Last weekend I went bushwalking at Paruna Sanctuary, and it got me thinking about our landscaping plans. Long-time readers may remember an earlier post where I dreamed about a garden reminiscent of the forest moon of Endor. Typically fickle as I am, I’m now dreaming about an all-native garden filled with species endemic to our region.
Paruna Sanctuary is surrounded by a well-maintained fence to keep out cats and foxes. We will obviously have a fence too, but it will be designed to keep in the dogs.
I mean, could you imagine having a garden that reminds you of this?
Paruna Sanctuary has strategically placed boardwalks on their trails, so that visitors don’t damage the delicate ecosystems.
Or this?
This is a ridiculously good-looking rocky outcrop.
Not to mention, the obligatory babbling brook:
My dream is to have a meandering stream that runs below the deck. Imagine!
One of the best things about spring, of course, is the amazing wildflowers. I would love a garden that was a riot of colour!
Introducing, my favourite flower colour combination ever:
Purple Devil’s Pins (Hovea pungens) and yellow Featherflower (Verticordia acerosa).
Which would only be enhanced by introducing a shot of orange:
And amping up the saturation with bright pink:
Pink honeymyrtle (Melaleuca radula)
Of course, it’s not just the bold and beautiful that are worth marvelling over. Contrast and texture is also vital.
The bright colour of the yellow acacia only draws attention to the blushing hues of this white myrtle (Hypocalymma angustifolium).
And you always want to be delighted by subtle textures that pop up in unexpected places.
No matter how odd it may seem…
Fringed Lily (Thysanotus sp)
Of course, it’s not just about the flowers, you also need some “bones” in a garden, such as this zamia palm.
Macrozamia riedlii showing off some male cones.
You might also want something at mid-level. Could you imagine having this little beauty in your back yard?
Xanthorrhoea (preissii?) – a double-header!
And of course, trees provide the ultimate structure. Remember those marri floorboards? This is the tree they come from:
Corymbia calophylla
But you can still have flowers piled onto a tall structural shrub.
If I could find my wildflower book that’s buried somewhere in the rubble that is my home, I could probably tell you what this is.
Or even a mid-level shrub.
I really want to show you some more wildflower pictures, but I don’t want to bore you to death or use up too much space. I hope you enjoy the rest of the gallery.
-
- Soapbush
-
- One-sided Bottle Brush (Calothamnus quadrifidus)
-
- Sundew (Drosera sp)
-
- Common cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava)
-
- Hovea pungens
-
- A lovely stand of hovea
-
- Purple flag flower
-
- Quite a view for lunch
-
- Lemon– scented Bell (Darwinia citradora) and pink and white everlastings
-
- Close-up of the bark of a marri tree
-
- Not really something you want to see in the garden (a dead grasstree)
-
- Pink honeymyrtle (Melaleuca radula)
-
- Hovea pungens
-
- Acacia
-
- A Calytrix I think?
-
- Blue coneflower
-
- Yellow Buttercups (Hibbertia sp.) and White candles (Stackhousia heugelii)
-
- Couch Honeypot (Dryandra nivea)
-
- Powderbark wandoo (Eucalyptus accedens)
-
- Prickly Moses (Acacia pulchella) and Bearded Heath (Leucopogon polymorphus)
-
- Bearded Heath (Leucopogon polymorphus)
-
- Donkey orchid (Diuris corymbosa) poking through the boardwalk
-
- Eremophila?
-
- Iris?
Beautiful Trixee. Where is this place? Plenty of inspiration. That grass tree is incredible.
It was so beautiful, and not terribly far from Perth. It’s near Woorooloo in the Avon Valley, about half an hour from Midland.
Beautiful photos Trixee.
I’ve also spent the last few days out in the bush and mother nature is amazing! There are so many beautiful colours out there at the moment but I’m with you on the purple and yellow.
I love the grass trees and seriously considered them in our landscaping but I was put off by the fact that they are very difficult to grow where we are. One of the new homes along the coast near us had several planted but alas they have all died. It’s hard to believe when you see those massive ones flourishing in the bush! You might have more luck at your place.
I can’t wait to see your landscaping ☺☺
Thanks Deb. Spring is such a lovely time of year. It’s a shame the grasstrees won’t grow in your area. They do apparently suffer from transplant shock so they need to be well looked after for the first year, and some places are better at doing this than others. There’s a reserve down the road from us with loads of them! I keep driving by and saying things like, “I’ll have that one, thanks”. 🙂
Great post and wonderful photos I’ve played the slideshow a few times. I look forward to seeing your landscaping.
I plan to try and keep it native as far as possible and if I lived in WA I would definitely be using the re-homing of the rescued Xanthorrhoeas site.
http://www.replants.com/
Thanks Dea. I’m one of those people who overdoes the photo taking, so I had to cull rather a lot of photos! So many lovely natives to choose from, so I’m sure your garden will be spectacular. The Replants mob look like they’re doing a good thing, not sure who our landscaper will be using. 🙂
I’d have been happy looking at more of your lovely photos! Perhaps you’ll treat us to more photos when you are recording your landscaping journey ( not so subtle hint…)
I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to manage that 🙂
That’s some amazing inspiration, right there. (Don’t mind me, I’m just reading through a few older posts!) I lurve the rainbow of native wildflowers that are out there, and look forward to seeing which ones end up in your garden. 🙂 My front yard has a fuchsia Melaleuca gibbosa and a pale-pinkish Calytrix tetragona, both of which should bloom in a few weeks. Grass-trees would haaaate being at my place so I’ll just have to admire them in the bush – and if I’m ever out that way I’ll definitely have to visit that sanctuary.
Hiya Steph! Inspiration can come from unexpected places 🙂 (That’s cool, glad to know I’m not the only one!) The colour of that melaleuca is stunning, and I just love the form of the calytrix – to me the flowers look so happy! You’ll have to post some pics when they start blooming at your place.