Plant Pretty Practical

When I was studying landscaping a couple of decades ago, I spent hours in the library, poring over gardening books, and paging through landscape architecture and gardening magazines, admiring the beautiful, mainly US or UK gardens.  I couldn't wait for my chance to create similarly breathtaking gardens.

Aloe cooperi in the morning light. An easy to grow, low maintenance, beautiful plant.

My first attempts at landscaping, (that were fortunately in my mothers garden) failed dismally. The plants that I had used, either died or grew so big that we lost pets inside them. This left me wondering whether I had made the wrong choice in vocation, and I'm sure must have caused my mother to wonder whether she had just wasted a couple of years of tuition on me.

But slowly it dawned on me that the old garden maxim "right plant, right place" were words to live by. Just because something looks amazing elsewhere doesn't necessarily mean that it will suit the situation that I'm working with.

I also began to realise the deception that is inherent in almost all gardening books and magazines. It is the job of publications to sell magazines and books. The best way to do this, is to showcase beautiful gardens in all their splendour. Nobody wants to buy a magazine that shows dry, colourless gardens or gardens that have been pruned back to make way for new growth. These gardens are photographed during the 3-4 week period in an entire year, that they are at their best. In many cases, the planting that you see is entirely temporary, as annuals are planted in their abundance.  Page through any gardening magazine, and you will see the majority of the plants on display are pretty, yet short-lived annuals.  This creates an unrealistic expectation on the part of the casual observer, which when it comes time to garden leaves them frustrated or disappointed.

The garden industry through television and magazines, whilst creating a sense of excitement about the potential for beauty in your back yard, has also created a rod for its own back. I can't tell you how many people I've known through the years, that are keen to get stuck into the garden, but give up after the reality sinks in.

So before you get started with your garden, figure out whether your expectations have been over inflated, by looking around you at the best gardens in your neighbourhood. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do they consistently look that way?
2. What plants have they used?
3. What kind of soil have they got? Is it the same as mine?
4. Do they regularly compost and water?
5. Have they got an irrigation system in place?
6. What are my realistic time commitments and abilities?

Finally, do some research before you buy your plants from the nursery. Have a plan in mind, and plant for the long term. Go with a list of plants that grow well in your area, don't get suckered in by the pretty things that are flowering at the entrance to the nursery because almost by the time you get home, the flowers will be gone.

Remember, beauty is fleeting so don't just plant pretty. Be pretty practical too.

Stop and ask for directions

I'm not a big believer in being critical - you can accomplish so much more with a bit of gentle encouragement. I also believe that the best way to learn is by trying, and then learning from your mistakes. But most times, its best to ask for advice before you start.

I've been watching a new development busy growing over the last few months, and I've even snuck in on occasion to take a closer look. Although its in the middle of an established suburb, with beautiful colonial houses, its simple, contemporary feel looks good, and I was looking forward to seeing how they would finish it off.

But its the finishing off that seems to have let the entire project down. To come so far, and then to do a half-baked job with the landscaping, makes the whole project look like a mess.

The planting on this front verge, really is a waste of time, energy and money. It would have been better off leaving the area as sand or weeds, or at the very least planting grass? All these plants would have looked great in a nursery in abundance. But to think that ±30 tiny plants will go any where towards covering the 60m2 of bare sand is a delusion.
None of them will spread out to cover the sand, or if they do, they will only cover the bare sand in about 50 years time. The pebbles will have disappeared into the sand in about a months time, and the pots will most likely be stolen in the next week. That all sounds quite cynical, but I've seen this same scenario so many times.

I know that these are tough financial times at the moment, and you have to look for areas to save money, but the problem isn't about money at its core - its about a lack of accurate or realistic planning. The building industry in general, never gives accurate costs or time frames - in most cases, projects go over budget and time by about 20-30%.

The result is that there are always compromises. Sometimes its the finishes in the interior that are compromised, and most times its the landscaping. So the very aspects of a project, that should be its consummation, turns out to be its scarring.

In the case above, maybe there were not enough funds available to do any meaningful landscaping, but for a fraction of the cost of what has been spent on planting and materials, (that should, and probably will be pulled out and thrown away) the developer could have gotten some good advice and some thrifty solutions which could have transformed this development.

Instead, they have got a blight on their property, and a terrible first impression.

How To Grow The Best Lawn Grass 4

Once you've prepared your earth, the next question to consider is - how do I begin growing/laying my grass? There are several methods to beginning a new lawn:

1. Grass Sods (Instant Lawn)
2. Plugs
3. Seed

1. Instant Lawn

Laying instant turf is the quickest and easiest method to getting a brand new lawn.

Give the area to be planted a good soaking the day before. This will make sure that the sods don't get dried out by the soil that they are being planted on, but will still be dry enough to work on.

If there is going to be any delay between the grass being supplied to you and being planted, then its best to leave it in a cool place for the maximum of a day. Don't water the rolled up sods, as the absence of light/air and presence of water will begin the decomposition process.

