Here we are at the end of our journey across Australia to discover and native designs for landscaping indigenous plants in three areas of the country.
Perth
There are many stone features along the road between Perth and Neale Junction. One day-tripper says, “As you follow these stones and think laterally you start to see the first appearances of purposeful stone placements, similar to a basic track border.” So the stones are not only native, but the aborigine people used them to perform a function as we shall here—providing visitors with a path from the driveway to the back yard. A rich red brick will symbolize the desert’s red soil.
Because of a lack of Perth-native decorative vines, we’re using Australia’s native trumpet vine here to drape the raw wood arbor with a presence that ushers visitors into the back yard.
With a regular placement of Grey Box shrubs, a low block wall with variegated Callistemon was added to the right side of the driveway as an element of the house that reaches out a hand to guests.
A small parterre (with Anigozanthos Midas Touch, Bush Endeavour and mixed Bush Gems, thanks to a local nursery) takes center stage around the Acmena, a mid-sized native tree with refreshing lime new growth in dense foliage.
This small block house is a great example of how native designs for landscaping can turn up the charm with plants that will easily thrive in this environment without a lot of work or water investment. That takes care of our native re-vegetation experiment in Perth.
Alice Springs
A house for sale to which was added red Trumpet Vine climbing a ladder trellis and yellow wattle marching along a stark fence are welcome in this back yard. In fact, we took its colour for the tent shelter where one can enjoy a cool one of an afternoon. Happy hour, indeed.
Kangaroo Paw sets off the homage to one of the desert’s slumbering rock formations.
Stenanthenum scortechini — big name for a dense shapely shrub grows to 1 m for rockery or container culture – with small pointed leaves and round woolly flower heads, crowns the mound, while spinifex, a tough sharp-bladed grass runs a circle around the lot.
And finally, the soft, freshness of the bloodwood tree graces the entire ensemble with its feathery limbs. Our example of Alice Springs native designs for landscaping is complete. The owners of this back-yard retreat would enjoy the trouble-free beauty of these native desert plants all year around.
Darwin
A plain and strong feature in thelandscape, and the elements embedded around it are designed with a water theme, reflecting a location close to the continental shoreline.
Morning glories– blue dawn – stud the eaves of a typical station house. A collection of replicated indigenous pottery holds tufts of spear grass on the front porch.
Taking advantage of a great site allows a variety of features, including a lovely eucalyptus honored by a modest stone fountain that draws one out into the space. A gazebo awaits the person with a simple fishing pole to see what’s biting in the lily pond.
All-in-all, a good beginning for a landscape that incorporates its revegetation treatment with room to spare.
And so ends the experiment with native landscape design. It was a great opportunity to add resources to knowledge and new design experiences to a design-aholic that relished the exercise.
D. Hill is a retired architect in love with Australia and its many intriguing features. “I would have liked to have added a degree in landscape design, but the architecture curriculum was just too heavy. So here I am writing about it, instead, taking a chance on being right a few times and hoping others will enjoy and sense my feelings about Australia, forebear my flights of fancy and falling short in the graphics department, trying to get an idea across.” Now hiding out in a favourite monument—one of Uluru’s many caves—”hoping to discover and understand the source of its mysteries.” Before becoming a recluse, Hill was engaged in the practice of public architecture.
Do you like the design? Native designs can surely create a unique ambiance. Feel free to leave your comments below.