What plants for the front yard?

[888oz888]

 

  

Hi Everyone 

We just finished doing a front retaining wall with the sienna sleepers from bunnings. But are so lost as to how to landscape it with plants. 

Near the house window there are 3 bush roses.

Could someone please suggest some not expensive plants ,hedges that we can plant behind the retaining wall.

The yard behind the retaining wall is sloping towards the wall. We also have a lot of garden rocks that the previous owner had which where kept just behind the old retaining wall.

We would like to rent the property in future so looking for something that is less maintenance but looks good for street appeal.

Thanks 😊 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @888oz888,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Congrats on finishing the retaining wall, the Sienna sleepers look great. Now for the fun part: landscaping! 

You might be able to use the leftover rocks to create a border behind the retaining wall that delineates the lawn from your garden beds. Alternatively, you could add some border garden edging to create a garden bed area.

You could then add some high-quality garden soil to your garden bed to give a quality start for any plants you add.

It sounds like you’re aiming for something tidy and low maintenance, which is a smart move, especially if you're planning to rent the property out later. A good-looking front yard can really boost street appeal without needing much ongoing effort.

Think hardy plants that don’t need constant pruning or watering. Some options include -

• Westringia - A tough Aussie native that handles drought, wind, and poor soil. It stays neat with minimal pruning and looks great year-round.

• Callistemons - Hardy, bird-attracting natives with striking red flowers. They cope well with most conditions and only need the occasional tidy-up.
   
• Native Rosemary - Same great qualities: drought-tolerant, compact, and perfect for low-maintenance hedging or fillers.

• Indian Hawthorne - Compact and evergreen with pink or white flowers. It’s very low fuss, tolerates sun and neglect, and is ideal for a neat, tidy look.

• Gardenias - Adds a touch of greenery and beautiful fragrance. 

You might also like to check out How To Plan & Landscape a Garden Makeover and How to choose plants for your garden for some further guidance.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @mich1972 and @Noelle  to see if they have any ideas.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @888oz888 

Now that looks like a beautiful retaining wall

Are you going to put in some solid drainage behind it? 100mm ag-pipe would be good for sure.

I like the idea of using rocks for an edge of a garden, but also am thinking its one more thing to be worried about if you are renting it out. Having grass up to the timber edge and maybe using the rocks around teh small shrubs/trees that @JacobZ has suggested might be an idea? 

The ground looks compacted and possible a little poor in compost atm, just a note you shouldnt plant things straight in if you put in fresh compost. I have a coup[le of rosemary bushed that i have let go (as in havnt pruned them) and they look pretty nice, smell great and might be an option for a low maintence edging.

Definently keep that crepe myrtle I have three in my front yard, well 3 plus a bunch of smaller self seeded ones. Maybe a few more of them? They are hardy and with an ocasional prune reallly add nice shade in summer, and let the light in in winter.

Dave

[888oz888]

Thank you all for replying and for all your good ideas.

Below is what we have thought, we could be wrong but just wanted to share and get your take on this:

Bring soil 

for behind the front retaining wall so it levels 

Soil for the garden edge in front of the window in the front yard

Mulch pine bark:

Front garden bed behind the retaining wall

Mulch around the tree

Mulch in front of the garden bed in front of the window 

Euci Mulch the whole Front yard

Plant

Pittosoporum large 6 front retaining wall in a line

Nandinas large red foliage in between the pittosoporum so not a lot of gap in between.Rocks go behind in a line

Garden edge in front near the window.

Relocate one bush rose and plant at the end to even out

Nandinas in a line as a border in front of the roses in a row.

Some native flowers 

Can someone please suggest cheap feature tree that we can put in the front yard in the center otherwise it will look barren. The little tree shed its leaves not sure if its winter or if dead as got thorns 😔

[MitchellMc]

Hi @888oz888,

I think your idea of using Pittosporum and Nandinas together behind the retaining wall is a really smart choice, especially for low maintenance and street appeal. They’ll fill out nicely and the pops of red foliage from the Nandinas will add great contrast.

For your feature tree, if you’re after something affordable, hardy, and attractive, a Crepe Myrtle could be a great fit. Crepe Myrtles are brilliant for rental properties because they look stunning in summer with their flowers, have nice bark for interest in winter, and they’re pretty drought-tolerant once established. They also don’t grow too enormous, which helps with future maintenance.

Other options could be a Japanese Maple if you’re after something with beautiful seasonal colour (great in cooler areas), or an evergreen like an Ornamental Pear (Pyrus 'Capital') if you want a narrow, upright tree that looks very tidy year-round. 

Mitchell

[888oz888]

Hi mitchell

Thanks for your reply.

What do you think about spreading thin layer of euci Mulch on the front yard. Cause dont want to spend money getting turf and if we cultivate the lawn and spread seeds it might or might not grow as winter just started in Melbourne 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @888oz888,

A thin layer of eucalyptus mulch could definitely work as a temporary and low-cost option for the front yard, especially if you’re not keen to invest in turf right now. It’ll help suppress weeds and make the space look tidier. Just keep in mind that eucalyptus mulch can be quite chunky and might take a while to break down, so if you’re planning to sow lawn seed later on, you’d probably want to rake most of it off first or clear patches for the seed to take.

Given we’re heading into winter, lawn seed will really struggle to establish now — it’s usually much better to wait until early spring when the soil warms up again. So in the meantime, mulch sounds like a very sensible plan. 

Mitchell