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Dilemas de diseño
row1row

Tropical Garden bed dilemma

row1row
hace 7 años
Hello Friends,
This is just a little question. I,ve just made a garden bed next to a pool and deck. I don't know what to plant. It's small, about 2.5m x 0.6m. I was hoping for a tropical look and hoping to hide the fence a bit (in order to break up the big expanse of fence). So far I have purchased a reddish leaved plant (in the picture) and a hibiscus but I am not sure if they are the right choices. I'm wondering if a strelitzia nicoli (giant bird of paradise) I would be too much.
Any advice or suggestions are most welcome.
Respuesta destacada
  • row1row
    Autor original
    hace 6 años
    Here it is, still going to change the fence colour somehow

    Comentarios (45)

    • mazbob2010
      hace 7 años
      Hi,
      Plant the hibiscus. I hope it's a type that will grow up to two metres and give you height against the fence. How deep is the soil?
      Add as much soil as you can to help the plants out. Add Xanadu bushes at opposite ends and add the red plant. Your done. Any room left? Add a sun loving impatient. (They do like water though). The rest is low maintenance.
    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Thanks for the advice, I looked up Xanadu and they look good. The planter is deep, about 1m till down to natural ground level. Also, the fence is on the west so the garden bed will receive predominantly East and North sun.
    • Julie Herbert
      hace 7 años
      I have two xanadhu in large pots and they are spectacular, great choice.
    • PRO
      2 FIND and DESIGN
      hace 7 años
      If you are looking for a tropical feel and privacy/hidden fence maybe a clumping bamboo could be an option...
    • mazbob2010
      hace 7 años
      Hi
      I forgot about the bird of paradise. Leave it out. I think the area is too small and the bird needs lots of room! Bamboo would look good too. I have what I have is called Tiger bamboo.
      It clumps up and I think it would be ok in your garden bed. Look up bamboos and make sure it isn't the spreading kind. Your neighbours might not be talking to you if it sprouts up it their yard! Begonias will add colour and they will like the sun too.
    • John Henson
      hace 7 años
      Bamboo for sure. Philodendrons are poisonous pets if you have any
    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Thanks guys. Yes bamboo is fantastic but we already have lots of bamboo in other areas of our garden so I'd like a change for this area. Also I worry about the amount of leaves etc that fall from bamboo (near pool).
      However I'm really keen on the Xanadu. Just need a tall plant choice.
    • PRO
      avantgardener
      hace 7 años

      I agree, the Xanadu is a great option. Hibiscus is also a good option as it can be kept trimmed if needed to save it encroaching on the space, and there are heaps of different colours to choose from.

    • PRO
      avantgardener
      hace 7 años

      Or perhaps cordylines? How sunny is it?

    • KK1000
      hace 7 años
      I think you need some height in there and the plants you have chosen are not going to to that. I would plant giant bird of paradise if it gets to big you just need to prune back the old leaves, it will give you height tropical feel and spectacular look. You could get 2-3 large pots and plant other plants in them as I think you need more greenery.
    • Lesley Taylor
      hace 7 años

      drop the bird of paradise idea.. they clump to enormous dimensions and are a lot of work. similarly the bamboo. the above pic of bamboo will take a lot of work to achieve. it involves 'pletching' or trimming all the lower shoots to give the lollipop tree look. bamboo also sheds leaves and your deck will be covered in papery detritus.


    • KK1000
      hace 7 años
      I disagree with previous comment. ?you have to look after all the plants and keep them to the size you want , there is no "no maintenance" plants.
    • Julie Herbert
      hace 7 años
      Ficus waterhousia is gorgeous, beautiful weeping habit, would look lovely in pots around pool also, I have them in my garden and they are so lovely, have two as feature pots and they look amazing, agree all plants need looking after.
    • Julie Herbert
      hace 7 años
      Oops correct myself it's waterhousea weeping Lilly pilly it's gorgeous and would look beautiful and certainly compliment your decking, another photo
    • Rhnda Tory
      hace 7 años

      Rhonda

      Have you thought about using the fence - perhaps attach some reo mesh to train climbing plants or use for attaching pots with various plants, maybe some trailing ones - Bunnings have various pots for vertical gardens and then planting the Xanadu or a ground cover in the garden - maybe you could use the plants you already have in another part of the garden or in some pots

    • nardiac
      hace 7 años

      I have recently planted several tropical gardens around my house so have just been through the same issue . The tropical gardens that I prefer are those with colour and leaf variation Have you considered Heliconias or ginger . Xanadu is great ! I agree that the giant bird of paradise could be to large if planted in the ground. I personally like them in pots.

