust flavour when dried, so harvest these in advance. The harvest will be increased by ‘dead heading’ (removing spent flower heads) after flowering.
Here’s a tip for trivia night - the terms marjoram and oregano are often used interchangeably and often describe the exact same herb. While they are closely related, oregano is essentially the wild form of marjoram.
Oregano pic © Elaine Shallue (SGA)
Biodynamic Community Farm
Tucked away in the lush southwest corner of Western Australia is Gardenup, a biodynamic farm, in the town of Boyup Brook. But it's not just any biodynamic farm. Its owner Jacqueline Zanders (shown here with a basket of delicious apples) and the other founding members of Gardenup, her daughter Dana van Goethem, and Dana's partner Justin Morrissey, are passionate about the environment, sustainable living, and helping the community. In fact, they are so passionate they recently turned Gardenup into a community farm.
Gardenup had been an organic and biodynamic farm for over three years. About three months ago the team made the decision to invite the community to participate. Unlike community gardens, in which members are allocated allotments, at Gardenup members work together on the property and share in the produce.
Because of the farm's certified organic status, it was not appropriate to create allotments to allow members to garden as they wish. The certification has very strict criteria for farming practices and Gardenup didn't want to jeopardize their certified organic status.
'Not only do volunteers share in the harvest,' explains Justin Morrissey, 'they enjoy the work and the fact that they know where their food has come from. It's fresh and no chemicals are used.'
The photograph here shows a range of chemical-free and very healthy looking produce.
There had been talk and quite a bit of enthusiasm in the local community about setting up a community garden. The team from Gardenup gave it some thought and realized that their 6 hectare (15 acre) property would be ideal for such a venture.
'It's right in the heart of the town, a few minutes walk from the nursing home,' says Justin. Justin is quick to point out though, that it's not just older people who have become involved in Gardenup!
'We have a very wide age group of people who come here to work, from little kids upwards,' he says. Young Asterix, pictured here, is one of their younger gardeners!
The farm, which Justin describes more as a big garden than a farm, grows peaches, pears, apples, nectarines, figs, macadamias and almonds, as well as an extensive range of vegetables. They also run about 250 pedigreed chickens.
Every Thursday is volunteers' day, from 2 to 5pm, and a market stall (farm shop) is open to the public selling Gardenup produce.
There is also an educational component to Gardenup's activities. Schools often visit as part of their exploration of sustainable agriculture. The local Boyup Brook School, for example, has visited the farm to learn about organic practices. And the members of Gardenup have found themselves involved in WA politics too, lobbying ministers in the wake of the interest in the concept of 'Farms for the Future'.
And it's not just food production either. In accordance with their biodynamic principles, Gardenup gives regard for the natural environment too. They have created three wildlife corridors through the property.
'We have re-introduced a lot of indigenous vegetation,' says Justin, 'and because of it, we're noticing a huge increase in native birds coming back to the property.'
Images courtesy of Gardenup.
Water Sensitive Urban Design
Many professionals in the gardening and landscaping industry are exploring ways of creating more sustainable landscapes.
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is the hot topic of discussion amongst landscape professionals and even developers, who are now being instructed by legislation to ensure WSUD is incorporated into their developments.
WSUD?
So, what is it?
It's only one of the most significant changes in urban design in recent years. It is the practice of keeping stormwater on site, at least for as long as possible, rather than sending it immediately into the stormwater system. An important aspect of this is porous paving, or types and styles of paving and surfaces that encourage rainwater to infiltrate the soil, rather than run off.
Hectares and hectares of hard surfaces across urban areas have meant cities are susceptible to flash floods, and huge volumes of pollutants are flushed into waterways. By slowing down the rate at which stormwater enters the system, a lot of the pollutants are captured, and the incidence of flooding is reduced. These hard surfaces also contribute significantly to the heatbank of a city.
This contemporary Melbourne landscape was designed by David Bennett of Gardens by Design and constructed by Winstanley Landscapes. It not only features WSUD initiatives, but lots of other sustainable features as well.
'The existing top soil was scraped to one side and stored on site,' explains Dave Bennett. 'When landscape works were completed, the top soil was amended and laid back over, to provide a reasonable planting environment. This also reduces cart away to tips and landfill sites.'
This landscape has only recently been completed, so most of the plants, especially larger shrubs and trees, have quite a bit of growing to do. When the landscape is mature, as can be seen in the coloured landscape plan here, the vegetation will be quite dense. Fences and neighbours will be screened, the garden will be a haven for birdlife, and an oasis for its owners.
The before photos show what a transformation took place! The concrete was pulled up, sent to a nearby recycler where it was turned into crushed rock. The same material was used as a compactable sub-base under wall footings and paths.
A dry creek bed traverses the space and acts as more than just a feature. It helps capture and retain stormwater onsite. The river pebbles are from a local, controlled source, rather than from indiscriminate river mining operations that take place in Asia.
'We used porous paving wherever we could,' says Dave, 'to reduce runoff from the site. And even where we had to use non porous surfaces, they are sloped to run into the creek bed.'
The plants are drought tolerant Australian species that provide a variety of foliage textures and colours and a variety of flowers, including grevilleas, a smaller growing Eucalyptus, a mass planting of an elegant weeping shrub Acacia cognata 'Limelight', and even one of Australia's few deciduous trees, Melia azederach (White Cedar).
The area to the left in the photo shown here will be densely planted over time. In the foreground, those little green clumps will become metre-high, elegant weeping shrubs and behind, the small growing Eucalyptus preissiana (Bell-fruit Mallee) will grow to about 4 metres tall.
In the foreground these kangaroo paws will soon grow into a large clump. In the background a timber bridge takes a path over the dry creek bed that weaves through the landscape. Over time, the fence will be screened by plants.
The existing sheds were retained but were cleverly screened using plantation-grown, radial sawn timber (see image at the top of the page). The technique of radial sawing ensures more useable timber is taken from a log. In the foreground, the two dominant, strappy leafed plants are Doryanthes excelsa (Gymea Lily), which grow into very large clumps with leaves reaching 2 metres long. The stunning flower stems can grow up to 6m high.
