Out the back comes home

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:34:45 +1000

Traditional highland gardens have treated native plants as being suitable for “out the back”.

If a native plant was to be planted in the home garden it was generally selected for big flowers to “attract birds”. Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be) many of these selected plants prove to be unsustainable and die. Those that do survive then act as lures for native birds to enter at peril, the habitat of aggressive exotic birds,

Today the trend is increasing for native plants to be planted in the home garden. More and more people realise the beauty of our local flora and fauna and the many positive benefits achieved from having an environmentally friendly garden.

Native plants provide an abundance of colour through winter, spring summer and autumn when managed correctly. This colour is not only achieved using flowers but also through an amazing array of foliage textures and colours. Native birds also provide colour and song when they become residents.

A fine example of this homecoming for native plants is the work undertaken by Sydney based Turner and Associates Architects to create a contemporary home in a largely undisturbed bushland setting in the southern Highlands. The brief from the owner was to create a home for the family which blended into the natural bushland setting providing a safe and natural environment for the family to enjoy.

Due to the potential risk from bushfires stringent conditions were placed on the development by various authorities to ensure safety. These included building with suitable fireproof materials, creation of adequate water supply, creation of hazard reduction zones, asset protection zones, adequate access roads and suitable landscaping.

Control measures were also implemented to ensure minimum damage to natural vegetation and to avoid scarring and damage to existing rock formations and outcrops.

All of these objectives have been achieved to date in a creative manner with pleasing results.

To assist in landscaping and vegetation management the architects enlisted the assistance of Wariapendi Nursery to advice on potential plant selections, vegetation management regimes and to enact works as required.

During the last 2 years over 3,700 native grasses and 650 native trees and shrubs have been planted to minimise the impact of the development within the natural bushland setting..

Through careful design and thoughtful implementation the owner is well on the way to achieving his goal of a contemporary home which is friendly in the use of its resources whilst providing for a pleasant and relaxed home environment.

Creating Ecological Gardens

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:55:43 +1000

As an Australian many lifestyle benefits are taken for granted. Most of these benefits are based around having abundant resources available for our use whilst we work and play surrounded by natural beauty. Environmental issues such as climate change, depleting water resources and habitat loss will all impact on our future lifestyles.

Change is in the wind with a growing awareness that the way of doing things needs to be different if current lifestyle benefits are to be passed onto future generations. Unfortunately for most of us change is difficult to implement especially when we talk about personal lifestyle changes.

We are good at implementing community change to benefit our future but when it comes to personal lifestyle changes we all seem to shrug our shoulders and say that the problem is too complex. We then carry on with business as normal simultaneously patting ourselves on the back for the good work we are doing in other areas.

We must learn to act locally as well as globally.

The easiest way to do this is in the home. Positive changes have already been made with recycling and efficient energy usage in the home. However, in my opinion the southern highlands biggest shame file relates to the lack of environmental awareness centered on the home garden.

A traditional southern highlands garden requires huge inputs of energy and water to sustain and maintain them. Havens for exotic pests and diseases are created putting further pressure on our local and flora and fauna. They are highly modified landscapes containing mainly exotic plant species providing minimal benefit to our local ecology.

Creating an ecological garden is easy. Ecological gardens are not ugly. Well designed and maintained ecological gardens provide personal pleasure and satisfaction. The energy our gardens consume should provide benefit to our local ecology and not undermine its very existence.

The way to convert your old garden or create a new ecological garden is simple.
The first step is to sit back and ask yourself is my garden water wise, does my garden provide suitable habitat, do I use excessive petrochemical insecticides and fuel? Assess your garden critically. Try not to go into denial.

The second step is to resist your urges, which satisfy personal issues at the expense of sustainability.
What is more important -how my garden looks or how it contributes to its surroundings.

The third step is to start researching and planning. This process may take a long time.

The fourth step is to stop doing and think about why you do it and is there a better way. Sometimes the better way is to resist your urge and do nothing. For example maybe you should not mow the lawn this week and allow seeds to develop for birds to eat and for the grass to grow healthier and stronger.

The fifth step is react when you need to react. Don’t put things off which really need doing. Unfortunately to be able to do this properly you need to have step three implemented which takes time. Some say that this is a mission impossible as plans are only plans which are to be changed as circumstances evolve. Personally, I like plans that evolve one step at time and include risk assessments.

The sixth and final step is to have faith in what you are doing. Life continually evolves and as you are alive you also will continue to evolve. Be confident by understanding that it is OK to be different by working for the future. Life is a series of mistakes commonly referred by some as experience. As we all know hindsight is a wonderful thing. As many clients have said to me:

“If only I had done this 20 years ago”.

Residents With Vision A community forum for those who care

Out the back comes home

Creating Ecological Gardens