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What to plant in front and side garden beds?

Dear Members,

Please refer to the attached photos of the garden beds and the garden area alongside the outside wall of my house. I am planning to plant some greenery and flowers in these areas.

The front garden receives sunlight until around 2:00 PM. The side garden bed also gets sunlight until about 2:00 PM, but it is not direct due to the wall.

I would appreciate your advice on how to proceed. Specifically, I would like to know:

What materials or soil improvements I should add before planting
What preparations are needed
Which types of plants are suitable for the front and side garden beds
Recommendations for flowering plants

Thank you very much in advance for your guidance and support.

Kind regards,
Swarn

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EricL

Hello @swarn

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your garden bed.

It's a fantastic project to be undertaking. In order for us to help you further, can you please tell us your general location so that we can recommend plants that are suited to your region. To prepare your garden bed, I suggest removing the woodchip mulch and placing it temporarily in a bucket for later use. Once the wood chip has been removed, I recommend aerating the soil with a Trojan All Steel Spiked Aerator to break up the compacted soil.

I suggest toping it up with Brunnings 50L Premium Garden Soil Planting Mix. It's made from a rich blend of and natural material which has been composted to become a rich humus. It contains many of the essential food nutrients necessary for plants as well as providing a healthy medium for micro- and macro-organism activity.

Once you tell us your general location, we'll be able to recommend plants for your area. The general steps will be to place the new plants in your garden wait for them to settle and then place the woodchip back onto the surface of the garden.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

swarn

Hi Eric,

Thank you for the guidance and the details. My location is Ripley. Garden bed - need weed mat underneath?

I want to know how to should be build and taking care garden beds and maintain them.

Is there someone I can meet and chat abouit it?

Also pls let me know if any physical session running to learn these skills.

Many Thanks

EricL

Hello @swarn

For the front garden bed, which receives sun until around 2 pm, you are working with half day sun. This suits many hardy flowering shrubs. Dwarf lilly pilly is a great option if you would like a tidy hedge along the edge, as it copes well with Queensland conditions. Dwarf ixora is another strong choice, producing bright clusters of flowers in warm colours and thriving in part sun. Dianella also works well for a softer look, offering strappy foliage and small blue flowers.

For flowering colour in the front bed, you could layer plants. At the back near the wall, compact gardenias will provide fragrance, or small hibiscus varieties will give bold tropical blooms. In front of these, consider pentas or salvias for long lasting colour and pollinator appeal. Angelonias are also excellent in part sun and flower for extended periods through summer.

The side garden bed receives filtered light, so choose plants suited to part shade. Clivia is very reliable and produces striking orange flowers. Lomandra or dianella will create a clean, structured look and are low maintenance. For added colour, impatiens and begonias perform well in bright shade. Bromeliads are also ideal for Queensland, adding interest through their foliage and vibrant centres.

Please remember that before planting, improve the soil with compost and ensure good drainage, especially along the house wall. This will help your plants establish strongly and thrive.

In regards to garden workshops, I suggest calling your local store and have yourself registered to the next garden meet-up. Topics can range from garden care or how to propagate plants. What is important is that you are registered, in this manner you will get information through your email of when the garden workshop will occur.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

swarn

Hi Eric,

Thank you for your guidance and information.

As you have mentioned "Please remember that before planting, improve the soil with compost and ensure good drainage, especially along the house wall. This will help your plants establish strongly and thrive." Could you pls explain further how to make sure good drainage ?

MitchellMc

Hi @swarn,

You can test drainage by digging a small hole, filling it with water, and observing how quickly the water soaks into the soil. Ideally, it should drain within 15–30 minutes.

Ensuring good drainage is one of the most important things for healthy plants, especially along house walls where water can easily pool. Poor drainage can lead to waterlogged soil, root rot, and stunted growth. Here’s how you can improve it:

Check the slope – The soil near the house should slope away from the wall at about 1:50 (roughly 2 cm drop per metre). This helps rainwater naturally run away from the foundation rather than pooling at the base.
Improve soil structure – Heavy clay soils retain water. Mixing in compost or coarse sand will make the soil more friable, allowing water to drain more freely while still holding nutrients.
Create raised beds or mounds – For areas that tend to stay wet, plant your flowers or shrubs on slightly raised soil or mounds. This ensures their roots aren’t sitting in water and improves aeration.
Consider drainage solutions – If water still pools, you can install a drainage pipe, French drain, or gravel channel to divert water away. Even adding a layer of gravel under the soil at the base of plants can help excess water escape.
Mulching carefully – A layer of mulch helps retain moisture but also improves drainage if it’s not packed too tightly and allows water to seep through gradually.

