Yesterday I was lucky enough to work on the outdoor terrace of an inner city apartment in one of the most beautiful locations in Sydney..... with possibly one of the most beautiful city views in the world!
I was in Potts Point, doing a little transformation of the outdoor terrace of my friend Marie.
This apartment is in a block built about 25 years ago, replacing many of the old and crumbling terrace houses that once lined the street. The apartment has a lovely and quite large outdoor space with folding glass doors, which when open invite the outdoors inside to the living and dining spaces. Marie had made the wonderful choice of covering the old 80's style terracotta tiles with lovely large squares of limestone. Unfortunately a selection of terracotta pots with agave and ficus still dotted the landscape!
These pots dry out quickly in the exposed site and really didn't fit the size and scale of the terrace. Of major importance was to have a climber to grow up in front of the lattice panels which had to remain painted terracotta due to strata regulations.
I suggested we remove all the terracotta pots and find four large 'bang-for-your-money' pots that would work with the lattice panels and provide enough soil space to grow some climbers and other plants. Small pots will only allow so much growth and they actually require more care with watering and maintenance than larger pots. And the selection of light-weight pots available today makes choosing large scale pots a much easier option.
We found these wonderful 60cm x 60cm light-weight pots with a limestone finish.
These pots are large enough to create a mini-garden within. My idea was to place 2 climbers towards the back of the pots and a clumping plant in the middle with some trailing colour in the front.
It's really important when using such large pots to think about weight. Not only for the weight on your balcony or terrace, but also if you ever have to move them!!! One trick I use helps to lighten them up and uses a waste product that would otherwise go into landfill. Polystyrene!!!!
It's fantastic; light weight, easy to break into pieces and will not break down. I put around a 15cm depth of polystyrene in these pots which will reduce the weight and provide excellent drainage.
On top of the polystyrene I use a layer of geo-textile fabric which is designed specifically for use in the garden. It's completely water permeable, doesn't clog and will stop the soil on top from washing through the polystyrene and out the drainage holes of the pot. Once your at this stage it's a simple matter of filling up with potting mix and planting!!! But be warned....these 60x60 pots hold a whopping 6 bags of potting mix each....that's on top of the polystyrene layer!
So there we have it, 4 not-so-small pots looking much cleaner and tidier and a little more 2013! I have to admit the size of the pots overwhelms the poor plants at this stage, and we could have used more mature plants but that would have increased the cost of the job immensely. Give these plants 3 months and they will be looking full and lush, and in a year or so the vines will be covering the lattice and blue agapanthus will be in bloom.....this will create a lovely back-drop for outdoor dining and even from the living and dining room throughout the year....
You could also install a drip watering system on a timer to take care of the watering for you....but I kind of think I'd be happy to stand out here with a Gin and Tonic and do the watering myself gazing over that amazing city vista!
So, for all of us in Sydney, 'happy summer'. And boy has it been a hot day to start the season!!! If your out in the sun working or playing remember to cover up with a hat, sunscreen and sunnies, and drink plenty of fluids (water I mean, not G&T....well...not only G&T) and make the most of this fabulous time of year!
I was in Potts Point, doing a little transformation of the outdoor terrace of my friend Marie.
This apartment is in a block built about 25 years ago, replacing many of the old and crumbling terrace houses that once lined the street. The apartment has a lovely and quite large outdoor space with folding glass doors, which when open invite the outdoors inside to the living and dining spaces. Marie had made the wonderful choice of covering the old 80's style terracotta tiles with lovely large squares of limestone. Unfortunately a selection of terracotta pots with agave and ficus still dotted the landscape!
I suggested we remove all the terracotta pots and find four large 'bang-for-your-money' pots that would work with the lattice panels and provide enough soil space to grow some climbers and other plants. Small pots will only allow so much growth and they actually require more care with watering and maintenance than larger pots. And the selection of light-weight pots available today makes choosing large scale pots a much easier option.
We found these wonderful 60cm x 60cm light-weight pots with a limestone finish.
These pots are large enough to create a mini-garden within. My idea was to place 2 climbers towards the back of the pots and a clumping plant in the middle with some trailing colour in the front.
It's really important when using such large pots to think about weight. Not only for the weight on your balcony or terrace, but also if you ever have to move them!!! One trick I use helps to lighten them up and uses a waste product that would otherwise go into landfill. Polystyrene!!!!
It's fantastic; light weight, easy to break into pieces and will not break down. I put around a 15cm depth of polystyrene in these pots which will reduce the weight and provide excellent drainage.
On top of the polystyrene I use a layer of geo-textile fabric which is designed specifically for use in the garden. It's completely water permeable, doesn't clog and will stop the soil on top from washing through the polystyrene and out the drainage holes of the pot. Once your at this stage it's a simple matter of filling up with potting mix and planting!!! But be warned....these 60x60 pots hold a whopping 6 bags of potting mix each....that's on top of the polystyrene layer!
Topped off with a mulch of 'Amazon Green' polished pebbles these mini-gardens look great! The climbers we have used are Australian natives commonly known as the 'Wonga Vine', it's botanical name is Pandorea pandorana. This cultivar is called 'Snowbells' and will be covered in beautiful white bell-shaped flowers. In the middle we have planted a clump of Agapanthus praecox or the Blue Agapanthus. In front in each corner are Calibrachoa hybrid, you'll find these at your local nursery as 'Million Bells' and these have a beautiful cherry-pink flower. So we've kind of covered the colour spectrum with white, blue and pink against a backdrop of lush green foliage!
You could also install a drip watering system on a timer to take care of the watering for you....but I kind of think I'd be happy to stand out here with a Gin and Tonic and do the watering myself gazing over that amazing city vista!
So, for all of us in Sydney, 'happy summer'. And boy has it been a hot day to start the season!!! If your out in the sun working or playing remember to cover up with a hat, sunscreen and sunnies, and drink plenty of fluids (water I mean, not G&T....well...not only G&T) and make the most of this fabulous time of year!
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