Once you are ready for planting, lay a border of grass around the edges. This gives a neater overall look to your new lawn.
Then begin laying your grass in a direction parallel to where it will mainly be viewed from. This will look better in the short term until the grass knits together and the lines between the sods are less evident.
When you are finished, give the lawn a light roll, and a light sprinkling of water to help ensure that the turf has bonded with surface of your soil.

For the next 2 weeks, water the grass every day, giving it just a light sprinkling - it doesn't have deep roots yet, so too much water and it will drop below the roots and be wasted. Thereafter, water every 2-3 days depending on the weather.

Once the grass has established you can give it a light topdressing to even out any unevenness.

2. Plugs

Plugs are a good option when cost is an issue. The plugs can be planted as far apart as necessary. The ideal spacing is 15-20cm.

As for instant grass above, give the area a good soaking the day before. Start from the furthest point and work backwards. Stand on a plank to distribute your weight evenly and keep from compacting the soil. Use a dibber, or small pointy stick to make the holes in the ground.
Place the plug into the hole, making sure that there is no air pocket below the roots. Carefully press the soil down and towards the newly positioned plug to make sure that it is firmly in place.

When you are finished, you can give the surface a light roll, and a light sprinkling of water.

As for instant turf above, for the next 2 weeks, water the grass every day. Thereafter, water every 2-3 days depending on the weather.

Once the grass has established you can give it a light topdressing to even out any unevenness.

3. Seeds

Planting grass by seed can be the trickiest method, but the satisfaction of watching thousands of little seedlings germinating is sometimes worth it.

The main thing to keep in mind is the fragility of these baby plants in their first few days of life.
Seed suppliers will often give specific directions for planting. Their instructions should be followed as much as is possible.

For best results, spread the seeds evenly by hand for small areas or with a fertiliser spreader for larger areas.
Spread a very thin, fine layer of soil over the top, or give a careful light raking to allow the seeds to be covered by about 5-8mm of soil.

Water once a day, giving the seeds/grass a very fine sprinkling, until the grass reaches about 50mm in height.

How To Grow The Best Lawn Grass 3

After looking at whether you should be using grass, and what types of groundcover are best suited to your garden. The next step to consider, is how is your earth?

Soil is probably the biggest factor (that we can control), that has the most effect on the health of a lawn. Strangely enough its usually the part that most people give the least consideration to.

The ideal earth for most lawn grasses is a sandy loam soil with a pH of between 6 and 7. Too much sand and the water and nutrients leach away from the roots too quickly. Too much clay, and the roots sit in water for too long and don't get enough oxygen. The earth should go to a minimum depth of 150-200mm.

If you are looking to improve your soil - whether you have too much clay or sand, then you can't go wrong by adding copious amounts of compost. The compost adds nutrients to sandy earth, and has the effect of breaking down the hardness of clay soil. The costs may be higher to begin with, but over time the amount of work - weeding, fertilising or repairing will be reduced considerably.

Preparation of the area should involve the following:

1. Remove any rubble or debris in the soil.
2. Remove all weeds. If time is not an issue then allow the site to stand empty for a few weeks to allow any weeds to germinate, and then remove them by hand. Post-emergence herbicides can be used instead - but these should only be used if weeds are a serious problem.
   
3. Level the area to be grassed, paying close attention to the slope of the soil. Make sure that water can drain away easily, and will drain away from buildings and pools.
4. Add compost (weed free and completely decomposed is essential), and superphosphates (±30g per m2).
   
5. Dig the compost and superphosphates into the top 100-200mm of earth.
6. Adjust and even out final levels.
7. Roll the soil to ensure an even surface. However, if the soil has even a medium clay content, never roll the soil when wet. This will compact the soil, and squeeze out any oxygen in the soil.

There are several methods of planting grass - each with their own advantages and disadvantages. These will be dealt with in a following post.

How To Choose The Best Lawn Grass 2

There are a lot of choices when it comes to using plants/grasses as a lawn. Before you choose a type of grass, consider some questions and alternatives in Part 1 of this post.

Below I have included photos of each plant, as well as some of its characteristics:

Axonopus compressus - Kearsney
Copes with: Shade - Low Traffic - Med/High Water
Good Soil - Medium Length - High Maintenance
Best Property : Grows in Shade

Stenotaphrum secundatum - Buffalo

Copes with: Sun/Semi Shade - High Traffic - Medium Water
Average Soil - Medium Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Grows in Sun/Shade, Hardy

Cynodon dactylon - Bermuda

Copes with: Sun - High Traffic - Low Water
Poor Soil - Short Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Grows in Full Sun, Hardy

Cynodon transvaalensis - Royal Blue

Copes with: Sun - High Traffic - Low Water
Poor Soil - Short Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Can be cut as short as 3mm, Full Sun, Hardy

Dactyloctenium australe - Berea Shade

Copes with: Shade/Sun - Medium Traffic - Medium Water
Good Soil - Long Length - Med Maintenance
Best Property : Grows in Shade, Soft

