How to enhance frontyard look?

[rohit21]

Hi Team, 

I have recently shifted but landscaping quality was not upto the mark. So, I am looking for plants or options to enhance frontyard look.

Find the attached picture. 

Can you advise which plants looks good over grey section next to stairs.

 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @rohit21,

Are these plants just to look nice, or do you want them to screen off the windows behind and provide some privacy? Would you like something low-maintenance and possible a native? Are you after a flowering plant? Where are you approximately located, and what's the climate like? Also, what type of soil is it and is there good drainage? Any additional details you can provide would really help our members better understand your needs and narrow down the selection.

A few articles you might like to read through:

• How to plan a garden makeover

• How to give your garden a makeover

• How to choose plants for your garden

• How to choose a hedging plant.

A piece of advice I recently heard on the community was to drive around your local area. Have a look for thriving plants in your location and take pictures of the ones you like the look of. If you can't identify them, post some images, and we'll give it a shot.

As my suggestion, I think Cordylines would look fantastic. Specifically something in a purple. I feel they will contrast nicely against the grey and the pop of colour will look incredible.

We look forward to hearing more about your needs and providing assistance.

Mitchell

[rohit21]

Hi @MitchellMc : Thanks for your queries.

I am looking for native plants to look nice ( Privacy is not a concern) and having low maintenance. I am staying in one of hill Shire council suburb and soil quality is okay here.

I have found one reference picture to replicate same hedging plants (covering boundary in the front).

 

Thanks for your recommendations. Combination of plants with Cordylines would look beautiful as per colour theme of our house. I am thinking to put combination of green plants with cordylines over dark grey stone (next to stairs) in our house.

 

There is another reference picture to use combination of cordylines with green plants.

[MitchellMc]

Your reference pictures look fantastic, @rohit21.

The first hedge is likely Buxus and the tall spikey plants in the second image are Mother-in-Law's Tounge.

Including native plants will be a great way to achieve a low-maintenance garden. Check out this helpful guide on How to Design a Thriving Native Garden.

Let me mention a few of our knowledgeable garden experts @BradN, @Noelle and @Adam_W to see if they have some plant suggestions.

Mitchell

[Noelle]

Given your location in the Hills Shire north-west of Sydney, another couple of hedging suggestions are murraya and coastal rosemary (westringia - native). Both will create the type of hedge you're looking for when close-planted and pruned for shape and height as they grow.

[BradN]

Hi @rohit21 . It sounds like you've got some great advice from Mitchell and Noelle. 

There are a few plants that I like for tough, low-maintenance greenery that work well both in pots and in garden beds.

One is Philodendron "Xanadu", which has a lush, green rainforest look. It stays quite compact and well-behaved.

Another is the jade plant, Crassula ovata, which is also nice and green and tough as nails. It can stay quite compact in a pot or grow over time to 1m x 1m in the ground. It's a succulent, so once it's established you don't have to worry about watering it unless it's completely under cover or you're in a long drought.

A third is Raphiolepis indica, also known as Indian hawthorn. There are several different varieties that make tough, low hedges or nice compact pot plants. They have nice little white or pink flowers too. 

I love Cordylines too, but some of them are tougher than others.

The tropical Cordyline species don't like cold weather. The tips of their leaves can go brown if they get too cold in winter. And most of them will also suffer if they get too much harsh summer sun (the Cordyline fruticosa "negra" variety copes with direct sun better than most other tropical Cordylines). 

The toughest, most low-maintenance Cordylines are the narrow-leaf ones, such as Cordyline australis varieties. In the right spot I think they look just as good as the tropical ones, and you don't have to worry about them getting sunburned.

I hope that helps a bit!

Brad