Unreal Grass

Fake grass, or synthetic turf (as professionals would have us say) has been around for some years now, not just in the privacy of our homes but actually on the nature strip- in public. I for one dislike fake grass immensely, however if people want to exhibit this shameful excuse for a lawn, please spare the rest of us and do it in the concealment of your own garden. It's bad enough that it's as ubiquitous around homes in Melbourne. This example of gross grass in my neighbourhood is sadly across the road from my house, in my plain sight whenever I go outside. In the photo you can see how phony and unnatural it looks- the perfectly manicured edges and plastic strands of green lies...what a sham! I know this may seem really harsh and you may think I'm overlooking the key benefactors of artifical turf like low/no maintanence, no need for pest and fungus control and long endurance. But is this really what the world is coming to? A fake, convinient, expensive way to have a 'feel' of nature?
No thanks. Real grass might not preserve that rich green colour all year round, and can sometimes be a bit of a pain to mow every once in a while, but it acts as a kind of carbon offset (really important in absorbing carbon dioxide). It can also act as a sound insulator to keep the noise levels down when you have those crazy parties and not to mention, very cheap. As far as i'm conserned, real flowers, trees, shrubs and grass is the only way to go.

Tree Channel

Some people have this notion that in order to have a really aesthetically pleasing streetscape, it needs to be very well planned and thought-out. The right plants, the placement and the upkeep- this is a valid idea, but I can tell you there are ways to attain a beautiful street landscape without impeding planning. For example around the corner from where I live, this street has these huge, green trees lined up one after the next in (not perfect) unicen, but the branches extend across each opposite tree, creating an enclosing underpass. This effect of a green 'burrow', with glimpses of light rays pouring through the branch gaps makes this truly breathtaking. These particular trees don't only create a tunnel effect, but during Autumn, the colour changes and the foliage falls onto the pavement and blankets the walkway by old, rusted vermilion leaves. Spectacular. This type of landscape design does of course affect the pricing of the houses in the street, and it makes you want to drive through it. So even the simplest design plans can metamorphose into something as majestic as this panorama.

Herb Blurb

Recenty I have been buying fresh herbs from the supermarket and cooking really tangy dishes, and a thought occured to me why I was buying these rich, aromatic plants for around $15 every few weeks, when I could be growing them myself at home for a fraction of the cost. So I knew buying/assembling a box for the herbs would be an unlikely factor for me because I just didn't have the patience or time getting it together. Then I thought what would be easier to grow herbs in than a compost bag? So one afternoon I went to my local nursery and bought the right compost mix and some seedlings of basil, dill and mint and I set them in. That week we had done practical assessments at Uni on cuttings, so I added some rosemary cuttings aswell. Sure enough my little bunches of herbs grew and before I knew it, my mini herb garden was almost consumed entirely. The point of my herb experiment was to grow produce in a dead easy way. It also tought my family how to maintain growth of simple plants that didn't end up dead. And more importantly, even the laziest of us can have a herb patch! 

My basil grew particularly fast and I needed to repot it to avoid root damage.

Off The Wall Gardening

One of the perks of having a small, constricted, cement terrace for a backyard can be to experiment with vertical gardening. This is an amazing and practical idea, not to mention an outlet for creativity and frustration, by utilising wall space for a greener use. I am besotted with this concept of design and my neighbour has already latched onto it by constructing a herb patch that sits on his brick wall. My neighbour has about 15 different herbs and greens growing that he uses for cooking and when he doesn't need the fresh herbs he just dries them and stores for whenever he wants. This is such an innovative way to use a troubled area like he has for not only use, but beauty and saving a few extra dollars. The trick is to use plants that grow in less soil terrain, like herbs. So those who are thinking to grow a tree sideways would be the next step...think again.
The vertical garden is very efficient and aids in lowering energy consumption, both in winter by protecting the building from the cold and in summer by providing a natural cooling stystem.
Straight up!

My Garden

So this is my back garden. I love this section of it- it reminds me of an island, somewhere exotic like Hawaii or Fiji...the pool's calming blue water really soothes me, not only when I swim, but just looking at it. And of course the palms scream 'island', because nothing says tropical like they do. The entire back edge of the pool is surrounded by green- not exactly tropical plants, but somehow they look good together. The Yakka is actually a drought tolerant plant not commonly found in moist, lush habitats but it has some elements that kind of resemble a palm. The spreaded leaves, the big head of the tree sitting on the thin trunk, almost like a baby palm. This is probably my favourite part of my garden because the plants mimic the summerlike feel of the pool, which always puts me in a good mood. Not a lot of grass here, which I think is a good move by my parents...the sandstone totally completes the illusion of sand on an island or beach. But I do have to say that on the left side of the pool (photo below), sits a few Silverbirch trees. Now as much I love Silverbirches, I think they're much more a winter plant and contribute nothing to the 'island' feel of the garden except confusion. They would be suited in  another part of the landscape....say 500 km south to Tazzy!

Magical Landscaping in Melbourne

I found this stagnating image of a landscape in Melbourne today. Not so sure where it is exactly but it truly is breathtaking. First thing that came to mind was 1. I wish this was my garden and 2. That Melbourne isn't that well known for its greener side of city desgin- but if you look around our glorious city, there are precious plants and designs that will stunt you. I happen to be a very visual person, like a lot of other people I know, and in this use of design and very thought-out plant preference, the designer used a strong burst of colour, very cleverly. The use of magenta and crimson flowers against the evergreen and phthalo bushes compliment each other. And when I look at it I actually feel happier, as lame as it sounds. But all aspects of this garden is so astutely configured like the scale of the plants- the small shrubs are beside the path gradually getting bigger, but still allowing the taller trees full view. My verdict- two green thumbs up!