Castlemaine slate was chosen for the paving and the stonework, not just because it's a beautiful material, but also because it is a local material, and a concept similar to 'food miles' was considered. This refers to the distance a resource must travel - the closer resources are to the site, the less impact on global warming. The slate offcuts were used as inorganic mulch.
The design also includes two rainwater tanks and a greywater treatment system, but these inclusions are on hold for a year. The owners are not likely to need an irrigation system so they are going to review their water use over a year.
Photographs courtesy of Yarrabee Castlemaine and Gardens by Design.
A full version of this article appears in Renew (The Alternative Technology Association's magazine), September 2007.
Greening a Harsh Environment
Hillside, in Melbourne's outer north-western suburbs, is experiencing a housing boom. New streets and homes are springing up everywhere.
But it's one thing to build a nice house here; it's quite another thing to establish a garden.
It's a tough environment - rocky and windswept, and the area has a fairly low rainfall by Melbourne standards. An indicator of its harshness is the original native vegetation, which is grassland with a scattering of tough trees and shrubs.
The grasslands, for all their hardiness, contain the most incredible diversity of beautiful wildflowers, and during spring especially, grasslands are vibrant.
The areas of native grassland that now remain are protected and, according to local landscape designer Wendy Clarke of Dirtscape Dreaming, the new locals are getting curious about the plants.
Grasses and wildflowers that grow naturally in the area are being planted in the newer gardens, as landscape designers help owners realise that some of the more traditional exotic plants and even some native plants just aren't going to survive.
Wendy explains that the key to plant survival is to have a big focus on preparing the soil well before planting with plenty of compost and mulch.
'We always ensure a lot of recycled green waste is added to a site,' she says. 'In this garden, for example, around 75 cubic metres of mulch and many trailer loads of horse poo were added.'
The clients are Brian and Jackie and their children Anthony and Alana, and their new garden is barely two years old. Jackie and the children are pictured at top, with Wendy on the right.
'Jackie did a lot of the soil preparation and the planting,' says Wendy. (Being a hands-on client does help with keeping costs down!) Jackie is also very fond of antique farm machinery, which make for interesting garden ornamentation!
The planting, while including some native and local species, is quite an eclectic mix. Smaller plants and groundcovers include Statice (Limonium perezii), Scaevola aemula (pictured above), Myoporum parvifolium (Creeping Boobialla), as well as succulents such as Echevera (right), Sedum and grasses. They are all mainly massed plantings so over time the plants will clump and grow together, forming swathes of colour and texture.
The stand-out achiever in this landscape so far is the Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) (right), which has already formed a dense and lush green mat that highlights its worth as a groundcover in a dry environment.
At the time of visiting, the Statice (below right) was putting on a brilliant vivid blue display.
Some of the larger plants include a copse of Agonis 'Burgundy' (right). An elegant semi-weeping dwarf variety of this tree with, as the name suggests, strong burgundy-coloured foliage.
Informal paths of granitic sand bordered with local river pebbles ('Sunset Blend') wind their way through the garden and around the front of the house to the entrance.
Black slate has been used as a veneer to walling and Wendy confesses that this was a suggestion of the landscape contractor, TKKK Landscapes, as Wendy's original plan called for Castlemaine slate but this was a bit more expensive.
It's heartening to know that over time, landscapes like this will not only help to 'green up' a harsh environment, but when the larger trees grow, they will soften the effects of wind and sun.
The Australian Garden - Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
A Really BIG Aussie Garden
In 1997, the design for the Australian Garden within the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, in Victoria, won the prestigious Landscape Excellence Award and the Landscape Masterplan Award from the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (Vic & Tas). It also won the national Landscape Masterplan Award in 1998, pipping the Olympic Games Masterplan for the award.
Through government funding and philanthropic support, the first eleven hectares of the Garden are almost ready for the official opening on 28 May 2006. Construction on the second and final stage of the Garden, which is about fifteen hectares, will commence later in 2006.
The Garden was designed by the landscape architecture practice of Taylor Cullity Lethlean in collaboration with Australian plants specialist Paul Thompson.
The Australian Garden sets out to display Australian plants in a way that hasn’t been done before. It celebrates the diversity of Australian plants and the different landscapes that support the vegetation. In this regard it is unlike any other Botanic Garden.
We think the design is contemporary and inspiring, and a beautiful representation of the Australian landscape. But you need to make up your own mind!
The major features of the Garden are:
Red Sand Garden – an awe-inspiring interpretation of the desert landscape.
Dry River Bed – symbolises the ephemeral nature of water and the power it has to shape the land.
Arid Garden – Seasonal flower displays will bring colour to the desert landscape.
Exhibition Gardens – five home gardens that highlight ways people can use Australian plants.
Escarpment Wall – a sculptural wall designed by Greg Clark, inspired by red sandstone escarpments.
Ephemeral Lake – a sculptural lake created by Mark Stoner and Edwina Kearney of liquid-shaped ceramic plates.
Each tell a story about the Australian landscape – its surprising beauty, the water cycle, indigenous cultural expressions, and the contemporary and sustainable uses of Australian plants by home gardeners.
We hope the images here inspire you to visit this exceptional Garden. But remember, it is only in its infancy and it’s only half finished. Like any good garden, it needs time to grow. For more detailed information, visit the website:
www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-cranbourne (and they welcome volunteers).
 |
SGA team member Ann Kostos enjoying the Rockpool Waterway beneath the Escarpment Wall. |
 |
A drainage swale planted with grass and sedges runs between the roads, collecting and cleaning run-off water for re-use. |
 |
The Serpentine Walk leads visitors from the Escarpment Wall to the fossil garden within the Desert Discovery Camp. |
 |
The Ephemeral Lake sculpture is one of the first views visitors see as they leave the visitor centre. Low relief, liquid-shaped ceramic plates, textured and glazed. Jill Burness explains that instead of having a lake as a central feature "we’ve used the sand – the desert – as a feature" |
 |
The Escarpment Wall sculpture is inspired by the red sandstone escarpments found in places like Uluru and King’s Canyon. |
 |
View of the visitor centre from within Australian Garden. The visitor centre was constructed using radial sawn timber and recycled blackwood. |
 |
One of the four Exhibition Gardens, designed by various landscape designers. |
 |
The ground plane is a rich tapestry of surfaces and plants. |
 |
Landscape planner Jill Burness leads the tour. Behind her are interpretive signs showing the masterplan for the Australian Garden. |
 |
Mansfield mudstone meticulously positioned to line up with the landscape pattern. |
 |
The red desert sand used in the Garden was actually sourced locally at an old quarry but sorry, it’s not available to the public. |
View Street Garden - Turning a Dam into a Billabong
View Street Garden is such a humble name for this magnificent garden in its magnificent landscape setting alongside the Yarra River, in the inner Melbourne suburb of Alphington.
