Our garden is looking mighty sad after the incredibly dry and hot summer Victoria has experienced this year. With water restrictions firmly in place, watering every day was off limits so we could only choose a few important plants to save. While researching some options on how to revive a drought damaged garden we came across a local make-over TV show called “Dry Spell Gardening” which knocked our socks off. Making over a whole range of gardens across Australia was fun to watch but we also picked up some simple ideas to help you update your garden. See more after the jump...
Before and After: Dry Spell Gardening
Australia
While it's an interesting show, we certainly don’t have $20-30,000 [YIKES!] to spend on a garden make-over and in some case we’re unsure of where exactly the money went! However there are some simple ideas that anyone can apply to their garden to give it a fresh feel...
- Maintain the greenery: Be constant with pruning trees, mowing lawns and pulling out weeds. If you do this regularly it will be less of an effort and less painful in the long run.
- Layer the greenery: Common sense really, when plotting your garden big plants go at the back of the garden while small go at the front. Makes small gardens feel bigger and will show off your plants better.
- Update ground surfaces: Cleaning up moldy or dull existing pavers, re-oil any decking, tidy up those pebbles and mow the lawns.
- Add color: Plain plant pots can be spruced up with splashes of paint or brighten up old furniture with cushions from IKEA, discount stores or make your own and don’t forget to plant plants with colorful flowers.
- Pot Plants: Perfect solution for renters and people who have limited garden space. We think they look fantastic clustered on decking and paving too.
- Furniture: As Rebecca showed us last week, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to create an amazing outdoor space.
We’ll be getting out into the garden this weekend, do you have any other simple tips to give gardens a quick, fresh feel?
For more great garden make-overs check out the Dry Spell Gardening Website.
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Comments (6)
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My prescription: Right plant, Right place.
There's nothing more beautiful and satisfying than healthy plants, which means that they suit the place you put them, in terms of light, space available, water available, soil type etc. Even plants that you never thought would turn your crank can be gorgeous when they're healthy. Conversely, an unhealthy, unhappy plant can pull the feel of its zone down... something you can't afford in a small garden.
view DeborahMcP's profile
Gotta problem site and don't know how to solve the issue? What's the Internet for?
The important terms are as above: soil type, water requirements, sun or shade requirements and space (as in final size... don't expect that pretty little mugo pine to stay small, eh?).
view DeborahMcP's profile
Is there an Australia section in AT?!
view littleinkpot's profile
that's a great show. brenand moar is so damn likeable.
view red.door.read.'s profile
I don't know the show, but what I'm seeing in these photos are mature native plants being replaced by young boxwoods???
How is that a good landscaping solution?
view kmswann's profile
Here's a case where I prefer the 'before' to the 'after'.
I thought the point of a garden was to fill it with plants, not get rid of them.
view nausved's profile