A rejuvenation project for an existing cottage-style garden. Reclaiming its old-world charm and breathing new life into its forgotten corners.

When Narelle originally contacted us she was desperate to get some control over her garden. A busy working mum of two adorable fur-babies (2 cats Kimba and Bella) the garden had gradually become over-run with weeds, despite her best attempts. No longer was the garden a source of joy but a constant reminder of all the things that had to be done.

The design brief was simple ‘Get it under control!’.

Before and after

A couple of garden areas are shown below to highlight what was achieved (and is ongoing) in Narelle’s garden.

• Front rose garden

Before… The overall impression here is certainly ‘unruly’ with the roses rather straggly and a clump of Nettle Tree in the lower left hand side.

…after. Roses are in much better condition now and blooming well. Nettle Tree has been removed.

• Gravel/concrete walkway (western side of house)

Before… Note the young Jacaranda trees that have come up beside the path (not the best spot for any tree)

…after. Jacarandas have been removed along with all weeds.

What was done

The most pressing issue for Narelle’s garden - overall -was getting the garden beds under control. Almost all of them had become over-run with grass (mainly Kikuyu) and various weeds including the Nettle Tree or European Hackberry (Celtis Australis). Some beds had stood up better than others due to previous efforts of mulching - as shown in the memorial bed below.

The first step in getting control over the garden beds was to remove all the old mulch (we would be able to reuse much of this) and thoroughly dig the soil over to a depth of 30 cm.

At this step thorough removal of all weeds, grass and sucker roots (Hackberry shown below) was completed.

In some sections, additional organic matter (here we used organic sugar cane mulch) and a probiotic as well as seaweed concentrate were incorporated into the soil. This was done to improve the structure and health of the soil for future plantings. Ornamentals had targetted treatments incorporated into the soil at this stage as well.

Only after this was completed did we put in new seedlings and apply mulch. In the memorial bed Narelle chose some pink and white petunias which were planted. She also had a store of old newspapers which were used and then over the top of this we applied organic sugar cane mulch to a depth of 50 mm.

The Process

Narelle is taking a gradual approach to her garden restoration. Rather than having everything done at once she has decided to approach the restoration as a long term project. This has allowed her to take the time to really figure out what she would like to happen in her garden and - among other things - some space to think about areas she might like to change (plantings etc.). All the time however, we are gaining control over the most pressing issues - over-run garden beds!

Highlights

One of the areas Narelle is particularly happy with is the state of her roses: “They’ve never looked so good. Not even when I moved in have I seen them like this!’

While Narelle admits to not being ‘much of a gardener’ another area of great satisfaction with her garden renovation was in plant selection. Choosing plants (with some guidance) that she particularly liked for each area allowed her to put her own stamp on the garden and make it uniquely hers. Shown below are the Angelonias and Gerberas she chose for the side of her laundry.