Posted by admin | Posted in Plants | Posted on 08-02-2010
I’ve got a small garden and want to plant some low maintenance flowering plants in the next few weeks in readiness for spring and summer. I live in south eastern NSW so it doesn’t get too cold at night but gets pretty warm in summer so they have to be hardy. What plants do you recommend?
Your best ‘rule of thumb’ here is to look around locally and see what the council grows in their nature strips, parks etc. plus what plants schools have growing as well.
They always go for the toughest varieties because after all, they have to grow in rough conditions and don’t get regular watering. More often than not, plants that are used are of the native variety.
Some plants used are varieties of
bottle brush,
westringia,
grevillias,
gazanias,
kangaroo paw,
marigold,
plumbago,
geraniums,
There’s also many colourful varieties of grass plants suitable as well.
I’d suggest you have a look around town in council gardens etc. and if you aren’t sure what the plant is, take a digital photo along to your nursery. Failing that visit one and have a chat to them as they’ll be able to recommend what’s best.
Remember to mulch well in summer as this keeps moisture in plus never water in the middle of the day. Best times are first thing early in the morning or late afternoon/early evening. A good soaking is better than just a quick hosing.
Installing a dripper line system is also better as this will save water as well, plus you can put a timer on the tap to save you the trouble of having to go out and do it yourself.
Happy gardening!
Cactus
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Well, to start with, anything native, they are hardy, have lovely flowers and once established, don’t need much water or maintenance. Grevilleas and bottle brushes are nice medium size shrubs and attract small birds. There are many varieties, so you can also have them as ground covers, as well as being able to choose those which are local to your area. Most exotics (those which are imported) need lots of water and can become weeds if not maintained and controlled.
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Your best ‘rule of thumb’ here is to look around locally and see what the council grows in their nature strips, parks etc. plus what plants schools have growing as well.
They always go for the toughest varieties because after all, they have to grow in rough conditions and don’t get regular watering. More often than not, plants that are used are of the native variety.
Some plants used are varieties of
bottle brush,
westringia,
grevillias,
gazanias,
kangaroo paw,
marigold,
plumbago,
geraniums,
There’s also many colourful varieties of grass plants suitable as well.
I’d suggest you have a look around town in council gardens etc. and if you aren’t sure what the plant is, take a digital photo along to your nursery. Failing that visit one and have a chat to them as they’ll be able to recommend what’s best.
Remember to mulch well in summer as this keeps moisture in plus never water in the middle of the day. Best times are first thing early in the morning or late afternoon/early evening. A good soaking is better than just a quick hosing.
Installing a dripper line system is also better as this will save water as well, plus you can put a timer on the tap to save you the trouble of having to go out and do it yourself.
Happy gardening!
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i suggest Daylilys (Hemerocallis) for great fill in plants around slower growing trees and shrubs. They flower over the warmer months, and don’t need any hand watering by my experience in coastal NSW.
For a tufted grassy clump accent, and quite showy large blooms,
Daylilys always catch the eye.
I have a double orange one which i jus love.
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my personal experience in gardening over 20 years in Australia.
hi, i like to do a bit of gardening, my front yard faces nor-west and gets full sun in summertime, so it burns a lot of plants. Natives do go well out there, and they attract lots of birds and yes need little water and looking after,downside is we have to mulch with bark at least 2 times a year or it starts to look messy & its rather a large area. But suculents seem to do a lot better and they also flower plus you can get a lot of small ones which look very ornamental and great in a small area with a pebble mulch.(ps also live south/east NSW).these also look fantastic in pots if you want to jazz up a spot.
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Most of Australian natives are good, they are used to this harsh land
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diosma (pink and yellow) are very pretty and flower for ages. Like well drained soil. Grow fast too. About 1 metre tall. Just give them a quick haircut after flowering will keep them happy.
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Apart from selecting local indigenous plants you could consider some very hardy plants like geraniums, pelargoniums and lavender. These plants also emit some very fragrant blooms which are very pleasant on a hot summers evening. They also don’t get out of hand very quickly and end up encroaching into the natural habitat like so many other introduced species. eg. Singapore Daisy has infested the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland – Introduced by some councils because of its hardy and quick growth.
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WEEDS! we have water restrictions here, and no matter how hard I try, nothing works for me. At least the lawn and garden beds always look green!
Seriously though, you are probably better off asking the nursery garden centre staff for advice. Alot depends on which way the house faces, the soil type etc etc etc. It also depends on whether you want to attract birds and bees etc to the garden or not. Alot of native plants that flower do this, but are no good for asthma or allergy sufferers.
hope this helped
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Cactus & Suculents. Plenty of flowering varieties available.
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My own experience in my garden, Make sure you keep the Cactus at the back of the garden bed because of the spikes. I have temperatures from -3 in winter to 49 last summer & had no effect on plants.
I’ve found succulents work wonders – although direct summer sunlight WILL scorch them, provided they’ve rooted they tend to rejuvenate themselves quite well when it finally starts to rain. (lives in Adl – 40degree weeks are not good for anything except probably natives & cactuses). Also if you have time for them, roses are VERY hard to kill.
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Use plants that are native to your area. Your Council/Shire Office should be able to provide a list. Some have a local group associated with them who are committed to preserving local vegetation, and sell plants quite cheaply.
Even some native plants can be declared weeds in some areas (eg., Sweet Pittosporum). Personally, I would not recommend Gazanias, given the experience in Perth, WA.
Search the www for
weeds Australia
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Gazanias. They multiply so one plant can be divided later on. I grow them up the yard in a garden bed that gets a lot of sun. They are drought tolerant and don’t need much care. They’re low growing though so if you like tall flowers they won’t be suitable.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866699.htm
http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Flowering-Plants-and-Shrubs/Gazanias/2788
They’re described as coastal but mine grow fine and I don’t live in a coastal area.