It's a garden of the size that can host community events, complete with a large amphitheatre that can seat 250 (with many more people able to utilise the surrounding lawn area). It also has a very appealing decked stage, shown here. In the background, a bronze statue, created by Shona Nunan in 2002 looks out over the dam.
If you're in Melbourne on 18 March and want to check out such an event, visit the website http://www.musicfromthewetlands.com.au/. It looks like a great way to spend an afternoon!
The garden's owner Kate Herd is pictured here with her new four-wheeled motorbike.
'The volume of greenwaste from a garden this size is just enormous,' says Kate, 'and two ordinary compost bins are not enough. I'll have a trailer for the bike so I can cart greenwaste to large compost bays down the bottom. I'd like to become more self-sufficient with mulching and not have to bring anything in, and not get rid of any greenwaste either.
'The other good thing about the bike,' she adds, 'is that I'll have a mounted spray unit too, so I can get at the weeds more frequently. We are surrounded by paddocks and gardens and the amount of English ivy alone that comes in is scary.'
The garden is terraced with beautiful stone walls - carved into quite a steep site that slopes down to the Yarra River flood plain. An existing dam that is fed from a stormwater drain and the runoff from the hill above, not only provides water for parts of the garden that still need it, but Kate is gradually turning it into more of a billabong.
Creating a Great Garden
The entire property is about six acres in size and the house was built in about 1890. In 1980 a group of individuals bought it and formed the Melbourne Country Club. They repaired the very dilapidated house and constructed tennis courts and the dam. The amphitheatre is on the former site of the Club's carpark.
When Kate and mother Joanna purchased the property in 1994, there was little existing garden - just a sloping lawn around the house and a cypress hedge.
Major earthworks were carried out and landscaper Simon Rigg constructed the stone walls that form the terraces. Annie James, Sue Smart and Kate did the planting.
The top terraces are filled with mainly exotic shrubs and herbaceous perennials, which Kate is gradually replacing with evergreen plants in the hope of reducing garden waste. The garden areas closer to the house and the vegetable garden next to the house are watered twice a week, with the bottom terraces receiving little or no water at all.
The vegetable garden, which is a relatively new addition to the garden, is watered with mains water. Not only is this a productive place filled with vegetables and herbs, but it has the most inspiring view.
Colour themed beds
Kate has established colour themes in different areas of the garden. On the protected southern side of the house, for example, green, white and purple dominate, with oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia), Plectranthus, hellebores, Shasta daisies and Eupatorium.
The dry garden further down the slope follows a mainly blue and yellow colour scheme. The soil here is quite sandy, which has enabled Kate to plant a number of West Australian native plants, such as Alyogyne huegelii (Native Hibiscus), Eremophila glabra, and the rather stunning Eucalyptus 'Blue Lagoon' (shown here). As its name suggests, 'Blue Lagoon' foliage is a vibrant blue-silver. It's only the juvenile foliage that has this vibrant colour, so each year the plants have to be cut to the ground to encourage more bushy juvenile foliage to grow.
'I like experimenting with natives, especially in my design work,' says Kate, who is now designing other people's gardens, often in partnership with life partner Phil Stray, owner of landscape construction company Crafted Landscapes.
In fact, as old exotic trees are dying Kate is focusing on replacing them with native trees.
The fescue lawn area around the amphitheatre has suffered in the drought, and Kate is considering replacing with a Buffalo variety or native grass turf, 'but that's a late autumn plan'.
Revegetation
The property is not all traditional garden either. Kate is revegetating the dam area, the riverflat and riverbank zones with indigenous plants (provided by VINC, an SGA certified nursery!). This has been done in conjunction with the efforts in adjacent Alphington Park Wetlands. Kate explains that the co-operation from the South Alphington and Fairfield Civic Association and the City of Yarra has been fantastic.
She has gardening assistance one day a week from Nick Power from Dominion Gardenworks, who has worked with Kate for two years.
'My new goal is to try to reduce the amount of gardening work,' she laughs. 'and enjoy the garden even more'.
Photographs from top:
The dam provides the garden with water and it features prominently in Kate's plans for creating habitat and improving the health of the adjacent river.
The grand old house has been carefully renovated and from the lower levels is a majestic backdrop to the garden.
'For some strange reason we decided to put in an amphitheatre,' laughed Kate as we approached this delightful entertainment space.
The deck was designed by Kate and local architect Phil Ryan.
Kate and her new bike tackle greenwaste and weeds!
The beautiful stone walls weave down the slope of the garden, hugged by granitic sand paths. Stone steps provide a more direct route down the garden.
The impressive view from the vegetable garden.
A tasteful garden shed is a back drop to the dry garden, which contains mainly blue and yellow flowering plants and foliage.
Eucalyptus 'Blue Lagoon' is a mallee eucalypt cultivar that Kate bought from Goldfields Revegetation Nursery.
Bronze statue of a woman and a horse by Shona Nunan, 2002.
Could you imagine a better spot for an outdoor setting?
Converting a Tennis Court
This former tennis court has had a couple of changes in its lifetime, but its latest is to become a sustainable garden with putting greens!
We are visiting the garden of Geoff and Peta Iles, proprietors of Décor Pebbles. It's on about 3 hectares (¾ acre) in Vermont, an eastern suburb of Melbourne. Originally the tennis court was a red clay court (en tout cas), then 10 years ago the Iles inherited rolls of artificial turf that were being removed from a bowling green, so the tennis court took on another guise.
