Anyone with a green thumb?

[phil]

G'day guys,

Can anyone recommend low maintenance 'drought proof' plants for a coastal area (East coast - North of Brissy). I have a garden bed I wish to replace but am unsure of what to choose. I do like cordyline's, but don't know if they would survive being so close to the sea. The plan is to have a 3 x 5 m bed with crushed red volcanic rock interspersed with these plantings. Any advice appreciated.

Phil.

Forgot to add - am after plants that grow to a max height of 1.5m. Cheers.

 

[Perp]

Hi Phil! I'm in Brisbane and an avid "water-wise subtropical gardener", if you hear what I'm saying. I love the lush tropical look, but I don't have that much water, alas

I've been creating my garden for six years, and these are the things that I've found to be widely available and have stayed looking good even with no water other than rainfall:

Dwarf Rhoeo (Moses in the Cradle) - prolific groundcover, good edging plant
http://heartgarden.com.au/description.asp?id=44

Ctenanthey "Grey Star" - grows to about 75cm, spreads well
http://www.starplant.nl/en/Producten/Ctenanthe_greystar.htm

Canna "Tropicanna" and "Tropicanna Gold" - these will also withstand full sun
http://www.botanicanurseries.com.au/index.asp?pgid=4

Rhapis Excelsa "Lady Palm"
http://www.plant-care.com/rhapis-excelsa.html

Chamaedora cataractum "Cascade Palm"
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Chamaedorea/cataractarum.html

All except the Cascade Palm are very easy to propagate. You'll end up with more Rhoeos and Cannas and Ctenanthes than you'd believe! And I'm also a very big cordyline fan, but I have found that in Brisbane at least, they do need some added watering to keep them looking lush and healthy. If you don't water them, they probably won't die, but they'll look a bit sad I don't think being near the coast would trouble them too much - they have them on The Esplanade gardens in Cairns, where they look magnificent.

 

[Sunfish]

You can do a "desert" garden without cactii.

There are many cycads which grow on the coast but I'm not sure if they tolerate direct exposure to salt. I have a book, Palms & Cycads Around the World by Jack Krempin which would be a good reference if you wished to go that way. Cycus revoluta or Sago Palm is one I have beside the steps.

Or the Cardboard Plant
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/shrubs/ZAMFURA.PDF
This is quite virulent for a cycad and very harsh to touch. Will scratch enough to draw a little blood if you dig down to get some seeds.

The Ponytail plant
http://www.johnsonsflowers.com/ponytail.html
is an interesting specimin

The Desert Rose is also interesting in a non-traditional way.
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/AdeniumsofHawaii/

These would look good in a gravel bed. Nearly forgot the native Grass Tree.

And then there's the Bankok Rose
http://www.calyx.com.au/mussaenda.html

I have an IP on a stony slope and intend to use these things there, especially if I move in myself.

 

[phil]

Thank you for the detailed information and links Ozperp and Sunfish; lots of great ideas there. I do like the 'Canna's' and also the Adeniums (which remind me a bit of the frangipani that we have growing in Darwin). This may be a silly question, but how should I prepare the garden bed after I take everything else out?, ie should I some put more soil / fertilizer in, or just start with the new plantings? If I plan to use crushed rock or stone as mulch, do I need to use anything else to stop weeds etc from coming up? Apologies for the 'new to gardening' questions.

Phil

 

[Perp]

I'd work in (with a garden fork) about a 2-inch layer of compost before planting - or more if the soil is poor (either too sandy or too heavy ie clay). Then plant, and mulch afterwards. If you mulch heavily (ie a good 2 inches thick) you shouldn't need anything else to stop weeds.

The Cannas are brilliant - they have beautiful foliage and flowers, and you can divide and propagate them very readily. You just dig them up, cut the rhizome (underground stem) with a bread knife into sections, each with a stem (or beginning of a stem) on it, and re-plant each section. I started with 3 Tropicannas about 3 or 4 years ago, and now have several hundred.

 

[phil]

I'd work in (with a garden fork) about a 2-inch layer of compost before planting - or more if the soil is poor (either too sandy or too heavy ie clay). Then plant, and mulch afterwards. If you mulch heavily (ie a good 2 inches thick) you shouldn't need anything else to stop weeds.

Thanks Ozperp, I'll give it a go and post some pics when I've finished.

Cheers,
Phil

 

[s_t]

How about Agaves? Yuccas? Tough and hardy. Different types growing to different sizes. If your going to put in adeniums (desert rose) make sure it is a very well drained soil/mix and don't mulch near it.

Go to the Caboolture markets on a Sunday morning and you'll get to see many at good prices - agaves, yuccas, adeniums etc - I've got a wide range of these and many more White truck at gate 9

 

[bernly]

I always check what the fast food establishments have planted in a given area - Maccas, KFC etc - they always seem to get the landscaping right. It also pays to have a walk around the area and check out what other people have planted and what in particular is doing well.

Cheers

 

[kaf]

Hi Phil

Good ideas sofar. If it's your own place you could also splurge on a grass tree. They are very expensive in the nurseries but you can buy them in some of the markets (I got mine from the New Farm market). You do want one with a Parks & Wildlife sticker so you know they've not been stolen but then they are very hardy and a very nice feature plant. They grow quite tall but that takes a few 100 years .

kaf

PS. Oops, sorry sunfish, you'd already suggested the grass tree