Another flowering plant I’ve always had success with are South African Daisies. I have the white ones in the following link. They spread and always seem to have a flower. Right now it’s August and mine have lots of flowers. They’re very nice.
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/productdescrip/Osteospermum_FPWhite.html
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Succulents are great, they hardly need watering they look great too.
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For ground cover try Rhoeas they’re bullet proof and are quite nice.
As mentioned before your local natives will thrive. Your local nursery should have a good range of natives indigineous to the area.
Eriostemons, Murrayas, Wattles, Grevilleas, Photinias, These are all good shrub / small tree choices. Check out new cultivars of varieties, a lot of species are now available in dwarf varieties and many different colours ,shapes and forms. They are always changing and there are some fantastic choices now especially for small gardens.
Coleonemas, Lavenders, Pig face, are also hardy choices,
Hope this helps and happy gardening.
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Qualified Landscape Gardener for 35 years.
Acacia drumondii – bright yellow buds in spring, will grow to 1.5 metres (dwarf wattle I think)
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Cactus & Succulents. Plenty of flowering varieties available.Also small bottle brushes there all good ,if you have pot plants are easy to water with grey waste, we have such strong water restrictions not much else. Really think pot plants are the best for small gardens with small native bushes
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The NSW Rural Fire Service has good advice on fire resistant trees and shrubs. Please consider this if live in a fire danger area.
Happy, and safe gardening.
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http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/
http://kakadujuice.com/sandygm2
Kalanchoes.
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If you have enough room in your garden consider planting one small tree to give a different eye level and create a shady peaceful spot. I suggest the Chinese Tallow tree that changes colour with the seasons or Prunus Nigra that is a ball of light pinkish flowers in Spring. Make sure that it is away from the house or any fence/pathway.
As plants go, well, may be Wisteria as a backdrop. It ressembles Rosemary and is very hardy. Also in the line of natives, Grevilleas are nice and attract birds but can cause allergies to people if they brush against them. Kangaroo Paws are lovely but the flowering season a bit short-lived. Hybrid Gazanias are a magnificent ground cover. They require full sun. All types of Daisies like Kingfisher or Marguerite Daisies make lovely mass planting along the perimeter of the garden. Day Lillies, Delphiniums, Red Hot Poker or Salvia make great accent plants; they are tall and showy. If you have, as you say, a small garden, please consider pots. Decorative pots planted with Geraniums or Pelargoniums, Petunias or dwarf Bougainvilleas for an exotic touch work wonders and require minimal attention. Good luck.
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Have to agree with Hector, CACTUS
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Natives such as Westringias, Grasses like Lomandra species, anything with grey foliage is usually really hardy, plus you can’t really go wrong with Succulents such as Agaves, Kalanchoes, Yuccas, Cotyledon and Senecio species. These may not all be the flowering plants you are looking for but sometimes interesting foliage is just as pretty in the garden.
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I’m getting ready to do the same but am in Victoria and have had to weed out all the weeds first (which is the entire yard) and clean it all up (mess from previous tenants).
I went to my local garden nursery and asked about drought tolerant plants and screening plants also. Obviously native plants are best and succulents. There’s some good screening plants that are hardy and only maybe need a trim once a year. Because my yard is small i’m planning on planting a couple of dwarfed fruit trees which will grow smaller, can be grown in containers and be more maintainable. Just make sure you don’t plant something that takes over your whole yard. While i’m pulling out the small weedy plants i’ve left a shrub that i think may be a dark star lilac shrub. It’s attracting butterflies already and the flowering is a great blue. Even though you’re looking for low maintenance garden still consider (if you haven’t one already) a compost bin because it will over time save the costs of fertilizers. Also as I’ve found white vinegar very good as an organic and safe weed killer rather than using toxic pesticides.
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Someone suggested gazanias. These are strikingly beautiful but if you care about the environment, please don’t grow them as they are invasive environmental weeds. The Australian bush is full of weed species which started out as tough garden plants & are helping to push native plant & wildlife species to the brink of extinction. It’s great to have tough, low care plants in the garden but please do some research on the weed potential of your intended purchases before buying & planting them.
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Pegasus’ answer is pretty well spot on. I am from Western Australia and most native shrubs thrive in all conditions. When choosing, just look for the growth details, ie: height etc. An ideal way to start off young shrubs is to plant the shrub and then cut a piece of hose or pipe and push it down towards the roots. This way when the plant does require some water you just pour it down the pipe. This method also gives the shrub a flying start.
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Look at the native plants of your area. Australian flora is very beautiful when used creatively.
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Try wattles,or acacia they seem to hold out better than any other in this drought we are having, i also live in NSW on the south coast you could also try planting a well established Lavender bush if you are not allergic.
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Try Hebes..there are different varities that flower at different times of the year. They are long flowering shrubs that can be easily maintained.They are waterwise too. Mine coped well thru our last heatwave even though they were newly established. If they suffer any stress, just cut them back and they bounce right back !
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You can plant diff. type of flowering cactus, roses, daisy, sampaguita, magnolia, marigold and other lovely plants…
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Weeds!
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Native plants is what you want. They are all low maintenance, need little water and have flowers, which attract native birds. Go to your local nursery for some advice on what’s best for your particular area. I live in north Qld, so what does well here might not do so well in NSW, because it does get colder in winter there.
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best plants to grow with low maintenance is native plants they are use to the enviroment. usually when purchasing plants it will tell you on the tag the best area for the plant. planting native plants means you dont need to water them as often and bonus to it will bring in the birds..
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