I agree with you. I love the tropical style, looks so cool and lush with colour every day of the year, and so easy to care for. Different versions can be achieved in different climates by selecting cold tolerant plants and still have a similar look.

It would be hard for Australia to have one particular style due to the different climates but the use of an all year, low maintenance garden, no matter what the style, as an extension of the house would have to make it Australian.

Agreed, goldhills, on all points (low maint, different climate zones etc), but I do think its possible to get something resembling the tropical look in almost every part of Oz. If I were in Hobart, for example, I'd look at tree ferns such as Dicksonias to give me the rainforest look, underplanted with as many of the larger-leafed cold hardy species as I could find. If they can have tropical plants outdoors in Cornwall, I believe that it can be achieved in the colder parts of Oz or NZ, as several recent magazine articles have shown. It all comes down to plant selection and microclimate.

All this probably seems a bit smug coming from someone in central Qld, but I dont see cold weather as the biggest enemy of large-leafed plants : wind does a lot more damage to my plants than either heat or cold. Those of you who have to suffer through months of heavy frosts will probably question this, but I've seen tougher species like date palms growing happily all over Oz. A bigger question might be water - personally, I'd prefer a small bed of tropical indulgence to a hectare of succulents. Again, thats just my 2 cents worth.

Ultimately, its about personal choice. Many of you with established gardens will probably wonder why I'm rabbiting on about the issue - gardeners will continue to plant what they see fit etc. I guess it stems from the fact that I see so many well-intentioned but poorly designed gardens around me that could have been so much more, had their owners just taken a little more time and effort, particularly in the early stages. A Duranta hedge here and a croton there just doesnt do it for me, folks, even if that Frangipani you planted 10 years ago really does have the most magnificent flowers. Its a little like going to a restaurant where the chef has the most delicious produce at his disposal, only to deep-fry the lot then put it in a stew.

There is a line about 'people in glass houses', so I guess I'd better get home and see how that stew is coming along :)

I like the tropical look too, but with all those tall plants and water features in the garden, just imagine the mozzies I have enough trouble with them here with no water features, what about the humidity then all the toads and the mind boggles at what else could be lurking in there no thanks I will give that kind of garden a big miss if I had to live within it or around it. (Nice place for a holiday but you would not like to live there kind of thing)

Ok so I am a Odd one because I like a bit of everything and there is nothing nicer that going out into the garden first thing in the morning and picking a rose or 20 to fill a couple of vases prefer that to beehive gingers as lovely as they are. To me tropical is Frangipani, Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Canna lily lots of colours and you can grow all of those plants down in Victoria, also Banana, Palms so everywhere in OZ you can have tropical, stir in a few Natives , Exotics and that's more my type of garden.

My Garden is a very high maintenance one during the wet season, I am forever pruning or tying up canes or branches it never stops, but I did that deliberately so I would always get plenty of excerise and I enjoy working in my garden and cooking that stew too....Cheers..MM.

Hi MM,

I take your point re humidity, toads and mossies - these are all things that we live with in CQ anyway ! Your 'version' of tropical isnt too far from what I see around me in Rocky, but the sum of the parts should always be a better proposition than any of the plants as individuals, at least IMO. I guess we'll always agree to disagree on roses (give me a bed of Grevillea any day - even Vireya rhododendrons), but the remainder of your post contains plants that most 'tropical' gardeners consider their own.

I have chosen to space my canopy trees sufficiently to allow for better airflow, but I recognise that humidity will be a problem : its a price I'm prepared to pay. I dont know if you have the William Warren book on Balinese gardens, but he has a chapter on Nusa Dua, a notably dry region of Bali, and the gardens are a lot closer to those found in our own dry (sub-)tropics - Poinciana, Bougainvillea etc - and a distinct lack of the 'jungle' aesthetic.

That said, if I had inherited a block which had established native trees, I would have progressed further down that route and ignored my penchant for exotic cordylines, broms and philodendrons. That still leaves me with a vast arsenal of rainforest and woodland species to play with - we are a truly lucky country :)

Cheers,

Artie

Personally an 'Aussie Garden' is a liveable one, practical in planting, good to look at, one that you can enjoy the great outdoors in and appeals to a diverse range of people.
Must have lawn to play with dogs, grandkids ect and also must have a vegatable garden no matter how small. Not overdone with plantings all the same.
Ian

By your definition, you've certainly achieved your 'dream' Aussie garden Ian. I would argue that many people set out with a similar aim, but interest tapers off when it all starts to seem too hard. We need a few more 'stayers' like yourself :)

Cheers,
Artie

Ian, that is what I was trying to say. Sometimes my brain goes at a different speed to the rest of me and I have trouble explaining what I mean - I think it's called getting older :)

Artie, I realise tropical-looking gardens can be grown anywhere (well nearly) as there are plenty of plants that will do the job, just look at the rainforests of Tassie for example. But then there is the desert regions, bit of a challenge especially without water :) I'm trying hard to imagine a tropical cacti/succulent look :)

I don't think the humidity is too much of a problem. To me a tropical garden looks cool and shady on a hot summer day but a more open type without a lot of shade makes me feel hotter. The mental impression it gives me seems to help overcome the humidity.