In short, loosen the soil, improve its structure, and ensure water can move away from the wall. Once these basics are done, your plants will establish more easily and grow more vigorously.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

swarn

Hi Eric,

Thank you for your guidance and information.

EricL

Hello @swarn

Here are some specific products you can have a look at:

For a small garden bed, you can keep it simple. If you’re improving standard but clay-leaning soil, mix in about 1 part compost to 3 parts existing soil, and optionally add around 10–15% coarse washed sand if drainage is slow. A practical way to do this without overthinking it is to spread one 25–30 L bag of compost per square metre, then dig it through the top 200 mm of soil. If the soil still feels sticky or holds water, add half a bag to one bag of coarse washed sand per square metre and mix it in thoroughly.

For a really small bed, like 1–2 metres long, that usually means 1–2 bags of compost total, and optionally one bag of coarse sand if needed. The compost does most of the work improving structure, while the sand just helps open things up slightly. After mixing, mulch over the top and let it settle for a few weeks before planting. You’ll see some improvement fairly quickly, but it typically takes a few months for the soil to become noticeably better and one growing season for it to fully condition.

For drainage if the bed does not flood or hold water then it would be best just to aerate it with a garden fork. Otherwise, I suggest using the 65mm socked agi pipe at the back of the garden so that excess water will flow away.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

swarn

@MitchellMc @EricL

I have attached the garden bed photo below. Drainage seems working fine. There 2 drain pipes on the green part.

Do you think soil in the garden bed is ok for vege plantation like green chilli, coriander, Okara, ginger, Tomato etc. I am not sure what kind of soil landscaper put it in. Do I need to mix compost, organic soil improver and then topsoil?

Loosen the soil - Use a garden fork and push fork every 20–30 cm, go full depth (20–30 cm) and rock it back and forth ?

Thanks in Advance for the help.

EricL

Hello @swarn

From the photo the soil looks like a typical landscaper’s fill mix, it’s reasonably good as a base but a bit low in organic matter for vegetables. It will grow plants as it is, but chilli, coriander, okra, ginger and tomatoes all perform much better in a loose, nutrient-rich soil that holds moisture while still draining well. Improving what’s already there is the right approach rather than replacing it.

Your idea of loosening the soil with a garden fork is absolutely spot on. Push the fork in every 20–30 cm, go down the full depth (around 20–30 cm), then gently rock it back and forth instead of turning the soil over. That opens the structure, improves drainage, and allows roots to establish easily without destroying the existing soil layers.

After loosening, the best improvement is to mix in compost and an organic soil improver rather than just adding straight topsoil, which can create layers. A really reliable combination is blending through something like https://www.bunnings.com.au/scotts-osmocote-plus-organics-1-5kg-all-purpose-plant-food-and-soil-improver_p2961129 then adding a structural improver such as https://www.bunnings.com.au/scotts-25l-organic-soil-improver_p0938162 . If the bed is a little shallow, you can also top it up with a veggie-friendly soil like https://www.bunnings.com.au/brunnings-50l-premium-garden-soil-planting-mix_p0575598 to give the roots more depth.

Aim to spread roughly 40 to 50 mm of compost, 20 to 30 mm of organic soil improver, and optionally 20 to 30 mm of garden soil over the surface, then mix everything into the top 20–25 cm. This will turn that existing soil into a loose, fertile mix that holds moisture well but won’t become heavy, ideal for coriander and ginger, while still draining nicely for chilli and tomatoes.

Once mixed, level it out and finish with a light mulch like sugar cane, pea straw or lucerne. That will stop the surface drying out, reduce weeds, and help seedlings establish much faster. You don’t need to completely replace the soil just improving it like this will make the bed excellent for veggie planting.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

swarn

Hi Eric,

Thank you for your guidance and information.

swarn

Thank you very much @EricL and @MitchellMc

Just to clarification. do I need to do the planattion before adding the mulch or can do after, I guess before adding the mulch would be much easier. Advise.

EricL

Hello @swarn

I suggest planting first before you apply the mulch. Please remember to keep the mulch away from the stock of the plant or leave space so that a bit of soil is still exposed at the base of the plant.

Eric

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