How to fix front garden patch?

[Hamster101]

Hi all,

My front garden looks like the below 

I've also got a side garden which looks like

I want to make it more pleasant looking, I've got some ideas and inspiration from the below images:

 

I'm thinking of redoing the mini patch Infront of the window with some plants (similar to the attached photos) with some rocks/mulch. And then putting some rocks/mulch around the side garden where the palm trees are.

Now I've got some questions:

- what are those type of plants called? Or something similar that's not too large. I couldn't find many on the Bunnings website. I prefer to have a few of those plants spaced out nicely at the front. I live in WA so there's water restrictions so something that doesn't require too much water would be ideal

- to ensure there's no weed or grass growth around the plants. Do I spray weed killer, put a black sheet like this - Platinum Weed Control Mat, to avoid sun and cut holes where then plants would be? Would the plants still grow/won't die this way?

- what would be some rocks/mulch that may look nice? I've seen these - Tuscan Grey Pebbles Tuscan Natural Stone Mix that I like. Any other suggestions?

Any other tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Hamster101]

Thank you, I sprayed the bindi and clover killer yesterday. How long do you recommend I wait until I mow? 

Raining again here from Friday 

[EricL]

Hello @Hamster101 

After spraying bindi weed and clover killer with herbicide, it's generally best to wait at least 7 to 10 days before mowing. This waiting period allows the herbicide time to fully translocate through the weed and effectively kill the plant, including its roots. Mowing too soon can reduce the effectiveness of the treatment by removing the foliage that absorbs the chemical. In regards to the spray that you used, please double check the waiting time period printed at the back of the container.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Hamster101]

Thanks Eric, I used the one you suggested 

[Hamster101]

Hello all, thanks for the help so far. It's been a few weeks since spraying the weed killer and applying fertiliser. My grass is looking a lot better.

I've seen some posts about pre emergents and to apply before spring? Is this something you'd recommend?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Hamster101,

A pre-emergent would certainly be worthwhile, especially as we are coming into spring, when the growth of both your lawn and weeds will start to take off.

You'd need to confirm that whatever pre-emergent herbicide you use is safe for use on your grass type. It looks like you have couch grass, but if you can rip out a small clump and take a photo, this would certainly help us identify it and be more confident.

Freehand Lawn Herbicide is one option that can be used to control over 60 common weeds.

Oxafert is another option for pre-emergent control of common lawn weeds. It also contains a fertiliser which may sway you in this direction.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob