Garden Development

Goals
My goal is to establish an herb and flower garden, and create an aesthetic appeal.

Facing: North

Wind: The prevailing wind is south-easterly. The average minimum speed is 8.3km/h and the average
maximum is 13.9km/h. Wind speed is higher in late spring months like November and calmer in late
autumn months such as March.

Temperature: Average monthly minimum is 12.2 degrees C while the average monthly maximum is
23.3 degrees C.

Frost: This area is not prone to frost, with an average of only 0-10 expected per year during late
autumn to early spring (May to September)

Expected Rainfall
January 101.6
February 117.6
March 129.7
April 127.1
May 119.9
June 132.0
July 97.4
August 80.7
September 68.3
October 76.9
November 83.9
December 77.6

Soil: silt - found through a simple feel test. The soil type is silty soil and is made from quite fine particles
and feels smooth. It has a pH level of 6

Special Conditions

Problems and Solutions

The soil in the garden bed is silty soil. Silty soil retains water longer, but it can't hold as many nutrients
even though its fairly fertile. Due to its moisture-retentive quality, silty soil is cold and drains poorly. It
can also be easily compact so avoid trampling on it when working in the garden. If soil retains water to
saturation point the soil can become aerated, drowning the roots of plants and preventing them from
absorbing needed nutrients.

Organic matter such as compost should be added to amend silty soil. Organic fertilisers are needed
and 5-8cm of mulch should be used to cover soil. The organic fertiliser will act as plant food and the
mulch will protect the plants from drought, erosion and weeds. The soil should be turned over once in
a while to keep the soil crumbly.

Since silt can be easily compacted; this can be avoided by minimising walking on it. This shouldn’t be a
problem as the garden bed is an enclosed and a raised area. Silt has poor draining so it shouldn’t be
watered too much. If topsoil is dry to touch it should be watered.

The garden bed has some weeds, so they need to be pulled out before planting the plants. There are
snails in the garden bed and can be removed by hand picking them from the garden. Most of the
garden bed is already taken up by existing plants so in this case pot plants will be the best choice as
they can be moved to suit each plant’s requirements.

Flowers:
The following flowers are the chosen species for the flower garden
Name Reasons for Choosing Description and Care
Chinese crab apple (Malus spectabilis) This tree grows well in Open, spreading deciduous
most soil and adds tree. Leaves are dark green
colour to the garden. with red buds that develop
Moderately disease into large pink flowers in
resistant. spring. Should be watered
regularly.
It requires a pH range of 5.5
to 7.5 and goes well in most
soil. The soil needs to be
moist and requires full
sunlight

Japanese Iris (Iris ensata)
Marigolds (Tagetes erecta)
They are easy to A beardless perennial iris
maintain and rarely that grows in clumps. It has
bothered by diseases. peony flowered forms in a
Requires moisture- wide range of colours
retentive soil which including shades of blue,
makes it suitable for lavender, violet and pink.
silty soil. Add a variety Blooms early to late summer.
of colours to the Once planted minimal care is
garden. needed. Grows well in
medium to wet soils in full
sun to part shade. Limited
fertiliser is required.
Marigolds thrive in Marigolds need lots of
moderately fertile soil. sunshine and grow in almost
Its scent also repels any soil. They don’t need
animals and insects. fertiliser and germinate
The petals of signet easily. They have orange and
marigolds add colour yellow flowers and bloom
and a spicy flavour to through spring, summer and
salads. autumn. Do not water the
flowers overhead; only water
the base.
Herbs:
Herbs to be used for the herb garden.
Name Reasons for Choosing Description and Care
Rocket Plant (Eruca sativa) Rocket Plant is used in Rocket Plant likes a lot of
salads or pasta. It is water and grows best in
frequently used in the cool, moist conditions. It
kitchen and therefore a requires sun. Harvest when
good choice for an herb leaves are 3 to 4 inches long
garden. It requires by pulling the entire plant or
minimal care. breaking off leaves. Seeds
should be sown 2.5cm apart
an 1 cm

Basil Most common use of Basil seeds should start

basil is for cooking such indoors around six weeks
as in salads and pesto. before the last frost or plant
Generally pest free. It directly in the garden about
makes a good choice 0.5 cm deep when the soil is
for a herb garden warm.
Mulch is recommended in
hot areas since basil likes
moist soil. Best time to
harvest is when the plant just
starts to bud.

To make the garden look more visually appealing, the sticks and leaves should be cleaned out and
pruning is needed for the orange jessamines. The chosen plant species add a range of colours to the
garden and will fill in the gaps between the already existing plants. Pot plants can be placed on the
border of the garden bed and they can be easily moved around.

No landscaping required.

Budget

Equipment/items
 Plant seeds
 Fertiliser
 Compost
 Mulch
 Gloves

Cost
Japanese iris - $8.49
Chinese crab apple - $3.99x3=11.97
Marigold x2 -$3.42 = $6.84
Rocket - $3.92
Basil - $3.98
Organic Based Fertiliser (7kg) - $15.78
Mulch (25L) - $3.95
Compost (25L) - $8.40
Gloves - $3.96
Total: $67.29

Thomas and Morgan, Plants for different soil types, (2004-2015) http://www.thompson-
morgan.com/plants-for-soil-types 14 March 2015
George.F Hargitt Malus Spectabilis (2014) http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pd_3e58.html
14 March 2015
(No Author provided) Types of Plants Grown in Silty Soil (2014)
http://www.ehow.com/info_8244813_types-plants-grown-silty-soil.html 14 March 2015
Lenzieria, Growing and Gardening in Silty Soil (2011) http://agverra.com/blog/silty-soil/ 14 March 2015
National Gardening Association Plant Care Guides (2014)
http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?id=2081&q=show 15 March 2015
Bureau of Meterology. Australian Climate Averages - Potential Frost Days. (2012).
http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/frost/index.jsp 14 March 2015.
Bureau of Meterology, Climate Statistics for Australian Locations (2015)
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_066062.shtml 15 March 2015
www.bunnings.com.au 15 March 2015
Yankee Publishing, Marigolds (2014) http://www.almanac.com/plant/marigolds 15 March 2015