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DESIGN NOTESGaDENSSaNCTUaY84DESIGN NOTESGaDENSSaNCTUaY85
Doing Your Block
Finally, the builders have left, the painting’sdone and even the carpets and furniture arein. But as the sun rises on your first day in yournew home, you see an increasingly worrisome blot on the landscape – a so-called “garden” fullof nothing but clay and rocks.Many new home owners find they are notonly starting with no plants – some have beenleft with no topsoil, either.“Most new developments have thetopsoil scraped off before building starts,”explains Diana Cotter, who runs workshopsfor Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA).“Most soils you buy now are scraped off adevelopment somewhere then mixed withabout 50 per cent sand and have mushroomcompost added. There is no glue or substanceto it; nothing to hold it together.”Ironically, the first thing a lot of new owners do is buy in topsoil, but while it may  be easier to dig, few professional gardenersconsider it better for plants. “One site I workedon was a sloping block so they’d imported sometopsoil to try and even it out,” Cotter recalls.“On the top end – the natural clay – everythinggrew really well, but on the lower side, which was filled with topsoil, if you felt the soil, it just ran through your fingers and everythingstruggled.”Gardeners interested in growing nativeplants may find a scraped block is actually a bonus; dormant weed seed is removed, as isresidual superphosphate, which favours weedsover wildflowers and is common on formerfarmland.University of Melbourne researcherDr Paul Gibson-Roy has tried direct seedingnative grassland species at a number of experimental plots across Victoria’s volcanicplains and achieved the best results on sitesthat had five to 15cm of topsoil removed first.But for anyone wanting to grow exotics,lawn or vegetables, a rich, friable soil is best.Cotter advises: “If you’re going to use topsoilthen get one load first and mix it in, then asecond load and mix it – otherwise you end up with layers that plants struggle with. It takesaround 100 years to make an inch (2.5cm)of topsoil the natural way, and some of thesoil mixes you buy are put together in oneafternoon.”In their defence, suppliers say quality topsoil can improve clays and sandy soils by adding organic matter. A spokesperson fromThe Green Centre in Keilor Park, Victoria, saidthe company sells three qualities of topsoil: aneconomy version, comprising screened topsoil;a lawn mix with 25 per cent compost added; anda premium blend that contains compost andcow manure.But Sustainable Gardening Australiaadvocates against disturbing topsoil wherepossible, because it releases stored carbon backinto the atmosphere, involves unnecessary transportation, can spread weeds, and disturbsthe original composition of the soil.Melbourne landscaper Phillip Johnsonagrees: “You will never get better soil than what you get originally on your site.” Johnson likesto work with the builder to make sure any soilthat needs to be dug out or scraped off to put infootings is saved for later use.“My goal is for nothing to leave the site,”he says.Discussing a project which he describesas “one of the most challenging sites for us,”Johnson essentially worked with the very steepslope, rather than fighting it. He brought inextra topsoil to help even out some terracing, but the soil was from a neighbouring site.“Stormwater feeds into the top pond, whichcascades down to the bottom billabong, and both are planted with indigenous aquaticspecies that help purify the water and bringgood indigenous seed to the area.“Having water used in the landscape alsocreates habitat and has a cooling effect, as well as the aesthetics.”His personal rule is to try and source allmaterials – rocks, mulches, decking and plantmaterial – from within a 100km radius.“Ideally, it’s best to consult with alandscape designer from day one to zone off and protect key trees. Also, I like to designlandscapes around the building so you aregetting a functioning, sustainable design,and a seamless connection between thelandscape and the building.”Brisbane-based company Sustainable has
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Being left with a barren patch of earth after the builders have gone isa fairly common occurrence. Here’s how to transform that moonscapeinto a beautiful green oasis.
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orking with a challenging,steep block, garden designerPhillip Johnson used gravityto divert stormwater to thetop pool, which then fowsover the waterall to a lowerbillabong. o mains waterhas been needed to keepthe water eature runningor the past ve years.Photo by Patrick Redmond
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