Natural Style Backyard Landscape Design Garden Makeover.
Residents of this Oaklands Park home decided it was time to give their backyard a makeover. Access to the garden from a sliding door was made via a raised pine deck which had definitely seen better days.
There was no lawn for children to play on and the plants they did have were in pots, along with a corrugated planter box containing vegetables.
Knowing they needed professional help with a plan that could then be followed by landscapers to complete all the landscaping work required, they booked a concept design session with Living Pictures By Tony Stanton.
During the initial discussion with Tony, a number of garden design elements were required to be included within the new backyard landscape design. They included replacing the old softwood pine timber deck with new hardwood decking boards, create a beautiful backyard with lawn, plenty of colourful plants and a paved path to walk around the garden on.
Having a low maintenance garden was important, so an automated irrigation system would be installed to water the lawn and plants.
A separate area for the clothes line, that currently was a main focal point of the garden was required and to satisfy their love of fresh organic ‘vegies’ an area near the house for those was important.
The challenge was to come up with a layout that would include everything the Oaklands Park clients wanted, look amazing and make sense from a functional perspective.
Towards the end of the 90 minute session, Tony sketched up a concept design plan and concept vision to show the clients what the result could look like once all the landscaping had been done.
Delighted with the layout and garden design solutions Tony came up with, they asked Living Pictures By Tony Stanton to proceed with construction plans detailing and specifying all the work to be completed.
A scaled hardscape plan and softscape plan was drawn up that met all the clients needs and could be constructed within their budget.
The last step of the landscape design process is to turn what’s been planned for on paper into reality. Comfortable with Tony’s expertise they asked Living Pictures By Tony Stanton to handle all the logistics their backyard landscape design makeover called for including dealing with landscapers, sourcing all the plants required and making sure what was detailed on the plans was executed exactly and correctly.
Instead of using softwoods, Merbau hardwood slats were chosen.
Hardwood timber decking will last considerably longer than softwoods and when regularly cleaned and sealed with a quality oil, not painted or varnished, it’s not unreasonable to expect your deck to last 50 years.
To cater for the wish to have an area of the garden available to grow vegetables, planter boxes were filled with good quality organic potting mix and placed along part of the front and side inside the deck
Conveniently located to the back door, the hand-picked selection also provides a lovely border to the deck.
During different months of the year, the selection can easily be updated to include what’s in season ensuring fresh vegetables or herbs all year round.
Tony’s Tip: Before Planting Vegetables
Veggie beds are a great idea. They teach children that food comes from the ground not from a plastic bag at the supermarket.
But don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you haven’t been an avid food grower before, consider if you have the time or inclination to become one.
Usually the answer is No. If that’s you and just want to involve the kids in growing vegetables for fun, a single 2400mm x 600mm garden bed will do the job. You can grow all of your summer salad veg in it and retire it during winter.
Various companies make corrugated steel beds that raise the garden to hip height, making gardening easier. Cover it up when not in use to keep out cats and prevent weeds.
A good quality organic mulch was dug into the soil in preparation for the natural turf and the garden plants.
An automated irrigation system with controller was installed and set up so that different areas of the garden could be watered independently, delivering the right amount of water at the right time of the day.
In keeping with the wish for a low maintenance landscape design, Male Sterile Kikuyu was selected for the lawn because of its drought tolerant properties. Being tough with good self repairing qualities it’s ideal for children and pets to play on and looks good all year round, unlike some other grasses that yellow during the cooler Winter months.
The plants were selected and layout out to make the garden low maintenance. Many native plants were used along with a hand picked selection of other plants that would also be more resilient to Adelaide’s hot, dry Summers.
This illustrates one of the key benefits engaging credible, expert landscape designers from Living Pictures By Tony Stanton.
As a qualified horticulturist, Tony will ensure the garden style looks aesthetically pleasing while being practical.
Finally a good quality mulch (Forever Black) was laid to the garden beds helping retain moisture while providing strong contrast to the colourful foliage and flowers.
Ready For A Backyard Landscape Design?
If you know what your budget is & have a vision in mind, book Tony for a concept design meeting.