In recent times, with sons grown up and flown the nest, the Iles decided they didn't need the tennis court any longer, so they brought in landscape designer Anthony Sharp (A.H. Sharp Landscape Design) to design a garden.
The result is a stunning landscape full of primarily drought tolerant Australian plants, complete with a dry creek bed. A pond gives the illusion that it feeds the dry creek bed but it doesn't really. And, of course, the landscape is a showcase of a range of pebbles that Décor Pebbles sell.
Over 450 plants were planted, and over 200 cubic metres of mulch, soil and rocks was brought in.
'We left two areas of artificial turf - still with the lines from the old tennis court visible, as two golf putting greens.' explains Geoff.
'It's also good fun hitting balls off the upstairs balcony, over the dry creek bed onto the green,' he adds with a laugh. 'For that we use solid foam balls, not the usual golf balls.'
The garden won the City of Whitehorse's Residential Landscape of the Year 2006, and also received a Sustainability Commendation.
We have a gardener about once a fortnight,' says Geoff, 'and he takes care of pruning and the like, but it's pretty low maintenance.'
As an aside, and proof that anything can be sold on eBay, the Iles sold most of the tennis court fixtures - posts, nets, lights, wiring etc - for $2,000 on eBay!
Sue McKinnon's Garden
Location: Rosanna, Victoria
This garden won the Banyule City Council 'Best Residential Sustainable Garden' award for 2003-2004. Sue runs a gardening maintenance and plant-scaping business. She specialises in advising residents of indigenous plant choices that suit the preferred garden style while enhancing the habitat value of the garden. Plants are chosen for the site and watering is not required. Sue also can supply and plant the choices for sustainable and beautiful gardens.
 |
The nature strip The indigenous nature strip is fast becoming the Sustainable Garden flag. |
 |
Recycled crushed concrete Recycled crushed concrete can be used to great effect to create an informal path. |
 |
Recycled concrete pieces Someone else's broken up driveway has become my path. |
 |
Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames This is a theme I have borrowed which allows room for both nature and order. Though this area is dry, we now have a brown froglet visiting somewhere in the mess. |
 |
Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames (Part 2) |
 |
Stepping Stones "Rock" stepping stones are made from recycled crushed concrete and cement (about 5:1) - with some black pigment added to the top layer. |
 |
Einadia nutans The berries are delicious but small. |
 |
Greywater The pipe comes from the shower / bath outlet, through a diverter to either the drum or further down the garden to the fruit trees. |
 |
Excess Greywater If the drum is full, and I have forgotten to empty or divert, the excess water simply escapes out the inlet hole. It flows into the "river" styled seepage area - again using recycled concrete "river stones". |
 |
Greywater Use The drum is emptied via one of two hoses which lead to different areas. I move the end of the hose to soak the required area then leave it to empty the drum. The indigenous plants in the garden don't need watering, but the system allows me to plant new plants, even in summer, and water them once or twice to get them started. I have also had some fun creating ephemeral wetlands with beautiful reeds - because I can! I will be working on an indigenous lawn soon. |
 |
Carex iynx Carex iynx ready for supply to retail nurseries - for the "normal"(!) gardener. |
 |
Carex incommitata Like mondo grass... only smarter! |
 |
Greywater Use The orange tree enjoys the greywater from our showers. |
 |
Don't remove those dead trees! Dead trees are still art. Apart from looking great, they attract birds who like the view. |
 |
The Greywater Source The shower / bath outlet cut and tape-on wide hose. |
 |
The Greywater Source Water from the washing machine is used too (although a wider hose would be better) |
 |
Fungus Nature's own recycler. |
 |
Indigofera australis |
 |
Roof Runoff All water from the roof goes to this area - it has become our own creek and wetland. |
 |
Our Own Creek The same area as the photo above, but 18 months later. This storm water catchment area draws me out into the garden to watch the creek flowing - it only happens when it's raining though!. |
 |
Creek Erosion Erosion of the local creek due to the flushing from roofs of local houses (not ours) |
 |
Dianella revoluta with common everlasting |
 |
Maidenhair fern |
 |
Lomandra Longifolia becomes very elegant in the shade |
 |
Carex iynx, mass planted in dry shade |
 |
Local Council Open Garden Day |
 |
Acacia implexa Beautiful trunk of light wood, a great tree for small gardens. |
 |
Viminaria juncea |
 |
Kunzea ericoides |
 |
Prostanthera lasianthos |
Retro-fitting Sustainability
There are often plenty of challenges for landscape designers when changing an older style garden. For example, there may be existing trees and other garden elements that need to be retained. But when the redesign must also result in a more sustainable garden, the challenges are even greater.
This older garden in Kew was recently redesigned with sustainable principles in mind by landscape practice Brian Rankin & Staff (Brian Rankin pictured at right).
One of the challenges facing the designer is two very large Cedrus deodara (Himalayan Cedar - a type of conifer) that command the front garden area.
Conifers are generally notorious for having matted fibrous roots that suck every bit of goodness and water out of the soil, plus they often caste a heavy shade. So thought needed to be given to creating a decent growing environment under the trees, and finding suitable plants to grow in the conditions.
And changes to levels had to be minimal, so as not to damage the trees' roots.
The plants selected for this tricky area include a clump of Cordyline stricta (Narrow-leaved Palm Lily) - shown at right.
The clients laughingly refer to this clump as the cornfield because of the plants' passing similarity to corn. Other plants in the under-tree zone include the hardy shrub Sarcocca ruscifolia (Sweet Box) and the even hardier ground cover Myoporum parvifolium (Creeping Boobialla).
Existing Agapanthus were also replanted underneath one of the tree. This was one of those compromises that often need to be made in these situations. Agapanthus is a recognised invasive plant but the clients are quite fond of them. The designer agreed that as they were large established clumps, it would be a shame to destroy them. The compromise is that the plants will be religiously dead-headed after flowering, well before the seed matures.
