How do I transform an area from weed patch to manageable garden?

[Radish]

We are an elderly couple who live in a seaside area - our back garden is sandy soil, full sun and watered regularly.    Part of this garden used to be used to grow tomatoes but we now want to plant maybe a flowering shrub to screen the fence and something hardy and easy to manage for the rest of the area to stop the weeds taking over.   The area involved is approximately 7' x 8'.   Any suggestions would be appreciated.   I don't know how to add a photo.    Thank you.

[Jason]

Hi @Radish,

Thanks for your post. We are looking forward to helping you transform your garden.

If you have a photo of your garden on your phone or computer you could share with us, you can just hit the camera icon or the Upload Images button when you make your reply and add it to your post. It would be helpful for members to be able to see your garden to provide more specific and helpful replies. 

Let me ask @EricL to share his thoughts with you as soon as possible. 

You should also find the following resources helpful:

• How to create privacy by planting

• Top 10 most popular screening projects

• Training climbers to screen a fence

• How to build timber screening

• How to plan a garden makeover.

Hope that helps,

Jason

[BradN]

Hi Radish,

What sort of climate do you live in? You will want different plants depending on where you live.

The simplest way of getting ideas is seeing what's doing well in other gardens (and parks) in your area. If you take some photos the folks at your local nursery should be able to identify them.

Your plants will appreciate anything you can do to improve the sandy soil by adding organic matter, such as mushroom compost. But if you're buying plants native to sandy areas they should be fine either way. When you've finished planting it's always a good idea to mulch your garden beds to keep weeds down and keep them from drying out too quickly. 

If you can tell us what sort of climate you live in some of our garden gurus might be able to give you some more specific recommendations. 

Cheers,

Brad

[EricL]

Hello @Radish

It's great that you've received excellent advice from @BradN. I agree with the suggestions made, I believe a photo of the area would greatly help our members evaluate your garden's current condition. We can then offer you recommendations on how to transform it into a manageable garden.

Were you thinking of putting down turf? Perhaps putting in drought-tolerant plants? Were you planning on having a water feature? There are so many options on how to design your garden. You can send your photo's to workshop@bunnings.com.au and we will post them for you. I suggest thinking about using the ever-reliable Bottlebrush Hannah Ray - Callistemon viminalis. It is a drought-tolerant plant and makes an excellent hedge screen.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

[Radish]

Hi Brad & Eric

Thanks for your replies and advice.

No we don't want turf or water features thank you.    We are 84 and 81, live on a split level block and have to get down three large steps to get to the garden so want something easy maintenance, something to block out the back fence a bit, maybe some perfume and colour would be nice.   As you can see from the photos we need a little bit of some on the left of our "memory tree" and fill in the space on the right,  Thank you.

Radish

I thought I'd uploaded two photos but can't see them - maybe you can let me know if they are available to view.  We live in the western suburbs of Adelaide.

[EricL]

Hello @Radish

Unfortunately, your photos did not show up. Just keep in mind that after pressing "Upload Photos" you have to press "Done" in order for the pictures to post. You can also send the photos here.

• workshop@bunnings.com.au

We can then post the photos for you. Aside from my recommendation of Bottlebrush, you can also try Lilly Pilly Hinterland Gold - Syzygium australe as a second option.

Let me tag our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

Got any further thoughts @BradN now that we can see some photos of the garden?

Jason

[BradN]

Hi @Radish , hi @Jason 

Just looking at your photos the thing  that leaps out is that nice, big, green star-shaped Agave attenuata in the top left-hand corner. It's a desert plant, which is why it's doing so well in such a hot and dry climate as Adelaide.

If I was you I would definitely keep that Agave and the other well-established plants, and then add some other drought-tolerant plants. If you want the lowest maintenance, you can go with some other big Agaves, cactuses and other succulents, and mulch the whole area with stones and pebbles to keep weeds down. Once the new succulents are established you will probably never need to water them. 

If you don't want a really stark desert look, you can add some green ground cover in the form of baby sun rose (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium, better known to some nurseries as Aptenia cordifolia), which spreads quite quickly from small tubes to cover a two-foot radius and has lovely pink or purple flowers for much of the year. It is also a succulent, which means that it sucks up and stores water for future use so you don't need to water it once it's established. 

For more striking flowers in a tough, green, drought-resistant ground cover you can look at Gazanias , which are gorgeous and tough as nails.

If you prefer more of a native look you can go with things like Grevilleas and kangaroo paws that suit your climate and will attract native birds and insects. You might need to get someone to water them deeply once or twice a week for a few months while they're getting established. 

I'm sure other people here will be able to offer plenty of other suggestions too. But if you live somewhere hot and dry and don't want to be watering all the time, it's hard to go past desert plants. They do it all themselves! 

Cheers,

Brad

[BradN · Accepted solution]

Oh, and for something to put up the fence, you could go with Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), which grows quickly and has lots of fragrant white flowers in spring and summer. You could get someone to bang in some star pickets and wire for it to climb up and it will take off  - though it will also need watering while it's getting established. 

Brad

[Radish]

Thanks for the suggestions.   We do have some cacti in the front garden that have survived quite well and the idea of some colour sounds good as well.

Couple of our sons are coming down during the xmas break and will help us to plant them.  thank you again.