This is our retirement home so it was important that we create a low maintenance backyard that would eventually provide shade for outdoor living in the hot Queensland summer. The design had to include: -
1.Thick planting to screen us from the walkway along the side boundary.
2.Low planting to ensure that we could enjoy the view through the park to the canal.
3.Areas of paving and paths with gravelled drainage areas.
4.A wooden deck.
5.A lily pond with fountain.
6.Pond and garden to be illuminated at night.
7.Vege. garden for salads and herbs.
8.Small lawn area for the dog.
Materials
500 400x 200 charcoal pavers. 20 400x400 charcoal pavers. 30 x 3 metre sleepers. 9 x Sienna micro pro sleepers.
100 Brighton masonry edges. 20 Besser block caps.
Ki Karma salt and pepper gravel
Tuscan black pebbles. Tuscan black path polished.
Cabot's decking paint.
Aquapro underwater light. Aquapro 1000 water pump.
Elluminate spotlight kit. Arlec solar security lights.
Tools
Saxon wheelbarrow, spades, rakes, hammer, level, Ryobi drill, Makita saw and nails, screws etc.
Steps
Step 1
Initially to control the dust the block was covered in turf leaving a 3 metre border which was planted with golden canes, Dracaenas, Cordylines, bananas and pawpaws.
Step 2
When the weather cooled down, then the work began. A pond was constructed from a treated timber frame covered in fibre cement board which was painted black. A plastic liner was installed and block toppers glued around the perimeter to form seat to sit and feed the fish.
Step 3
Treated sleepers were used to form a frame for the floating path of 400 x 400 pavers.
Step 4
200 x 50 treated sleepers were laid as bearers on the levelled soil. These were then braced and covered in 3 metre sleepers to form a deck. Cheap, quick and sturdy. Once these had dried, they were painted with Cabot's deck paint.
Step 5
A view of the finished garden. Soon after this photo. was taken most of the plants were destroyed by a tropical hailstorm.
Step 6
The survivors --- Golden canes with an underplanting of bromeliads and xanadu and cordylines along the park perimeter.
Step 7
A
An Elluminate spotlight kit was installed to light the garden at night and an Aquapro underwater spotlight in the pond.
Step 8
Built a little garden shed with the help of the local kooka burra.
Step 9
And a vegetable garden with the help of a little puppy.
Step 10
The first harvest.