    • Glen Radica
      hace 7 años

      I just spent a couple of hundred dollars removing a clumping bamboo using a backhoe machine from the side of my pool. It was planted by previous owner ad dropped leaves continuously. They are light and will fly into the pool. I would advise against bamboo beside a pool.

    • Bernadette Staal
      hace 7 años

      I have no idea of what your climate is so I would suggest that you get advice from your local garden centre and have a look around the neighbourhood to see what plants are growing well. I would strongly suggest you get a good, strong, fast growing creeper and train it up and along the fence line as that in it's self will add a lushness. You are going to need plenty of plants and your garden bed appears to be very small in length and width so you may need to look at large pots.

    • LesleyH
      hace 7 años
      I also like the idea of a wire frame over the fence as below. Just plant in the space you have and it will spread both ways. Chinese star jasmine or the small evergreen rose Banksia Rosa ( white better than yellow) .
    • LesleyH
      hace 7 años
      I also like the idea of a climbing plant on a wire frame as below. Banksia Alba is an evergreen thornless climbing rose that will spread 2m in each directiom. White is hardier and more prolific than the yellow. Small flowers.
    • Kerrie Chapman
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      If this were my space, I'd attach a trellis and plant the climber chinese star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) - it looks great, smells fantastic and flowers during the warmer months when you're hanging out by the pool. Keep the red plant (cordyline fruticosa rubra) in front of the jasmine and maybe plant a couple more alongside it to give it balance (odd numbers always look better than even). Personally, I would avoid bird of paradise as the space is simply too small and as much as they are "no maintenance", if you want them to look neat, tidy and at their best, they actually do require a reasonable amount of maintenance (deadheading, thinning out etc.). For optimal flowering, they also want full sun all day and if you have the fence on the west side, I would guess the garden bed has sun only until around 1pm at best.

    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Thanks again for all this great advice.
      I realise now that the garden bed I planned (when designing the deck) is a bit on the small size...
      I know bamboo looks great but we have it in other places and I know it drops heaps of stuff so unfortunately that's not an option.
      I've had a quick look up on heleconias and wow, they look fantastic. We are in Sydney and it's a warm spot (north east facing) so I'm hoping that it would be suitable for them.
      I ideally want a dense green garden bed full of plants going up to 3 to 4 m in height.
      I know I'm asking a lot for such a tiny area!!!
      I like the climbing plant idea and I think that might be nice on the side of the bed.
      Working through the giant bird of paradise once more. It might be too big although I don't mind doing some serious cutting back now and then. Does anyone know if a travellers palm would have the same problem (or a golden cane palm)?Or does the heleconia give the same effect without the size problems?
    • LesleyH
      hace 7 años
      I would also agree with the Chinese star Jasmine.
    • oddbailey
      hace 7 años
      Bromeliads look great in a tropical garden.
    • Kerrie Chapman
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      Your area is too small for a golden cane palm unless it lives in a pot. Also, unlike most palms, golden canes do not have a round root ball that stays nice and compact, but have a wandering root system that can cause damage to hard landscaping and plumbing. As for the travellers palm (Ravenala madagascariensis), from what I remember, it is not a palm at all, but is one of the larger members of the bird of paradise family, needs a lot of space and would outgrow your garden bed very quickly.

    • Mark Lehmann
      hace 7 años
      banana. put something tall or fast growing at the back of the bed to provide structure to your design. you can then add or reve small plants near the front as you please.
    • PRO
      avantgardener
      hace 7 años
      Bird of P gets huge. What about a frangipani or a Lady Palm or is it too sunny? Paint your fence monument colour so the plants stand out.
    • maccy
      hace 7 años
      Hi, I'm also interested in this issue of planting beside a pool to disguise a fence. I am wondering if many of these suggestions are compliant with new pool safety regs. I've been told that within pool area, no plants to be within 900mm from top of fence (hence height of plant can't exceed 300 mm as fence min is 1200) and definitely no climbing plants on horizontal wires as this gives foothold for climbing. With these restrictions options are limited!!
    • maccy
      hace 7 años
      ...sorry might add that these regulations are for NSW
    • nardiac
      hace 7 años
      This is an old pic from the house I recently purchased to renovate . The previous owners removed all these heliconias and replaced the garden with stone so I have just replanted them back! Heliconias come in many varieties, sizes and suit various climates. If you choose a variety that grow tall you can underplant for a great display .I personally would be wary of anything with a small flower or leaves near a pool , purely because of cleaning! Not sure about NSW pool fence regulation with boundary fences . Maybe Blue board screen and paint in special effects paint like rust or texture colour.
    • Kerrie Chapman
      hace 7 años

