Category: Landscaping & Gardens

Retaining Wall Ideas for Sloped Perth Gardens

Throughout my 16 years as a Perth landscaper designing and constructing gardens across Perth’s undulating suburbs, I’ve learned that retaining walls can be far more than just functional necessities. When thoughtfully designed, these structural elements become striking features that transform challenging slopes into beautiful, usable spaces while solving complex terrain issues.

Understanding Perth’s Unique Landscape Challenges

Perth’s topography presents distinctive challenges for garden design. From the coastal dunes to the Darling Scarp, our city’s varying elevations and sandy soils require specific approaches to retaining wall construction. The key lies in understanding not just the structural requirements, but how to integrate these necessary elements into beautiful, practical garden spaces.

Read more: Geotechnical Society of WA – Soil Stability Guidelines

The Art of Retaining Wall Design

One of our recent clients, Peter Harrison, shared his experience:

“Alex recently designed/landscaped my front and rear yards, including retaining walls, fence, paving, reticulation and native trees/plants. The yard was in a terrible state but we wanted to maintain a similar structure with a low maintenance outcome.”

His testimonial highlights a crucial point – retaining walls must balance structural necessity with aesthetic appeal and practical maintenance considerations.

Creating effective retaining walls involves understanding the interplay between soil pressure, drainage requirements, and visual impact. In Perth’s sandy conditions, proper construction becomes even more critical, as our soils can be particularly challenging to work with, especially during our intense winter rains and dry summers.

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Perth’s Outdoor Living Trends – Builders Tips for Alfresco Renovations

G’day, Perth landscapers and homeowners! If there’s one thing we know how to do in this sun-soaked corner of the world, it’s making the most of our outdoor spaces. With our Mediterranean climate and laid-back lifestyle, the line between indoor and outdoor living is getting blurrier by the day. So, let’s dive into the hottest trends and smartest tips for creating your perfect alfresco area, straight from the mouths of Perth’s top builders.

The Alfresco Revolution

I remember the first time I saw a proper alfresco setup in Perth. It was at my mate Dave’s place in Cottesloe. He’d just finished renovating, and I was blown away by how his outdoor area seamlessly flowed from the kitchen. “It’s like having another room,” he grinned, flipping snags on the barbie while the kids splashed in the pool. That was the moment I realized – outdoor living in Perth had come a long way from the humble patio and Hills Hoist.

These days, an alfresco area is practically a must-have for Perth homes. But what’s trending now, and how can you create an outdoor space that’s both stylish and practical? Let’s break it down, shall we?

  1. Blurring the Lines: Indoor-Outdoor Flow

The biggest trend we’re seeing is the seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces. Here’s how to nail it:

  • Large sliding or bi-fold doors: These create a wide opening that makes your outdoor area feel like an extension of your living room.
  • Consistent flooring: Use similar materials or colors for your indoor and outdoor flooring to create visual continuity.
  • Level thresholds: Eliminate step-downs between inside and out for a smooth transition.

I recently worked on a project in Mount Lawley where we installed floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors along the entire back of the house. When they’re open, you can’t tell where the living room ends and the alfresco begins. It’s magic!

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5 Principles Of Hillside Landscaping

While the vast majority of gardens that are subject to residential landscaping work, be it new designs or for ongoing care and maintenance, will be perfectly flat, not all are. Some will have inclines of varying degrees, and there will be those situated on a hillside. This is the landscaping project that landscapers will find most challenging. In truth, the ability to create a workable landscaping design on a hillside can often prove to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

If you are up for the challenge, Intreeg Landscapes advises you that creating a landscape design for a Sutherland-shire garden that has a large slope on a hillside is not easy, and there are certain principles that you must follow to succeed. Read on, and you will discover what those principles are.

Ensure The Slope’s Integrity Is Not Compromised

One of the most important aspects of designing landscaping for a hillside is safety. You might wonder why that would be so in a garden environment; however, if your landscaping design involves any significant digging or construction, there are risks.

The primary risk is that you affect the integrity of the hillside to the extent that it becomes unstable. If that happiness then there is a risk that soil could loosen, and a mudslide occurs with all the consequences that could follow on from such an event. One key design principle to follow is to make lots of small digs to create multiple levels within your design, rather than try to with just one or two large excavations.