Permeable surfaces were maximised, to encourage rain infiltration, but where impervious paving is used it was designed and constructed so that run-off water drains into a pond (shown here)
'We thought that if we are going to the effort of putting in a pond,' explains practice principal Brian Rankin, 'then we should make it self-sustaining.'
There are a few other sustainable design elements, such as two 3,000 litre water tanks that are hooked up to an online drip system.
'Unfortunately, inline drip is not the best for older established gardens,' says Brian, 'but we have given the clients instructions on supplementing the tank water with mains water on the days they are allowed to water. This will get the new plantings through the first summer and after that, they shouldn't need supplementary water.'
Lawn area is very minimal (just enough for the family dog to enjoy!), and is 'Sir Water Buffalo', one of the most drought tolerant of the exotic turf species.
The remaining plant selection include primarily 'older style' garden plants, such as Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), which is planted over a pergola as well as against a vivid green feature wall. It will only take a couple of seasons before it creates an exciting contrast against the wall.
Boston Ivy is very hardy and has the added benefit of seasonal change. It's winter deciduous, with leaves that turn brilliant autumnal hues before falling off. Over winter, when grown against a wall, the skeletal tracery of branches adds quite a sculptural element. In spring the new leaves are a lively fresh green.
Lime and lemon trees also feature prominently, serving the always useful dual purpose of food and aesthetics. The tree here is surrounded by Clivea miniata (Kaffir Lily), a drought tolerant, shade-loving plant with brilliant orange flowers.
Other plants include Lagerstroemia indica (Crepe Myrtle) but a white form, not the typical purple-flowered variety, and Liriope muscari (Turf Lily), a tufted, strappy-leafed plant with dainty purple flower spikes. Mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), which is actually not a grass but a lily, has also been used as a filler between paving and as an edging plant. Mondo grass clumps together to form a continuous turf-like look, and is especially useful for growing between paving.
Existing rose bushes and an ornamental grape were incorporated into the new design too.
Replenish and Renew
The Replenish Garden is as much a sustainable garden as an art installation, and a multi award-winning one at that.
The garden is tucked away inside the Visy Recycling operation in Melbourne's north-eastern suburb of Bellfield. In fact, the entrance is a bit of a secret - tucked down the side of the facility next to a bike track (shown here), planted with indigenous vegetation. The entrance has an intercom for access (so it's strictly by appointment)!
The garden demonstrates the importance of waste minimisation, and resource conservation and recovery and has won seven awards in its six years of existence, including one from the Royal Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (Vic & Tas).
The recycling operation is on a 2.8 hectare site and sorts the kerbside collection of recyclables (paper, glass, aluminium and plastic) from 265,000 households. Unfortunately SGA wasn't allowed to take photos of the actual recycling operation. However, it is quite astonishing in its complexity and ability to sort and pack recyclables to be sent to various processing plants.
The facility has an education room called Rethink, which provides information on recycling.
Maree Pollard, Rethink Centre Coordinator, who showed SGA around the facility, explains that they host tour groups from Prep school age through to elderly citizens.
'The information can be quite dry, so Visy employs professional actors who get the message across in song and movement. And because it is presented in a fun and entertaining way, the children respond to it,' explains Maree. 'In fact, the adults enjoy it as much as children because we subvert popular songs and often this goes over the heads of the children!'
The garden is a mix of exotic, native and indigenous plants, and Maree explains that avoiding environmental weeds is also an important aspect.
The garden began with the input of three visual artists, then AQL (Australian Quality Landscapes) were commissioned to design and construct.
There are many layers of meaning expressed in the garden. For example, the inlay of rubbish shown here, known as Retrace, takes us from the middens of indigenous Australia, the rubbish of settlement to the waste of modern times - entitled Midden, Settlement, Machine, and Information.
The change in vegetation is also expressed in the garden. Seen here is a large clump of lomandras and in the foreground is the icon of the English landscape, English Box (Buxus sempervirens). The next clump, which we can't see, is a traditional lawn, and the following one shows native grasses, which reflects the change in garden design.
A boardwalk links the areas of the garden and is made from recycled plastic. The structural bearers supporting the boardwalk are also made from recycled plastic. This product is now available from Repeat Products, Lilydale, Victoria, in a variety of finishes.
Recycled rubber crumbs, as shown here in the acrylic cylinder, has been used with surprising success as mulch. Initially there had been concerns about using it because toxicity to plants was unknown. It turned out to have a lot of advantages. There is no nitrogen drawdown as experienced with organic mulches. It doesn't break down, so there is no need to replace it periodically. The blackbirds don't flick it around because there are no insects attracted to it, and it must work as a water-conserving mulch because the plants have responded very favourably.
One of the most interesting aspects of the garden is the compost vials, designed by visual artist Chaco Kato. The acrylic vials demonstrate composting at work. The vials are partly submerged in the soil and Maree fills them with layers of green waste procured from the local greengrocer. She confesses that she often goes to a bit of trouble with the layering effect so that the vials look colourful and eye-catching! And they really do work. As can be seen here, they are in need of a top-up, as Maree explains that the compost process works very quickly and effectively.
Of course, it wouldn't be a sustainable garden without a water tank. The tank provides water to the garden and the water features.
The water features are home to a wonderful array of macro inverbrate larva (larger insects), such as kaddisfly, dragonfly, and damsel fly. Maree says visitors enjoy seeing these creatures emerge from their larval state to sit on the stems of the rushes to dry their new wings.
The glass garden, shown here with its recycled blue glass chips mulch, is due for a refurbishment, as is some other areas of the garden.
'It's all due for a bit of a makeover, really,' says Maree. 'It's mainly because we like to keep abreast of new gardening practices.'
The internal entrance to the garden features a huge mural made from recycled materials by children, under the guidance of artists. The dog, for example, is made from the plastic coating on electric wires! And the 'light' is, as can be seen, quite an interesting 'hodge-podge' of recycled materials!
