Many gardeners have limited space but would like a garden that mimics a natural landscape or perhaps that looks like cottage gardens of old. There are a few tricks that can help create a garden in a limited space:
•Select small plants or dwarf varieties of favourite species
•Repeat plants in odd numbers of 3, 5 or 7 to tie the design together.
•Make careful use of foliage colour and texture to provide interest when plants are not flowering.
•Plant close, but regularly prune. Take off low foliage to create tree look-alikes, or prune down to limit height and create dense growth.
•Use gravel, pine bark or small stepping stones to create a sense of moving through the space.
• Select a feature, either a bird bath, small seat or piece of garden art.
• Consider a waterproof mirror, or shiny stainless steel surface to create an illusion of space.
Ground Covers
•Brachyscome multifida sp.
•Dampiera diversifolia
•Goodenia hederaceae
•Grevillea ‘Gingin Gem’
•Hemiandra pungens
•Hibbertia obtusifolia
•Myoporum parvifolium
•Pultenia penduncularis
•Scaevola sp. like ‘Purple Fanfare’ or ‘Crinkle Cut’
Tufty Plants
•Conostylis candicans
•Dianella ‘Little Rev’
•Lomandra ‘Tanika’
•Orthrosanthos multiflorus
•Patersonia occidentalis
•Thysanotis multiflorus
Small Shrubs
•Acacia drummondii
•Adenanthos cuneatus
•Anigozanthos dwarf varieties like ‘Bush Pearl’
•Baeckea ‘Miniature’
•Banksia blechnifolia
•Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’
•Callistemon ‘Little John’
•Chorizema cordatum
•Correa ‘Dusky Bells’ and others
•Crowea ‘Festival’
•Dryandra lindleyana
•Grevillea ‘Gilt Dragon’
•Grevillea ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’
•Grevillea ‘Pink Midget’
•Pimelea ferruginea
•Leptospermum ‘Pink Cascade’
•Leucophyta brownii
•Philotheca ‘Cascade of Stars’
•Verticordia plumosa or chrysantha
•Westringia ‘Jervis Gem’
•Agonis ‘Burgandy’
•Grevillea tropical hybrids like ‘Honey Gem’
•Eucalyptus forrestiana
•Eucalyptus preissiana