Paspalum vaginatum - Country Club

Copes with: Sun - High Traffic - Low Water
Poor Soil - Short Length - Med Maintenance
Best Property : Hardy

Pennisetum clandestinum - Kikuyu

Copes with: Sun - High Traffic - Medium Water
Poor Soil - Med Length - High Maintenance
Best Property : Tough, Fast growing

Dichondra repens - Wonderlawn

Copes with: Semi/Shade - Med Traffic - Med Water
Good Soil - Med Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Grows in Shade

Lysimachia nummularia - Creeping Jenny

Copes with: Sun - Low Traffic - Med Water
Good Soil - High Length - Med Maintenance
Best Property : Attractive golden colour

Mazus reptans - Mazus

Copes with: Semi-Shade - Med Traffic - Med Water
Good Soil - Med Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Pretty blue and white flowers

Mentha pulegium - Penny Royal

Copes with: Sun/Semi-Shade - Low Traffic - Med Water
Good Soil - Short Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Very Fragrant

Phyla nodiflora - Daisy Lawn

Copes with: Sun/Semi-Shade - High Traffic - Low/Med Water
Poor Soil - Short Length - Low Maintenance
Best Property : Extremely Hardy, stays short with traffic

The next step to look at, is how best to prepare your soil for planting.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment...

How To Choose The Best Lawn Grass 1

One of the most common questions that I get about gardens is 'What type of grass can I plant in my garden?'

There are a couple of things that limit the type of lawn that you can use:

• Sun/Shade - Probably the most limiting factor in choosing your lawn. The more light there is - the more choice as to what lawns are available to you. Very few grasses will grow in shade, and if they do, they will need a lot more pampering to keep them looking happy.
• Traffic - Some lawns are hardier than others, and are affected to a huge degree by the type of soil in your garden. If you get a lot of traffic, e.g. pathways or play, then either choose a hardier lawn or use stepping stones.
  
• Maintenance - How much time have you got to control, pamper or molly-coddle your lawn? Choose a lawn-type that suits your time and energy available for the garden.
• Size - If your garden is quite small you should try to find an alternative to grass - there is nothing worse than pouring all your energy into keeping a little patch happy only to slowly but surely lose the battle to weeds or bare soil.

Once you've looked at these aspects in your garden, ask yourself one more question...

Do I really need grass?

A lawn doesn't have to be grass! In fact maybe gravel, bark chips or paving would be a better solution?

A few years ago, I was called into give some advice for a small townhouse garden that had a real problem with weeds - the grass was battling under the shade of trees from neighbours and regular traffic, but the weeds seemed to be thriving.
We could have fed the soil, and cut back the trees - but that would have been quite costly, and the garden's character was enhanced by the beautiful trees next door. Instead of continuing on with this constant battle I suggested that we go with the flow and plant more of the weeds.
The 'weed' in question was a little groundcover called Dichondra (Wonderlawn) with a small round leaf that stays short and thrives in moist, shady conditions. A few years later, and this townhouse garden still has their beautiful ' lawn' with very little maintenance required.

Take a look at the next post on this topic for the different types of groundcovers available, and their pros and cons.

Planning Your Garden 2

There are lots of tools and techniques that can help when designing a garden on plan:

1. 3D software is ideal - because you can take a 2D plan and see what it would be like to stand in your finished garden.


























The drawback is that there is a fairly steep learning curve with most programs, and the programs themselves can be quite expensive.

2. Photographs and tracing paper is a great way of visualising how your garden will look. This is really helpful in seeing how big you need plants to grow to hide ugly views, or to see how much space plants are likely to take up in the garden.
Drawbacks are that you still need a fairly good eye, and a basic ability to draw perspective.

3. Overhead plans are often the easiest to get right. Also, if a design looks right on plan when viewed from above it will usually look correct in reality.

Planning Your Garden 1

I am a firm believer that everyone can and should be involved in their garden to some extent. Even in the lowest maintenance gardens that we create, I usually try to create a space where the owner of the garden can add or change things for themselves.

If you have a desire to do your garden yourself, think hard before embarking on the project. There is a lot involved in creating a beautiful garden that will last. It may not save you any money in the long run, and it may take longer than you expect.

If you are confident in your abilities, or are just really keen to get stuck in yourself, then get all the info you can.

Spend a lot of time thinking, and planning before getting down to the doing.

I once heard a proverb that said you should sit in a garden for a year before doing anything to it. Only then will you know the effects of light, wind, sun, water and seasons.

There are several things to take into account in the design and planning stages:

1. Who will use the garden? How many people? Any animals?
   
2. What do I need in the garden? i.e. play space, entertaining areas, lawn, shade etc.
   
3. What are the negative things to take into account or negate? slopes, bad soil, bad views
4. What are the positive aspects that should be enhanced? views, trees, light, shade

Make a list of all these things first. Don't skip this step!