Use Plants With Deep, Fine Roots

Carrying on from the previous point about the integrity of the slope’s soil, another way risks can be minimised is with the careful selection of the plants and trees which you intend to grow. In particular, you want to select plants and trees which are known to create a network of deep roots. The theory is that these deep roots help to bind the soil underground, strengthening its integrity and thus acting almost like a safety net beneath your hillside landscaping.

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5 Reasons To Ask Your Landscape Architect To Include Water Features

When discussing your wishes with landscape architects as to what you want to be included in your new landscape design, we sincerely hope that one or more water features are on the list. As for constitutes a water feature it can be anything from a small bird bath to a large fountain, from an artificial stream to a pond, and many more including a full-sized swimming pool if your property is large enough.

Water features are amazing in that they can activate several senses including seeing the beauty of cascading water, listening to the peaceful ripples from a small stream, or the cooling feel as you splash cold water onto your face on a hot summer’s day. You can also include taste if you have a drinking fountain, and smell if you have a fish pond, so that takes care of all five senses.

As well as what we have just described, water features have several other benefits for homeowners who request that their landscape architect include one in the landscape design they are creating. If you are unsure of what they might be, please continue reading and you will discover that we have highlighted five reasons why you will want a water feature in your landscaped garden.

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Why The Direction A Garden Faces Is A Critical Factor In Landscaping

When asked to design landscaped gardens, there are many variables that landscapers must take into account. The list of variables is a long one, and can include:

  • Client’s budget
  • Uses for the garden
  • Size of the garden
  • Lawn or no lawn?
  • Real lawn or artificial lawn?
  • Type of mowing – lawnmowing? vertimowing?
  • Types of plants such as shrubs, flowers, or trees
  • Decking from deckingsydney.net.au and pathways
  • Fixed features such as seating and retaining walls
  • Water features, pools, ponds
  • Timescale for completion

Doubtless, you will be able to think of several more. However, there is one aspect of the garden being designed that we guarantee many clients do not even think of, and possibly even a few landscapers fail to think of too, and that is the direction the garden is facing. Whether a garden faces north, east, south, or west, can have a significant impact on what and how well plants grow there, as well as several potential features that may be included.

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How to Improve Indoor-Outdoor Flow with Landscape Design

Achieving the right look with landscape design is no easy feat. If you’re a home owner looking to spruce up your property or even starting a new project from scratch, you will probably need a professional landscaping contractor.

Landscape design and landscaping, in general, can be quite the balancing act.

It doesn’t get any easier when it comes to indoor-outdoor flow, either. You may have a beautiful outdoor area and an even more lovely home, but how do you get the two to talk to each other? You can either consult expert landscapers in your area or read on.

Light it Up

If your goal of improving indoor-outdoor flow is so that you can enjoy both areas equally, then think about lighting. You may be less likely to utilise your outdoor entertainment area if it’s poorly lit. No one wants to sit in the dark when your home has plenty of lighting for everyone.

Consider installing solar lighting, fairy lights, and permanent ones that enhance the connection. A well-lit entertainment area is welcoming and warm.

Provide Cover

Your outdoor entertainment area should be a seamless transition from your home. You should be able to walk out of your living or kitchen area, directly into an equally as sheltered and covered outdoor space. Consider building a pergola-type structure to enhance that cover. Otherwise, look at shade cloths and archways to connect the two areas.

Furnish Smartly

Just because you added decking or paving stones to the outside of your home, doesn’t mean you’ve mastered landscape design. It might look kind of like an outdoor area, but it’s not finished.

If you want to improve indoor-outdoor flow, then make your deck area an extension of your home. Add comfortable seating, plants, outdoor rugs, lighting, and even outdoor cooking appliances such as a barbecue.

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Get the Best out of Your Lawn

After a hard day at work, there’s nothing like retreating to your garden to get the stress out and relax. Your garden, be it the turf in your front lawn or in your backyard with plants and flowers, is more than just a feature that enhances your property. Your green space, your creation, is part of your character and it can have a number of different functions, depending on your lifestyle.

You can transform the whole yard into a great, enjoyable living space. Apply a bit of creativity and a few resources and you will have an exciting as well as relaxing place to spend your downtime.

Here’s a few tips that might help:

Tip #1: What do you want from your lawn?
It doesn’t matter whether you are redesigning an existing area or starting from scratch, what is your overall plan? Do you want some water elements, as they will add energy and peaceful sounds? How about a porch or a patio where you can sit and look at your view? You might love flowers, so flower beds will be the go. Vegetables? Everybody loves growing their own vegies. A herb garden?