Toads can be a problem but water features should have a few fish to eat the mossie larvae and frogs, etc should get rid of many others.

MM, my definition of a good garden is one that is made of plants you love whether it's a mixture of plants or all the same - you should see my mixture :) It's your garden and you are the only one you have to please. I love looking at roses but I won't ever grow them as I don't really like the look of the bush but the flowers themselves are beautiful. My mother had them and that was enough for me. I'll stick with looking at other peoples' roses. I prefer to bring a pot plant inside when it is flowering instead of a bunch of flowers. I would rather look at them on the plant but then my house is never tidy so a bunch of flowers looks out of place :)

GH, I have a succulent garden that has a bit of a tropical look about it now that it is growing. I used a couple of Frangipanni to add shade in the hot summer sun, and have a couple of Bottle trees there as well, it will never look like a graden full of cordylines but the colours of the succulents have their own beauty.

My garden has different areas of my different passions at the time of planting, nothing ordered but makes an interesting walk.

There are lots of plants given to me by friends which I treat as treasures and love as, in my opinion, a garden is somewhere to think and remember happy times .

I have 5 Torellianas [cadagai] which I dislike with a vengence, they were here when we came and I have had Henry shape up to them with the chainsaw many times , they are still there as the shade they give will be hard to replace, and anything I replace them with will not give the shade for about 10 years or so, just have to put up with the dropped branches and shin hitting nuts when I mow under them.

In my opinion, and Australian garden doesn't have to be full of natives, but whatever fits into the gardener's lifestyle and needs and is pleasing to the eye.
Variety is wonderful.
Marion

As far as I am concerned gardeners need to keep their climate in mind when they establish their gardens. As we all know Australia is a country of extremes and what may work in New South Wales or Victoria doesn't necessarily work here in humid coastal Queensland.

Personally my garden is totally tropical in regards to plantings with a mixture of exotic and natives (mainly exotics). The natives that I use tend to be ones that originate from tropical and subtropical areas of Queensland and are generally rainforest plants. I do have open areas of lawn but generally have a lot of shady areas which means even on the hottest and most humid summer days I can work or relax somewhere in the garden.

When I look around me now I see the minimalistic style gardens that have been made popular by the various forms of gardening media. To me these styles don't work in Queensland as it is far too hot here. My house is surrounded by lush cool and shady tropical gardens that not only give the feeling of luxury but also act as an air-conditioner making my home relatively cool all year round.

I do not desire to have my garden look like an Asian style garden and whilst I do use some elements found in those style of garden you won't find Buddha's or thatched roofs in my yard.

Andrew.

I hope that the garden at Wigandia becomes more typical of Aussie style. With the water shortage that Australia is experiencing I think that if we want to continue to garden we need to evolve past the Tropical garden which consumes so much water and embrace a tropical look that uses more resilient plants which rely less on copious supplies of water and more on their water saving and drought tolerant qualities. The issue of water is not if you can afford the price, it is if this continent will be able to support our population if we dont get smarter about the way we use water. We should all be working towards a garden style which enhances this environment not destroys it - That is the Australian garden style I hope to see one day.

I don't agree with you on the notion that Tropical Gardens use too much water. Certainly some tropical plants like a lot of water but many of the plants in my garden will happily survive on natural rainfall with some watering during the drier periods. Heavy mulching is the key to success here.

I don't feel at all that I am wasting any water on my garden. I definately don't feel guilty when I see water winches watering not only the sugarcane but also the roads! They waste in one hour more than I would probably use in one year!!

In this area residential use is only a fraction of what is used overall. Industry and agriculture are the main users of water in this region. I consider that too much blame has been placed on gardeners for the water woes down in South East Queensland. Obviously lack of infrastructure to cope with growth and poor planning plays a part along with the fact that a massive amount of Brisbane's water goes to industry.

Whilst 'Wigandia' is certainly a nice garden that is ideal for the climate it is in, I think having that style of garden Australia wide would become very boring. This is especially true here in Queensland where there is such a broad range of plants that can be grown. I don't think that we (here in Queensland at least) will evolve past the the Tropical Garden. It is a style that suits our climate and lifestyle and will be here to stay.

