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With 192 pages and 205 colour photographs, Landscaping with Australian Plants, provides lots of ideas, inspiration as well as practical advice on how to grow hundreds of different Australian plant species.
Whilst Australian indigenous plants are more usually, or traditionally, found in natural style gardens such as the typical bush garden, growing awareness and appreciation of native species has led to broader usage in landscaping. Although many species are naturally quite straggly in their growth habits, careful pruning and positioning along with pruning and training means that some species have also found their way into formal and other garden styles.
Written by John Mason and ACS Distance Education staff, this ebook is an ideal companion for anybody who wants to grow more native Australian plants in their garden.
Contents
CHAPTER 1 HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN GARDENS: EARLY INFLUENCES
Early gardens
People who influenced Australian garden design
CHAPTER 2 LANDSCAPING APPLICATIONS
Formal native gardens
Natives for hedging
Natives for edging formal gardens
Shaping natives for formality
The Australian bush garden
Other types of dry gardens
Woodland garden (dry sclerophyll forest)
Heathland garden
Bush tucker gardens
Rainforest gardens
Useful tips when landscaping and designing with natives
CHAPTER 3 FUNCTIONAL USES OF AUSTRALIAN PLANTS
Windbreaks
Designing and planting a firebreak
Supporting wildlife
Land erosion
Shaping sloping ground
Settling soil
CHAPTER 4 GROWING NATIVES
General growing
Guidelines
Environmental factors
Nutrition
Soils and plants
How to plant a native
Pruning
Pests and diseases
CHAPTER 5 COMPONENTS OF A LANDSCAPE
Components of a landscape
Climate
Microclimates
Water and plant growth
Watering 7
Testing if a plant needs water
Australian plants for water wise gardens
Using water as a garden feature
Formal ponds
Informal ponds
Water garden practicalities
Native rockeries
What is natural gardening?
What is a natural, wild or bush garden?
Natural pest control
Natural weed control
Birds in the garden
Designing garden spaces
CHAPTER 6 NATIVE TREES
Choosing your trees
Other popular trees
CHAPTER 7 SHRUBS
Where to use shrubs
CHAPTER 8 FLOWERS
Using natives for colour
Some plants which flower for long periods
Other plants which flower for extended periods
Autumn flowering plants
Winter flowering plants
CHAPTER 9 GROUND COVERS AND CLIMBERS
How to use groundcovers
Climbers
Others
Popular native climbers
CHAPTER 10 CONIFERS AND PALMS
Conifers
Palms
CHAPTER 11 FERNS
Australian indigenous ferns
Tree ferns
APPENDIX