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Hi all, been a busy week or so getting this garden 'built'.
It'll be a work in progress as I add lower plantings but for now... Murraya hedge about 30m long & about 1m out from the boundary fence and a row of magnolia 'Little Gems'.
Took me quite a while as I was filming as I went so will post a link to the video once I edit it.
A lot of soil prep involved. We had odd sort of soil here. Quite deep top-soil in most spots, at least 400mm. It looks like a fine soil but it actually has a very high silt/clay component so it goes very gluey if you work it at the wrong time. It's also really biologically deficient so I had to turn it all over with a rotary hoe & then rotary hoe through 4cu/m of chook poo. Neighbours loved the smell…
Big, aheeemmm, debate, we’re having now is about the edge along the drive. I want to leave turf about 1.2m wide for anyone that may back off the drive (our drive is about 50m long) as I reckon I’d rather them back onto grass than a garden bed that they may sink into… some have other thoughts however 
Anyhews, thought you may like to see the progress. We will eventually be building loads more garden areas here, we’ve only been in this place under 2-years, and as we’ve renos planned building gardens is unwise…
Well it's been an interesting & expensive exercise @Jason and actually proves the point of knowing your conditions...
We hadn't experienced a long, wet period in our time here before I planted this hedge & row of magnolias. Ended up the area they are in has a very high water table so become almost boggy after extended wet. May well have been a spot where there was a natural stream before development.
Most of the magnolias and a few of the murrayas ended up almost floating out of the ground. When I pulled them out to try & save them their planting holes were filled to the top with water! This issue is then amplified by the area being extremely dry & quite hot during dry periods. Absolute extremes.
As a consequence I lost all but one of the magnolias and a few of the murrayas...
I haven't replanted the magnolias but what I did for the murrayas I lost was to add a raised planting mound and then put new plants back in. They have now established quite well and will catch-up with the first round of planting soon enough.
Now it turns out I will likely be lifting the whole hedge-row as our neighbours have plans to build a very unsightly wall & carport that will need taller screening so I'm planning on adding a row of clumping bamboo and then I'll replant the murrayas in front of that.
Photo below of how it's looking now. Needs a haircut but the larger murrayas are in flower so will wait until they've finished (I love the perfume of them).
Messy & desperately in need of mulching but can't do much at the moment been so busy with work & renovations and then we've had a very wet summer & autumn and I try to avoid walking around on garden beds too much when they're wet.
Many thanks for the update on your hedge @Adam_W. I'm sorry to hear about the issues, but it looks like you've got that sorted now. Great idea on the clumping bamboo to screen out the neighbours build. I'm currently growing several in pots to prepare for an inevitable two-storey build going in next door. They will be over-looking our courtyard, and the bamboo will assist with some privacy.
Mitchell
When is the best time to prune and shape the marrayas? We have not really pruned our marraya for years and have grown to 5 meters. We intend to prune down to 3 meters high (including the bottle brush) as they block the winter morning sun into the yard. Welcome any hints on pruning.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Lockie. It's a pleasure to have you join us and many thanks for your question on Murraya pruning.
Let me mention @Adam_W so he is alerted to your question.
Pruning Murraya's on a regular basis will help bush the plant out and pruning in autumn will produce good flowering the following spring. As you're looking to do a bit of a hard prune I'd recommend waiting for @Adam_W's expert advice for the right time to do that.
We look forward to hearing all about the projects and plans around your house and garden and encourage you to let us know anytime you need assistance or have something to share.
Mitchell
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