Neila
You might like to come and have a look at my place sometime. I have over 100 local native species and you can see what would suit you. I'm 1 1/4 hrs SE of Brisbane. You can contact me through the forum.
Tony

Where in Brisbane are you?
Have you seen my Photo Album site with over a 1000 photos?
We have a sub tropical garden but are really struggling this year to keep alive as we have only had one small shower of rain since early December and this is supposed to be the 'wet season'.
We asre into the Heliconias, Costus, Gingers, Broms ect and open every November to the Public.
If you want to come over and get some ideas you are welcome, just send me an e-mail.
The photo site is listed as URL.
Ian

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket Album

Tony
Thanks Mate I've got a maybe shoot down the coast in a couple of weeks will check in with you if it comes to fruition.

Ian
caught a glimps of your photo album have book marked it and will have a better look later tonight...got a bucket load of site updates to do tonight so when finished will curl up with a drink with some ice in it and some "george" and look at your pics.
I'm over on northside mate Chermside way.
ahhh best get to work....hmmm might grab that drink before I start hahaha

Here is a link that might be useful: neilz.com

I would suggest establishing the bones of your garden first,by this i mean upper storey and structure.Plants such as clumping bamboos e.g Slender weavers bamboo and ghost bamboo,also some rainforest trees and palms will help achieve a shady, private environment for your understory plantings.

Good luck.

Thanks Richard thats just what I was looking for names of plants and what to do.
cheers Neila

Here is a link that might be useful: neilz.com

And if you want some natives to help bring in the wildlife have a look at the link below.
MM.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flora for Fauna

Hi Neila,

Your backyard is about the same size as mine, and it would seem that some of your neighbours are from the 'all we need is a lawn' school that several of mine seem to have sprung from - depressing, isnt it ?

The good news is that you have something many gardeners lust after : a clean slate. Making mistakes in the early stages is all part of the process - the sad part is that we often live to regret those mistakes for years afterward. I have expressed a desire to 'tear up the lot' and start again on several occasions, but I know that it will all come together eventually.

Anyway, my advice is to take your time and work from a *plan*, even if it means you dont have the garden you want straight away. Look at other gardens - talk to their owners and try to learn from the successes and failures.

If I knew then what I know now :)

Good luck,

Artie

Hey Artie ..."all we need is lawn" sigh.... my husband is happy with concrete...less to mow! the only concrete I want in my yard is perhaps a tibetan statue or waterfeature. Well I shall aleviate his mowing duties with vegitation.
Your right about the clean slate...though not quite slate its CLAY!!!! I have heard that I should dig my beds about 3ft down lay some gypsum an then refill with good soil. Can anyone clarify this?
cheers Neila

Here is a link that might be useful: neilz.com

I dont agree with the idea that you should be digging your beds *into* the clay - if anything, you should consider mounding them above the existing soil.

Clay isnt the end of the world, although things like palms prefer a sandy loam. The key lies in knowing your soil, and if that means taking samples and having it properly tested, then so be it. Many of us have achieved good results with clay, but you need to know if it is 'reactive' : whatever the prognosis, most soil can be improved given enough TLC - compost is the key. I found that the simple act of planting trees and shrubs, along with the accompanying water, bought the worms back into my soil - its all good.

Cheers,

Artie

Hi Neila I agree with Artie, nothing seems to survive here on my block by digging down, I have had to put most of my trees into raised garden beds or mounded them, we have only about 6 ins (15cms) of soil if you could call it that then hard baked clay.

I find the best method is to make the planting area a lot bigger than the pot but I only dig down about 6-ins (15cms) then in a wheelbarrow I mix the soil that was dug out, compost, wetta soil, and gypsum I also add a bit of ground up cow manure that I buy in bags from Beenleigh Sunday Market as I live down that way. Before I fill the hole up I water it well so that the water soaks in especilly around the sides a crowbar helps there as most times it dosn't. I put a lot more soil into the hole than ground level heap it up ( as Artie said moulded ) I put bricks around that area to keep the soil there water it well then I plant a couple of weeks later that gives the soil time to settle and if it has dropped too much add more then plant.

And the good thing is it works for me, anything is worth a try on Brissie soil. Good luck with your garden.
MM.

A clean slate must be great, haven't had that opportunity :)

Don't be too hard on yourself if you make a bad choice, but try to identify it as such and take it out w/out sentiment if possible before it gets expensive and involves people with cherry pickers.

Also, you might consider overplanting somewhat with things you can bear to remove later. New plantings like to be grouped for mutual support and it's a more efficient use of water.

I'm using lots of pigeon pea as temporary shade/ soil opener-upper/ mulch-maker/ screening device much as my DH wishes I'd get over it. Bigger ones obligingly die when they are cut off.

Is there a large area of bushland? adjoining? Much in the way of indigenous understory left? Often the large (black and white) birds fare well in habitat gardens and the finches/ wrens etc miss out. Have you had a sqizz at that newish book on the wildlife of greater brisbane?
Cheers
Rose

Hiya Rose,
Yep there is a fair bit of so called bushland next door. No understory though the owner of the block comes through with a slasher every 12months so nothing gets a chance. There is a lot of possums, frillnecks, bluetongues and plenty of birdlife frogmouth and kookaburras plenty of crows and those bloody noisey miners the occasional snake will wonder through. Unfortunatley the block is sloted for townhouses hense my need to get something in the ground and up asap. These creatures need a home/sanctuary to
escape to before its to late.
I'm thinking if I plant about 14 canopy trees around the perimiter then fill up. (do you think this is overkill?) thinking some lilly pilly's, bananas, bottle brush ect am I on the right track?
Hubby doesnt like LARGE TREEs so I'm gonna have to make do with something at will grow no more than 5-7m.
I'm off to look up pigeon pea.
cheers
Neila

Here is a link that might be useful: neilz.com

Neilz,
I think 14 trees could be overkill on your block as far as competion for nutrients and water goes.I would personally use bamboo as mentioned previously for your screening component as it has less requirements for ground space,and use a few specimen trees to create some difference in height and foliage.Bananas are good and fast growing but must be kept pruned of old foliage or they can look very messy.
Good luck.

Good on you for offering the critters board and lodging, let's hope some of the neighbours might get inspired. I guess the key is diversity of plant types (height, density, form, flower type)and garden *furniture* in the way of leaf litter, loose bark, water etc. I'm sure you'll be able to do landscaping to suit the wildlife and your family too. I don't think your husband's height restriction should be a problem; there are plenty of larger shrubs/ small trees. The Flora for fauna site MM supplied gives some indication of the sorts of vegetation the smaller birds and reptiles etc might utilise. Tufties and pricklies often are overlooked,as are the native grasses like kangaroo grass.

There are a raft of hardy "rainforest" species which are tropical looking and native to the SE cnr. Being 1000km away, I'm a bit loath to name names before you've had a chance to look around and talk to the locals.

Have you been through a cycle of seasons yet and thought about personal winter/ summer requirements for shade or not? Looks as though there is a fair bit of space west of the house where you could plant some of the taller things to act as a screen/ afternoon shade. Maybe plant these with a generous setback from the boundary to reduce neighbour implications, and to exploit a sheltered microhabitat between them and the fences.
No doubt there is much, much more :)
Rose

{{gwi:2112894}}
ok question.... how deap do I dig down if I'm going to raise bed 18cm off ground level??