While you can't take photos of the recycling operation, you can visit the garden and take photographs, but you do need to make an appointment - as a tour group. Primary aged children love it but so do adults. The facility is at 307 Waterdale Road, Bellfield. For tour information, phone Maree Pollard 03 9490 4532, or email maree.pollard@banyule.vic.gov.au
Pete's Patch
Anyone familiar with Gardening Australia would be familiar with Peter Cundell's now famous Vegie Patch.
SGA's Frances Saunders was fortunate enough to be able to check it out on a recent visit to Tasmania, and was impressed by not only the Patch but the number of visitors that were enjoying it.
Pete's Patch is nestled in a corner of the magnificent Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) and is maintained using organic gardening techniques, which includes companion planting, green manures, no artificial sprays, chemicals or fertilisers, and, most importantly, using crop rotation.
Crop Rotation
The six main beds are designed on a six year crop rotation system. Crop rotation ensures that any crop is not grown in the same spot each season, as this can increase the risk of pests and diseases. By rotating crops to a different bed each year, the pest or disease is deprived of its favourite host or food.
A common rotation method is to follow a leafy crop with a root crop, followed by a legume (beans and peas for example) followed by a leafy crop.
Compost
Compost bins are an integral part of the organic gardening process. The contents of bins are turned at regular intervals to ensure aeration, and the result is the healthy, sweet-smelling compost that Peter Cundell is so fond of!
The Vegie Patch was established on the site of the old Tropical House and when it was first established the soil was very poor. It had been under a large concrete slab for many years, so it was heavily compacted and waterlogged. Sandy soil was introduced and enriched with organic matter, including mushroom compost, blood and bone, sulphate of potash, chicken manure, fish emulsion and seaweed concentrate.
The Patch is maintained primarily by RTBG staff, although ABC staff carpenters and local TAFE students had a big role in its initial establishment.
Giant Pumpkins
On this visit, a couple of giant pumpkins were reaching maturity. These are 'Atlantic Giant Pumpkins' (Cucurbita maxima) and were bred specifically to be larger. They are really only good for giant pumpkin competitions though, because the flesh is stringy and tasteless. They can often be 100kg or more at harvest. In fact, the 2007 winner at the Bean Creek Show weighed a whopping 170kgs!
More on the RTBG
You can't mention Pete's Vegie Patch without mentioning the RTBG. It is certainly a majestic Botanical Gardens by any standards, and well worth a visit while in Hobart.
Here are some images to entice you. More information on the RTBG and Pete's Vegie Patch can be found on the website: www.rtbg.tas.gov.au
Visitors to the RTBG are greeted by this breathtaking view.
The Japanese Garden was opened in 1987 and was part of a cultural exchange between Hobart and its Japanese sister city, Yaizu.
A feature of Labillardiere's Garden (Labillardiere was a French voyager and naturalist) at the RTBG is this Huon Pine sculpture. It represents the bow and sails of a French Ship and is the only sculpture ever represented on a stamp. It was created by Stephen Walker.
The RTBG is ablaze with colour at all times of the year, as this early autumn display shows.
All images by Frances Saunders, copyright SGA.
Maria's Garden
Location: Donvale, Victoria
Maria has been a long time advocate of gardening sustainably. Her garden at her previous home won the City of Manningham's sustainability award 10 years ago! Scroll down to take a tour of Maria's marvellous garden.
Compost Bin
This is one of three that we keep. One we use to add scraps, leaves etc into and when it gets close to full (which it never actually does) we declare it closed until further notice. The contents are then allowed to rest until they are composted. In the meantime, we work on the second bin, which gets added to with the daily scraps. The "working bin" needs a bit more attention in its formative stages. We make sure we aerate it occasionally with a long handled garden fork, by just turning over the contents so that the bits at the top get mixed through into the warmer sections of the active decomposition. If it's looking too soggy we add handfuls of dried autumn leaves which we keep handy; or shredded up newspaper if we have no leaves. If it's looking too dry or nothing much is happening when we go to turn it over, we add a little bit of water or even a handful of blood and bone to activate things. This is rarely needed though.
The third bin? It's up near the chicken coop so that when we clean out the soiled straw or wood shavings which are used on the floor of the coop, this lovely stuff can sit in the bin till we're ready to use it. It doesn't break down completely so it's more as a mulch.
The Pumpkin
Out of the compost bin comes more than just compost. Lots of seedlings pop up after the compost has been spread around the garden, many of which I leave. Fantastic crops of tomatoes and even this lovely Japanese Pumpkin have become part of our annual harvest - all from the compost bins.
Elise with Lucy
Elise is the girl and Lucy is her pet Isa Brown chook, one of the more tame varieties. She'll follow us around the garden and is quite happy to be picked up (and even trained to jump through hoops!)
Chooks in the Vegie Garden
Chooks and vegies are not always a happy combination, so the vegie areas are fenced off with low mesh fencing. But at the end of the season, when we need to clear out the patch of any weeds or left-over insects, the chooks are allowed in and do a great job scratching over it all.
Basil and Tomatoes
Apparently, they make wonderful companion plants. We like to keep some close to the kitchen door for the evening salad. The Tommy Toe in the background was a compost seedling and is still (in April) giving us lots of tasty cherry-sized tomatoes.
Water Tank No.2
When we landscaped our front garden with indigenous plants, I insisted that we install a second water tank near the area: after all, why go to all the effort of lots of new plants if you can't be sure of watering them over the summer. Well, the tank filled many times over but hardly a drop was needed in the indigenous garden. Instead, the pump attached allowed us to use this saved rainwater throughout the vegie gardens over summer. Over winter, the water was pumped into the nearby laundry area using a hose, to use in the washing machine.
Banksia
The indigenous garden was planted out using only tube stock, just under a year ago. With no maintenance or watering throughout summer (except for the occasional weeding) the tube stock has grown well.
Correa reflexa
Can't beat this indigenous variety for looking good with no care at all. This was only planted a year ago and I have already gone through with the hedge clippers so that the lovely flowers are more visible, since they are borne below the top stems. Some gorgeous little native nectar-feeding birds are often seen flitting through.
Banksia no. 2
This is another of the group of banksia which were planted to hide an adjoining brick wall. At this rate, they will soon be big enough to provide their own wall of colour.