      avantgardener, I thought of frangipani too, but if it can only grow forwards and sideways, it can become off-balanced and fall over due to their small root sytem (as I found out the hard way a few years back). Having said that, Plumeria pudica might well fit the bill, as it has a narrow, upright habit and grows to 4m. I'm also liking the heliconias suggestion or even the taller variety of canna lillies.

    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Thanks for the query on pool fence regulations. I've had a bit of a search around and read the pool fence standards. It just says a non-climb able zone 900 from top of boundary fence. The question on what constitutes a climbable plant is not specified in the standards and it may come down to the discretion of the pool inspector. However I did find some info that said climbable was any branch or limb that is over 10mm in diameter (or providing a 10mm surface) that is predominantly horizontal and can support 15kgs.
      According to that the heliconias would be fine.
      I think the lattice won't comply...
    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Those heleconias next to the pool look so tropical!

      I think this discussion has been so helpful. Thanks everyone so much I think I have a clearer vision now.
      I just have to find a variety of heliconias that is tall and can cope with Sydney climate. Then I will under plant with Xanadu, red leafed plant, maybe the hibiscus, and possibly a croton.
      I love frangipani but I've already got one on the other side of my garden so I leave that.
    • KK1000
      hace 7 años
      If you really want Bird of P. There is away, have a look. You can plant a palm in the garden bed and have couple large pots with what you like.
    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Thanks,
      The giant bird of paradise in pots look great. I didn't realise they could get to such an impressive size when in a pot. This is food for thought.
      Also, if I was to paint the fence, like a few of you have suggested, 'Monument' colour. That is a dark greyish black right?
      I never even thought of changing the fence colour and now I look at it I think that yes, it could be so much more interesting.
    • Julie Herbert
      hace 7 años
      Love what oskuee suggested re photos of bird of paradise, think I will do same, looks gorgeous
    • Gallifrey
      hace 7 años
      Última modificación: hace 7 años

      Don't plant the giant bird of paradise in this small bed. Fantastic plants and have used them at our house. They will grow so big and destroy your paving. I have also used clumping bamboo and my wife hates it due to the mess it makes. Constantly dropping leave etc. Would not plant near a pool for this reason.


      Another negative comment. Bougainvillea should never be planted in the ground. Lovely flowers but get our of control, dangerous spines and almost impossible to kill. Keep in a pot and keep trimmed.

      We put Xanadus next to our pool at our holiday house. Perfect size and clean.

      Consider other ways to hid the fence. Perhaps some type of bamboo screening??

    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 7 años
      Yes Bouganvillia is so vibrant and tropical, I love it. I've got one in a pot in a different spot for that reason. I've never managed to get one to climb up a fence and I'm not sure if it would damage the lattice on the fence if it did (don't want the neighbours upset).
    • mazbob2010
      hace 7 años
      Please, no Bougainville in the ground. A pot, yes. Gardening Australia (ABC) said only plant Bougainville in the ground if you have 50 acres! Beautiful but not in your space. I have golden cane palms and a traveller Palm: both grow too big for your area.
    • PRO
      Timandra Design & Landscaping
      hace 7 años

      The garden bed is far too small. No garden will perform well here. Sorry.

      The scale is wrong; you need height but no room for spread.

    • row1row
      Autor original
      hace 6 años
      I've finished the garden bed and it has been happily growing for , about 8 months now. I've got a beautiful "hot rio nights" heleconia which has grown about 1 m taller already! It's meant to reach 2 to 3 meters tall and is already 2. It hasn't spread much at the base which I'm told is the brilliant thing about heleconias. As well as that I have planted a hibiscus and a Xanadu and a couple of red leave cordylines.
      It looks great, thanks for all the advice.
      I'll try upload a picture.
    • bigreader
      hace 6 años
      Thx for coming back to post a pic.
    • Katie K Sparkles
      hace 5 años

      How is it looking now? I’m in Melbourne and have similar issue... wanted to know update

    • Carly Louise
      hace 3 años

      Row, how did you go with the heliconias? Did you choose them?

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