The design is up to you. You have to make it work, so don’t do a half-hearted job or make it so the garden needs more maintenance than you have time to spare.

Tip #2: Speaking of maintenance…
It’s not a project that ends when the fat lady sings. Keeping your garden in tip top condition is an ongoing labour of love. Keeping your lawn healthy and your plants looking as though they belong in a flower shop is all about maintaining, watering and positioning – sunlight and shade. Make sure you have put down the right type of turf that grows best where you live.

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A Safety Guide To Avoid Hazardous Plants For Residential Landscaping

What is Residential Landscaping?
It is the art of decisively changing the natural features close to your residence for the purpose of making them more beautiful and useful. Moreover, residential landscaping is the best way to alter the region adjoining your house into your own individual ecstasy, so you have a soothing place to come home to after a tiring day.

In order to have the beautiful and blossoming landscape, one can either hire a professional landscaping designer if one is unaware of the ways to alter the surroundings as an expert will have the proper knowledge and skill to carry out the activity in a much skilled manner.

While performing the process of residential landscaping, it is important for a gardener to differentiate between the plants that you should grow and avoid. Planting hazardous plants might not only have a bad impact on its other fellow plants but might spoil the land as well. So it is necessary to find and conclude, which plants can prove to be dangerous to grow.

The following few plant, trees, and shrubs should be avoided for a hazardous free residential landscaping. They are explained in brief.

Annuals:

  1. Elephant ear: The botanical name of elephant ear is Colocsia esculenta. The entire plant is poisonous and dangerous.
  2. Easter lily: The botanical name of Easter lily is Zephyranthus spp. Easter lily also is completely toxic and unsafe.
  3. Morning glory: Ipomoea spp. is the botanical name of Morning Glory. The seeds and roots of Morning glory are toxic.
  4. Impatient: Impatiens spp. is the botanical name of Impatient. Its stem, leaves and roots are harmful.

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Benefits of an Office Garden

Office gardens! That sounds green. Who said you need to wait for retirement to enjoy the gardening sessions and aesthetics plants offer? Offices can have gardens too, in the front yard or rooftop, depending on the space available!

As with the practices of corporate social responsibility, companies are increasingly going green inside the office premises too. Firms are realizing the advantages of converting some area of office space into natural space with greenery and beautifully designed landscaping that not only capture the attention of the visitors but also keeps the environment fresh and energetic. They’re often known as Corporate Gardens and are a growing trend nowadays regardless of what the organization has as a business offering.

There are numerous benefits of a garden in office space where employees have access, such as:

1. Teamwork and problem solving
The corporate gardens possess nature’s rejuvenating qualities that inculcate optimism in humans. The greenery allows the brains of employees to relax and focus better on the tasks at hand. Teamwork and problem solving skills are enhanced with healthy brain activity and engagement in gardening tasks in spare time. This allows them to focus on the pressing issues at work and fosters better problem solving.

2. Meditation
No time for yoga after work? Not an issue at all with your corporate garden. These gardens are naturally engaging and some amount of manageable exercise in these gardens help release endorphins that are the stress buster hormones. Meditation is an essential tool to relieve oneself of all the worries and ruminations, and provided a chance at the workplace, your employees are more likely to stick with your organization for long.

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Water Conservation in the Garden

In dry times or when El Nino haunts our thoughts, we tend to save as much water as possible and one of the first things to do is stop watering the garden. Water restrictions usually come in whether we want them too or not and it is painful to see precious plants in the garden droop and die for want of a good soaking. Nevertheless, it is something that all gardeners in dry areas must come to terms with. Here are some ways to conserve water in the garden.

Irrigation

When you install a watering system, go for drip irrigation. This will deliver a small amount of water right to the base of the plant where it is needed, rather than spraying heaps across the whole garden, path, fence, driveway and the wall of the house. You can now get systems that can sense whether the garden even needs watering. DIY guide (Drip Irrigation)

Time of watering is also important. If you water in the morning, there are 8-10 hours of heat that will evaporate your efforts. Watering in the evening means the water will not evaporate to any great extent until the next day. That means your plant roots have all that time to soak it up, thus making the best use of the water you give them. Professional reticulation installers should be used at all times.