The very reason I chose "Wigandia" is that it is a garden which offers shelter, beauty and tranquility but not at a great cost to its harsh environment. As you say a tropical garden with careful selection of plants can do the same - unfortunately some of the tropical gardens I have visited are just great big sponges consuming enormous amounts of water and are located in areas where that water has to come out af a tap as it no longer comes out of the sky. I am not saying gardeners are responsible for the shortage of water, but like everyone else we will be drinking treated sewerage in our dotage if we dont learn to be smarter about the way we use water. I hope the Aussie Garden of the future is one which is suited to its environment, whatever that may be.

Hi PlantsPlus,

Whilst I side with Andrew on this, I can also see your point. I suspect that the issue is more about the attitude of certain gardeners than it is their choice of garden style. Australians are notoriously wasteful when it comes to our precious water resources, and its been widely accepted that we over-water our gardens. If recent restrictions have had a positive effect, I believe that it lies in focussing our attention on just how much water we consume - pools, car-washing, showers and garden alike.

My personal philosophy is that I'm only watering my plants to keep them alive until it rains. The grass at my place doesnt get a drop, and it shows. Plant choice, close companion planting and mulching, as Andrew has already pointed out, also go a long way to cutting down on the amount of water needed to keep a garden alive between natural rainfall. You wont have the magazine-quality garden we might dream of, but it still looks gorgeous when the rain finally does come.

I can appreciate Arid gardens, as much for the level of artistry as the waterwise qualities of such gardens, but until my excess water bill begins to approach that of my neighbours ($7 (yes, seven dollars) per quarter vs $100+ ...), I think I'll stick with natives at the front and tropical out back. BHG may not be beating on my door, but I can live with that :)

Cheers,

Artie

Thank you Artiew, I do agree with all you have said. Attitude is what needs to be re-assessed. My concern is that with the promotion of tropical gardens which seems to be occuring in the media and even in the local nurseries they could well become the latest "must have" for those who slavishly follow every trend. If this happens we will have created a monster just as inappropriate as the "cottage garden" is in many parts of Australia. My opinion is based on observation. My neighbours (none of whom I would describe as gardeners) continue to run their automatic irrigation sytems every night in order to have a garden that will be the envy of all their friends. These gardens are not used by anyone other than the lawn and hedge trimming contractor. They are just a symbol of status. Unfortunately these are the very people who will seize on the tropical garden as their next "must have" If the owners had to tend and water their gardens themselves they would soon cease to exist. Yes attitude is the problem and forums such as this are one way to get more people to stop and think about the way they garden, although I doubt that the ones who need to get smarter will be found on gardenweb. Robyn

Besides the must-haves, I have found the most wasteful are the 18 to 20 something professionals. They rarely read papers or watch news programs to become 'educated' to what's happening, and they are still young enough to believe they are immortal & our resources are infinite.

I was shocked when my 22yr old & her boyfriend stayed with us for a few weeks before Christmas. My daughter has been raised on tank water so should know about saving water but since she moved to the coast, now thinks she doesn't have to worry about water. When they were here, they both spent ages in the shower (I was very tempted to turn off the pressure pump :) ). Even after asking them to be careful with the water they weren't any quicker. The same went for washing their car, etc. It is the same with most of their friends, nothing matters except having fun.

Getting back to the garden, many people just don't realise how little water many plants actually need. I am surprised at how well our mainly tropical garden is growing while surviving mainly on rainwater. The only plants watered are newly planted ones - we don't plant new ones during dry weather anyway, they sit in the shadehouse until rain - & the vegie gardens. Some of the plants wilt during the middle of the day and if they get too bad they will get a watering but we try to encourage them to get their roots down instead.

Hello you all..An interesting little discussion happening here..'wigandia' is my wee creation..All I can say IS..Garden yer latitude with attitude..ignore the 'style council' (including my 'look')
I am not long back from an extensive lecture tour of the west coast of North America (the so called mediterranean parts) Many of the younger garden types are looking at this more sustainable equation..
a wee excerpt from my talk notes
"We, of Australia (and perhaps the west coast of North America) in this 21st century, in cultural and social terms, have embraced this Âalien land. Our identity is stamped on almost all facets of the ÂArts with the possible exception of Âornamental gardeningÂ.
Few inroads have been made into the climatic/cultural sensibilities of our garden making Âunder the sunÂ.
The lust for the unsustainable Âlook seems ingrained.
How odd for seemingly modern and proud nations, of high Âindependent aspirations and competitiveness.
In recent times the realization that we must consider the impact of overuse of natural resources for not only local existence but global existence has spurred a move towards a more sustainable approach,
My garden ÂWIGANDIA and others are playing prominent roles in the Âpseudo ecological garden stakes.
I have long believed that the somewhat Âslavish adherence toÂhosepipe culture has rendered us rather impervious to the true opportunities our climate presents.
Some of us have Âtuned to the notion Ânative plants are best, a simplistic but positive step forward!"
and
"Many of us live in a climate far removed from the source of the majority of our most frequently used plants. Whilst many of these plants grow reasonably well in our rather diverse climatic range, many do not. Traditional irrigation habits have allowed a broad range of Northern Hemisphere woodland plants to be cultivated. These plants often require copious amounts of water during our long hot and dry summers that can extend into autumn and sometimes beyond! The disturbingly complex issue of water shortages and conservation will in the coming years alter our lifestyles. Garden culture as we know it could well be relegated to the archives filed under nice folly but hemi spherically bizarre! The opportunity to strive towards a garden culture that is of our climate offers endless possibilities. Let us look to our own social and cultural values in the creation of a garden that reflects who we are and more importantly where we live!"
Nothing more and nothing less!!
Best
Billy
William Martin.
Gongoozler.
+61 3 5592 5349
Email: williammartin@wigandia.com
Web: http://www.wigandia.com
"The plant never lapses into mere arid functionalism; it fashions and shapes according to logic and suitability, and with its primeval force compels everything to attain the highest artistic form."
Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932)

