"Some people look for a beautiful place.........
.........others make a place beautiful"
Hazrat Inayat Khan
July 5, 1882 to Feb 5, 1927
Indian poet, musician and spiritual leader
Following on from my last post about creating a 'Balinese' sanctuary in a suburban back yard, I thought I'd share a little project I did about 18 months ago. My friend lives in a lovely townhouse which is part of a residential complex in a popular and growing area of Sydney, close to the CBD. He's lucky enough to have a paved courtyard at the front of the property which faces north and is bathed in sunlight throughout most of the day. A cantilevered roof creates a wonderful covered area for seating which can be enjoyed all year round and in all weather.
The problem was that being in a rapidly growing residential area the issue of privacy was becoming a problem. Across the front of the courtyard large concrete pots planted with Strelitzia nicolai had become out of control, growing to almost 3m in height but breaking the pots with their dense roots in the process. While they created a bit of privacy, my friends wanted something more refined and orderly. What he wanted was a classic hedge.....but hedges are notoriously hard to grow to great effect in pots!!!
Also, as the residential complex is a 'strata' complex, any changes of a permanent nature such as building 'attached' structures require the consent of the Body Corporate Committee. Mmmmmmm....how to get around this!!!
Easy! Create a structure that is essentially free-standing and non-permanent. A structure that looks like a masonry constructed planter-box but is in fact just a large 'pot' with no base and is not connected to any part of the building, merely sitting on the surface of the ground.
And here is what we came up with!!
A planter-box that is clad with stone and looks extremely permanent. Now I'm not saying that I would like to have to remove it....but it could be dismantled and removed and leave no evidence that it was actually ever there!
The construction method and materials combine in a process I devised about 12 years ago when faced with the prospect of a huge brick-layers bill to have masonry planter-boxes constructed in my own garden. I worked out a method of constructing the boxes so they are water resistant, then using an external covering that can be painted as it is, or clad in any number of materials; metal sheet, timber, or as we have used here....'stack-stone' tiles. It can also be 'rendered' using a texturing painted finish to give the effect of cement render.
Of course the structure has no built-in base. It sits on the paved area. So good drainage was essential. A 20cm base of crushed blue-metal was used to ensure water passed through easily. This was topped with a geo-textile membrane which is a fabric used in horticultural situations to allow water to pass through easily, but stop the movement of soil so that it doesn't wash away as the water passes through. But...a word of caution......never put a layer of sand on top of the geo-textile fabric...while it may help to 'filter' the water as it passes...it actually can become waterlogged and stop the passage of water and your garden bed will become a dead, soggy mess!
Drainage was already a feature in the paved area and any water that seeps from the planter drains to this collection point.
The garden was planted with Murraya paniculata, also known as 'Mock Orange'. It's quick growing, responds well to regular trimming to ensure bushiness and is relatively disease free and vey drought tolerant. It's quite an old-style plant is is regularly used for hedges ....but that's because it works so well. As a hedge it's kept neatly trimmed but if allowed to bush-out and flower, the lovely white blooms have the most beautiful smell of orange blossom; a heady scent on a summer night.
Now complete with a large wood table and bench seats for outdoor dining, the courtyard is a wonderful space to share a meal or bottle of wine with friends; and a relaxing sunny space to read the morning paper with a cafe latte! Just behind the table you can see a smaller version of the planter we created on the side wall. This is planted with Ficus pumila which creates a living vertical sculpture as it clings to the wall. It's kept in check with regular trims by my friend so that it doesn't get out of control!
If your interested in finding out more about the construction technique of the planter-box, email me at groundedgardens@hotmail.com and I'd be happy to share my methods.
So there you have it; another idea of what can be created in small spaces. If your handy with a few power tools and have a little imagination it's amazing what you can achieve!