Two Kinds of Mulch

Choosing the right plants will reduce the need for water in the garden, but mulching will also help. Using mulch keeps the soil cooler and slows down evaporation. Straw, mushroom waste and sugarcane mulch are all good additions to the garden as they break down slowly and add fertiliser.  You don’t have to buy straw if you have a lawn that needs mowing on a regular basis. All you need to do is save the clippings – and the fallen leaves from trees and shrubs.

How to use Sugar Cane Mulch

However, you can also add the kind of mulch that does not break down and this, too, will help to conserve water in the garden. Pine chips or bark, or even pebbles in a smaller garden help to conserve water.

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Benefits of Installing a Proper Irrigation System

To keep your yard alive, you need to water it on a regular basis as rain water alone, will not be enough for the plants and grass in your garden. However, different plants require different amounts of water to remain healthy; therefore, you need to install a proper source for watering your plants that will make your yard greener, while being economical as well.

To aid them in this purpose, many people use irrigation systems to supply their yard with the water it needs, as frequently as is desired. If you want to make landscaping easier, you can also install such a system, regardless of the size of your yard, and additionally, hiring a professional for the job who will hire the equipment for the project which will make the process even more convenient.

Following are the benefits of installing an irrigation system in your yard.

Better Water Conservation

A study states that 70% of the water consumed by the household is for outdoor upkeep. However, irrigation systems will reduce the excess water usage and make your yard eco-friendly.

Many systems even come equipped with a sensor that can detect soil moisture and shut the system off, on its own, when the required level is met. These devices also have weather sensors which adjust the water setting according to the moisture level in the air, and give water to the plants only when necessary.

Greener Garden

When your plants consume the right amount of water daily, they grow healthier and look beautiful. It is better to spend on an irrigation system than being dependent on a gardener for your yard’s upkeep. Also, since your plants look amazing, any potential buyer will notice your yard, and eventually, the value and demand of your home in the market will increase.

Is Not Time Consuming

A lot of people opt for an irrigation system, mostly because they feel that watering their plants is just another household chore, which takes up a lot of their time. Irrigation systems, however, will save this time, which you can utilize more productively for other tasks.

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How to Take the Heavy Work Out of Landscaping

There is no question about it; landscaping is hard work. Not only is there a great deal of digging to do when you first start to put in those new garden beds, but the upkeep requires constant attention. However, it is getting everything started that is the hardest, especially if you have to flatten areas of ground or install plants that are fully grown. However, you don’t have to have mighty muscles to be a landscaper if you hire equipment to do all that heavy lifting and digging. You can simply use the machine to do all the heavy work and it will be done faster and more professionally than you could ever do it by hand.

Hire a Dingo

Dingos are highly manoeuvrable small machines that are ideal for many applications because of the variety of attachments that are available. If you need to dig trenches, dig a hole for a full sized palm tree or simply move loads of earth from one place to another, the dingo is the machine for you. They are also good for working on construction sites or in areas that are considered dangerous. Some types can even be operated remotely, meaning you don’t have to get close to any source of danger.

Their manoeuvrability means that they can work in areas or situations that other larger or less manoeuvrable machines could not. If you need a hole dug or some soil moved in a suburban property the dingo is the machine for the job. They can usually fit into and work in smaller spaces.

Bobcat Hire

The bobcat is the next in size to the dingo and is different in that it operates with tracks rather than wheels. This has the advantage of spreading the weight out over a larger area of ground so there is less damage, an advantage in many landscaping situations. And if the ground is very wet, they are not so likely to get bogged.

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Great Ideas for Lawn Design

A great lawn rarely happens by chance. It is the product of careful planning, choosing the right lawn grass, having good soil underneath, careful mowing to the right height, fertilising and of course, watering at the right times. Many Australian lawns don’t get this kind of care and it is not long before they develop bare patches which Mother Nature soon fills in with weeds – often prickly ones.

Good Reticulation Saves Water
As property sizes decrease, lawn sizes shrink with them, but that doesn’t mean you have to neglect your grass. It simply means it is easier to take care of and you will have time to play golf. Another way to have plenty of time for golf is to install an automatic watering system. The correct system for your lawn will not only transform it into a verdant carpet the kids will loving playing on; it will save water.