Dianella longifolia
Sometimes it's hard to know how close to plant groups of plants together because they look so small as tubes. This lot of Dianella are clumping up beautifully.
Lomandra & Correa
This lot out front were lucky if they got a bucket of shower water occasionally over the drier months. The soil is shallow and not of any particular quality yet they've remained green and lush. The clumps of indig. Poa grasses were clipped back about 6 weeks ago because they were looking very yellow. Despite the lack of rain since then, the green is coming back through them.
The Agi Pipe
We thought we'd try a different method for watering our fruit trees last summer. In spring, when all the fresh mulching and manuring was happening, we dug short lengths of the perforated Agi-pipe around the perimeter of our trees, intending to use these to direct water straight to the root system, rather than rely on the water getting through from the top down.
The Chook Shed
As much as I love having the chooks free-ranging all over the place, there are certain times of the year when the garden is better off without them scratching out young and tender seedlings. This is when they stay in their run attached to the coop. We have to make sure they get plenty of greens when we keep them enclosed.
Coir Pots
We experimented with using coir pots this year for growing seeds in before transplanting. Some tomatoes were grown this way and it was interesting to note how the root system managed to get through the only partially decomposed pot after we pulled up the finished plants.
The Chooks
Fantastic recyclers that they are, they give us delicious eggs and get rid of food wastes beautifully, not to mention the wonderful fertiliser which I'm sure was what contributed to the fabulous crop of passionfruits and berries we got this season.
Pea Straw
Baled up at the ready for when we next put mulch down. I tend to let the mulch thin out over autumn and winter and then top it all up again in readiness for the summer season.
Autumn leaves
The mulberry tree gets to use its own fallen leaves as mulch.
Lavender plants
If an ornamental plant needs too much water then it has no place in my garden. Most of the varieties of lavender grown have survived, even if they did need a good cut back to avoid straggly habits.
Water Tank No. 1
Our first water tank installed was of 1700 litres capacity. It seemed like heaps of water at the time but with a big garden, it would quickly empty. Now, whenever anybody asks we about water tanks I advise them to get the biggest they can afford and that they have the space for (and to get the plumber to connect it to as many down-pipes as possible).
Knox City Council Wildlife Garden
Knox City Council, in outer eastern suburban Melbourne, launched its Gardens for Wildlife program on a splendid spring day in October 2006
The program is designed to encourage residents to help locally threatened wildlife by planting locally indigenous and other Australian plants or suitable exotic species, to provide habitat and food sources for a variety of wildlife, including birds, insects and frogs. The program also encourages providing other forms of habitat for a variety of animals.
How it Began - The Power of One
Local resident Jan Jordan lobbied the council incessantly, after hearing about a similar initiative in another area that had failed to get established.
Another local resident Irene Kelly is credited with being instrumental in co-ordinating the program. She says that Jan's tenacity proves that one person does have the power to make change happen.
Jan and Irene's enthusiasm is infectious and the program has leapt ahead. There are now 92 gardens signed up to the program, with considerable interest from others residents too.
Small and Big Gardens
'The good thing about this is you don't need a big garden,' explains Irene Kelly. 'Even a small garden can contribute pockets of food and habitat.'
There has also been interest from schools, with two pre-schools already signed up.
The Council has established various categories of gardens in the program:
Category 1: Predominantly native plant garden including indigenous plants that meet all of the criteria outlined.
Category 2: Predominantly native plant garden that meets all or some of the criteria.
Category 3: Garden with a mix of native and introduced plants that contains some of the features outlined.
Category 4: A mix of native and introduced plants with one or more of the features listed.
Category 5: No established garden but would like to register (needing help and advice on what to plant and how to help save local wildlife).
Wildlife Garden Recipes
The Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA) provides some initial guidelines as to what would be good to include in a garden to attract wildlife. It has:
· A tall mature tree, native to the area
· A patch of natural mulch for beetles and worms
· A clump of dense shrubs where birds can shelter
· Nectar plants for honeyeaters
· A cat-proof birdbath
· A frog-friendly pond with unpolluted water
· A warm, sheltered corner for lizards
· Daisies for butterflies
The Council has produced a series of information sheets, called Recipes for a Wildlife Garden. These information sheets deal with specific aspects of attracting wildlife. For example, one sheet outlines the need to establish warm sheltered spots for lizards and the best way to achieve this. Another suggests providing patches of natural mulch for beetles and worms. And of course, the more obvious need for nectar plants, cat-safe bird baths and the like are all included. (Incidentally, SGA is in the process of putting all this information into a booklet for Knox residents!)
For more information, visit the council's website at www.knox.vic.gov.au
Pictured (from the top):
The Director of City Development Steve Dunn introduces councilor Monique Davey (Chandler Ward), who launched the Gardens for Wildlife program.
From left: Irene Kelly, Jan Jordan and the Member for Ferntree Gully, Anne Eckstein.
Part of the launch activities was a walk through Ray Cowley's Category 1 garden. A banner sign welcomes visitors to this bushland garden.
The sign that will adorn Gardens for Wildlife properties.
Ray Cowley's Category 1 garden is virtually pristine bushland with very few weeds. There are plant treasures everywhere, including orchids and a variety of wildflowers.
Ray Cowley talks to a group of visitors about the plants in his garden.
There's no party without a cake and what a cake it was too!
The Truly Edible Garden
With only a few plant exceptions, Karen Sutherland's small garden in Melbourne's inner northern suburb of Pascoe Vale South, is a veritable food forest.
Walking through the front gate into a courtyard-sized front garden, visitors are immediately greeted with the first selection of an array of edible plants.
There is a stunning Rosemary cultivar 'Blue Lagoon', which, as its name suggests, produces bright blue flowers. Alpine strawberries sprawl in a planter box under a southern side window, and keeping them company are nasturtiums, and a Lemon Myrtle and Bay Tree in pots. There are violets (the flowers are used in herbal tea), a Carob, an Olive, giant artichokes, Chilean Guava and a Kaffir Lime, amongst many others.
There's even an espaliered Feijoa that receives little or no additional water as it sits along the fence to one side of the driveway.
