Hannah's practical tips for sloped gardens | Gardening Design and Inspiration | Gardening Australia скачать в хорошем качестве

Hannah's practical tips for sloped gardens | Gardening Design and Inspiration | Gardening Australia

Hannah’s had a lot of practice using steep slopes and this garden has many of the same challenges, but it comes with a special connection – it’s her dad’s! With her own garden perched on a high mountainous slope, Hannah shares her practical solutions to make this into an accessible and lush wildlife haven. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe For the last two decades, Justin Moloney has lived in Toowoomba QLD where he regenerated a massive 40-acre property, bringing it back to life with native plants. Having recently relocated and downsizing to this new place in Hobart, he‘s ready and raring to make it something special. Justin says when choosing this house, there were two things that stood out. Firstly, it had a verandah which he says, “coming from Queensland with wrap-around verandahs, I couldn’t cope not having them.” The second enticement was an old stable out the back, which Justin says, “coming from a horse family, that was irresistible.” Hannah adds that it offers a bit of storytelling to the place, too. Despite Justin’s experience in regenerating land and his active involvement in his new garden, Hannah’s had a strong hand in shaping this sloped, cool-climate garden. “I have been very dependent on your decision making about how to actually structure the place,” says Justin. Hannah helped out by bringing in crews to do some earthworks and build retaining walls, but says, “you’ve had some very strong opinions about how things should be. If it was my way, there would be maybe a fruit tree or a little vegie bed over there, but there's none of that,” to which Justin laughs and replies, “nope, done that.” Justin’s focus is on habitat. With the earthworks settling in well, Hannah says, “I'm quite happy with how this transformed the slope. It’s gone from something really steep to something that’s really easy to access.” Tiered levels have been created using boulders of stone which Justin says, are “an emphatic presence,” and the steel staircases housed into the slope allow access and flow between the terraces. As the boulders settle further, they’ll be able pocket-plant into the gaps in the walls, but in the meantime, the lovely flat areas are where Justin can dream up his designs. He’s started with “a mix of natives, some local and some from further afield,” with the current emphasis on grevilleas and salvias. Justin says, “Salvias have a good summer nectar whereas grevilleas are autumn through to spring.” Other plants included are callistemon, which is evergreen and nectar-producing “to bring a bit of life back into the place.” Large logs and old branches have been placed to create wonderful little spaces for habit. Hannah says, “even though it’s a new garden, already there’s little homes waiting for the animals to come.” The beds are covered in thick woody mulch which Justin says, “needs to be turned over with the compost which is working underneath it.” He adds that heavy soils compact down easily, so turning them helps with aeration as well as nutrient cycling. On a sloping block like this, identifying the diversity of areas in the garden is a great opportunity to try something in multiple spots to see what thrives where. As moisture moves differently throughout the block, it may mean you can have a broader range of plants, such as rushes and sedges for the wet areas, and in the drier areas kunzeas, banksias and wattles. Justin says that gardening for him “is life. It’s all forms of life, I love it. I could sit and watch a patch of ground for ages. The variety of life comes in around plant life.” There’s still a lot of work to be done, but Hannah says “my dad is always up for a challenge and relishes the hard work it will take to turn this urban block into a wildlife haven. My favourite thing about my dad is how he gardens, which is with deep interest and tenacity. I’ll be here of course to help, and I can’t wait to share the progress we make together.” Hannah’s also dreaming up designs for the front verge, so watch this space! ___________________________________________ Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content. Watch more: http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/gard... Facebook:   / gardeningaustralia   Instagram:   / gardeningaustralia   Web: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening ___________________________________________ This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel. Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3).