Modern technology has caught up with things like pumps and sensors, so you can have an automatic reticulation system hidden away under that green carpet and know that it will not automatically water your lawn even though it has recently rained.  Sensors will switch it off even if it is just about to rain.  And you can add specially shaped nozzles that will avoid watering your driveway or the neighbour’s yard.

The Importance of Mowing Techniques
Mowing techniques are important too, to keep your lawn looking good. If you allow it to get too long and then mow it short on a very hot day, there will be numerous brown patches – sunburn due to the soft stems being exposed. Sometimes this will even kill large patches of grass. On the other hand, if you mow constantly at near ground level, the grass will become weaker and soon there will be weeds growing through it.

Mowing regularly about 40mm from the ground will allow your grass to grow those leaf blades that are soft and green, yet strong enough provide a good ground cover that will keep out weeds and shade the soil. It is also important to keep the mower blades really sharp, otherwise the grass will go white in patches due to tearing damage.

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Tips for Creating the Best Garden

As you sow, so shall you reap — so sow well to reap the benefits beautifully. A home garden is a dream for many, and being given a chance to design and develop your own is a bounty in itself. In the multitude of plants and beautiful landscape, your house would look like a tiny village with lush green meadows surrounding its edges.  Careful planning and projection of different needs is an integral part of creating for yourself an amazing garden, which ensures healthy growth of plants beautifying your garden.

Make a Plan
Outline a plan on paper or different software. If you have played Farmville, you know what that looks like. According to the covered area of the garden, the sections are to be divided to each plant row and the kinds of shrubs and different organic elements are all to be sketched first. It’s easier switching to a different plan if one doesn’t work rather than doing all the hard work another time.  Keeping all aspects in mind, you can plan out the location and design for your garden, type of landscape you’d like to have, which area is dedicated to make a pathway, which one is for vegetables, and much more needs to be planned for in order to maximize effectiveness.

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How to Make Use of Recycled Materials for Landscaping

Landscaping, adds to the outer appeal of your house. However, a lot of people do not like making expensive investments on their house’s exterior after having spent a large sum on a new house.

Luckily, there are many options available for people who want to indulge in landscaping or green living without excessive costs. One of these methods is the use of recycled materials for landscaping without compromising on the exterior of the house. Recycling is also a way to reduce waste, so in a way, you are not only saving your money, but also reducing the waste you produce.

You can achieve a striking garden by utilizing even the simplest of recyclable material. These materials are of three different kinds, which include; salvaged items, garden refuse, and recycled content. Below are a few of the items that are recycled for landscaping purposes.

Broken Dishware
We all have broken a dish or two occasionally, and then have thrown them away no matter how beautiful they were, but now, you can use them in your recycled landscaping project. The broken pieces of dishware can be used as little decorative pieces. You can shape them in any texture you like and paint them with the color of your choice.

Carpet
To create a new garden, cover it with any old carpet for some weeks and you will notice corrosion of the grass under the carpet, which will ease the digging process. You can also create lanes with the help of a woven carpet and then add stones over it.

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How to Secure the Value of your House through a Beautiful Yard

A yard is often the most undervalued part of the house, but it shouldn’t be. This is because it can make the difference between an ordinary and extraordinary home. It is the first thing that a visitor sees, and it makes an impression on them with regard to the upkeep of the interior.

Hence, spending money to make the yard look appealing will never be a waste, especially when you decide to sell your house later on. The beautiful yard will, in fact, increase the value of your residence and attract potential buyers easily.

According to a research, a garden increases the value of your house up to 20%, so it is necessary to keep your garden groomed if you want to get the right price for your home. Following are the ways you can use to beautify your house and increase its worth.

Irrigation System
Maintaining the garden and watering it every day is time consuming. In order to make the task easier and simpler, reticulation should be installed in the garden. This will help in watering the grass and plants through pipes to boost their healthy growth. The only effort you will then have to make is turning the tap on and off, and the rest of the work will be done automatically through water flowing from the pipe line. This will keep your yard looking greener than ever before.

Colourful Decorations
If you want people to notice your yard, it needs to stand out. For that purpose, add colours to the garden, not just by planting colourful flowers and different kinds of plants, but by installing and painting the fence as well. To make it look more alluring, add decorative pieces such as lanterns and other interesting objects. A lot people also invest in fountains to make their yard look amazing. Fixtures like waterfalls and fountains really boost the atmosphere of the exterior and create a positive impression on potential buyers.

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