'I really like the idea of colour-coordinating the front garden with the colours of the house,' Karen says.
Riotous Back Garden
The back garden is another matter, where practicality reigns. It's more riotous and eclectic in its planting. Space constraints are Karen's major issues, as she struggles to include an ever-increasing number of plants.
Karen explains that the soil is very harsh. It's heavy clay and it's dry, like most of Melbourne these days. The conditions are made all the more challenging as Karen has a number of larger trees and is hoping to include more, albeit with a bit of culling over time.
Some of the newer plantings include a Banana, a Mango tree that is apparently suitable to grow in Melbourne, a Mulberry, and an Avocado.
'The back corner of the garden is my tropical corner,' she says with a laugh.
Just to the front of the tropical corner is a patch of raspberries protected from birds with wire, and just to the right is the prolific vegetable garden.
There is also an Almond, Nectarine, a large weeping apple 'Wandin Pride', and a Strawberry Guava hedge that hugs the outdoor entertaining area.
The Veggie Garden
The vegetable patch isn't large at all, which is surprising when Karen explains just how much produce - and the variety - she harvests each season.
'I actually get a lot of food from this garden,' she says.
At the time of visiting it was the start of the winter season, so there were a number of new seedlings planted, and the tail end of the summer crop was looking a bit drab.
There are herbs such as parsley, sorrel, lemon grass, an old gnarled lemon verbena bush, and interesting vegetables such as perennial leeks, onions and capsicum, and the fruit Pepino (a subtropical fruit in the same genus as tomato and potato, Solanum muricatum) - Karen is pictured at top showing one of the fruits.
'I am trying to introduce more perennial varieties,' Karen says, 'rather than annuals that I have to pull out at the end of each season.'
Watering
Being a produce garden, relying on drought tolerant plants is not always an option, so Karen has installed three 1200 litre water tanks. They are the Waterwall, an ideal solution for narrow places, such as down the side of the house, where one is installed, and down the side of a bungalow, where two more can be found.
One of the tanks is also set up to flush the toilet, as well as provide additional water for the garden.
Even the first flush of rain water is utilised. It is collected in a large wheelie bin for use on the garden. (The first flush of rainwater can be diverted to the stormwater with a suitable diverter, so that pollutants that might have accumulated on the roof, don't end up in the tanks.)
Karen also utilises greywater for the trees and shrubs, although she thinks the weeping apple hasn't been enjoying the greywater, as it is looking rather sad after the long summer.
'Multi-grafting is my next challenge,' says Karen, 'I'm running out of space!'
See Karen's website at www.edibleedendesign.com
Inverawe Native Gardens Hobart
When Bill and Margaret Chestnut were planning to move down from Sydney to Hobart in 2001 they were looking for about 2 hectares (5 acres) with a view, in order to grow vegetables as a retirement project.
What they ended up buying was 9.5 hectares (22 acres) with a splendid view and then decided to create a native plants display garden instead. Inverawe Native Gardens is now a well-established and popular tourist spot.
'I remember saying to Margaret that we couldn't turn this into a garden, it's impossible,' says Bill with a laugh.
The block was covered in weeds such as blackberry, boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. monilifera) and broom (Cytisus scoparius ssp. scoparius) and the soil varies from dolerite clay, patches of sand, and areas of basalt. With considerable tenacity the couple have 'nibbled away' at the site and it has changed dramatically over the years. Mind you, they usually work seven days a week!
Although they overlook the North West Bay with North Brunie Island and the narrow sea passage to the ocean to the right, Bill explains that salt scald is not a problem as the site is quite protected.
The area is important for shore waders and down on the flood plain native Tasmanian hens can be seen charging around. Bill explains that these birds can reach speeds of up to 60 km an hour.
'We've spotted 83 different species of birds,' he says, 'but we're still counting and we are no experts.'
The fact that birdlife is so prolific is no doubt a result of the habitat and food sources that Inverawe now offer.
The garden contains a huge variety of native plants. Most are south-eastern Tasmanian species but with many other native species as well.
'Kangaroo paws do very well but they tend to flop over because of the number of birds they attract,' says Bill. 'One morning I came out to find six New Holland honeyeaters on one stem - no wonder they flop over.'
One section of the garden is remnant dry sclerophyll forest, which won't change but Bill and Margaret are adding to it, as it has also suffered weed infestation.
The gardens' development has been a lot of trial and error, especially plant selection. They have developed what they call a 'list of heroes' - those plants that are definite survivors.
Hundreds of cubic metres of mulch have been used (and continue to be used) and they prepare the ground by putting thick layers of newspaper underneath. The newspaper is collected from the local newspaper office.
There's a rainforest section with Tasmanian species like Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii) but also the famous Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and Bunya Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii).
Other plants that have done well include Banksia serrata, the climber Clematis microphylla, Westringia brevifolia var. raleighii, which is endemic to Tasmania, and many species of Grevillea. There are so many more that rate mention but we reckon you should see this place for yourself!
Inverawe Native Gardens is at 1565 Channel Highway, Margate, just south of Hobart. Visit their website for more information: www.inverawe.com.au
Images from top (by Frances Saunders, copyright SGA).
Bill and Margaret, in front of the fabulous backdrop to Inverawe.
The spectacular view was one of the features that convinced the Chestnuts to purchase the property.
These two sculptures were created by local artist Bruce Pringle, whose work can be seen at Salamanca Arts & Crafts.
The floodplain, where Tasmanian native hens can often be seen scuttling around at full speed, is an important area for shore waders.
The whole site is terraced to allow easier walking around
Work never stops at Inverawe! Bill's latest terracing project is almost ready for planting. The supporting posts go down a metre into clay.
Rainforest plantings, including tree ferns, add an ethereal touch to the lower area.
About midway down the slope, a wide terrace greets visitors, and is a lovely spot to sit and enjoy a drink and the view.
There are some pretty quirky sculptures too, like this friendly little 'gnome'!
The Gardens' little rabbit-proof nursery allows them to grow on plants from tubes until weather for planting is at its best and the plants are more robust.