Hi William,

Wigandia is definitely an inspirational garden - no question - and I thank you for pointing out that gardeners gain little by simply copying the look without understanding the thought process that went into your plant selection. As Colin Campbell recently wrote in one of the Queensland papers, many of arid zone plantings that were embraced at the onset of water restrictions suffered greatly when the summer rains returned to Qld earlier this year. We have native plants up here which will endure 6 months of drought if they can just get that seasonal monsoon - even when it doesnt come, they hang on for an amazing length of time.

Contrast this with many Aussie gardens, sprinklers madly soaking footpaths and thorny rosebushes, owners clutching fungicides in an attempt to ward off the effects of too *much* moisture - its almost a parody. I could rant on about lush golf courses in the middle of desert states, but I'm preaching to the choir.

All the best with your garden, and I wish you every success with the message that you are trying to get through to Joe Public.

Cheers,

Artie

In your discussions of suitability of plants in the "Aussie" garden, please don't forget us up here in the Wet Tropics! I haven't got a chance in hell of growing grevillas or stuart's desert pea. In fact the "native" plants in my area have more in common with Thailand/Malaysia/Borneo. As a landscaper I'm amused by people bring back boxes of rainforest trees to plant on their 8oom2 blocks in the interest of planting natives. And as my friend Mike says Mr. Stripey Posseum likes my traveller's palm just fine! Ann

Hi Anne,

We certainly havent forgotten you, even if it seems that much of the mainstream gardening media have ! I disagree that you couldn't grow Grevillea up there, but it would take considerable effort. They dont like the kind of rainfall you have endured over the last few months, but drainage and constant humidity must be an issue for many plants.

Its feasible that FNQ has the remnants of what must have been a huge rainforest from SE Asia to Sydney at one stage, and I have seen many plants in Indonesia and Thailand which would be completely at home in the Daintree. Possums will live pretty much anywhere, but that doesnt negate the desirability of many of Madagascar's unique flora (Ravenala madagascariensis is only one of the plants that we seem to have adopted in large numbers from Madagascar).

One of the positives of your unique climate is that it forces gardeners to make choices which they may not have to in a more forgiving climate - an English cottage garden is always going to struggle in such extremes. We just need to get people looking at the plants that will work in their environment, rather than the glossy images presented in the media.

Cheers,

Artie

Hello again,
I must say I get rather tired of the 'formal' garden media 'rattling' out the same old 'guff' (over und over!)
Rarely does it rise above..Mmmmm No need to spell it out..
BUT having said that (whatever THAT is) methinks too many punters do not spend enough time researching 'stuff' for themselves..I say forget the 'formula's'..look around you and see what plants works (common or otherwise) and get some ID happening..find out where those successful plants are from and buy yerself a decent 'flora' of that given area..SEEMS to me that's half the battle..the Garden media will never sustain all..and lets face it often it is not in the interest of the commercial industry to provide (or have provided) the knowledge for truly successful garden practices..Sadly we (in the horticultural sector) in Australia are driven by largely 'industry' values..we have little (visible) independent direction on all of this stuff..even the so-called water-wise information is limp at best!
The golf course equation needs some heat turned up..an appalling waste of resources for the few..I would have thought they could at best water only the 'greens'..or even better why not some lovely 'browns'..would add to the local and international 'spice' of the game..so too cricket..surely the game would be so much more interesting if all the participating countries designed the 'grounds' around given local conditions..what a new challenge that would give em! Methinks even the 'Willow' should be changed to a local wood..visiting teams to Australia would use the local bat timber..(say Red gum for here!!) and the Aus team use 'willow' in England etc etc!! Is that a possum amongst the pigeons!!
Best Wishes
B