The Plant Patch

HOME & GARDEN

The Plant Patch The Plant Patch By Darren from Grow Plant Nursery HEDGING YOUR FUTURE, NATURALLY! E njoy living in coastal communities but like your private spaces too? Time to consider growing a hedge or that the depth of the hole is slightly less than the height of the soil in the plant pots. Take the opportunity to mix your extracted soil with some organic compost, ready for backfilling. Position your plants next to their holes and rotate the pots so that the sides of each two around your home today. plant that present the greatest Traditionally, hedges were more number of branches face along the commonly found in formal, manicured hedge direction. gardens but over the decades have evolved Water the holes first before placing to suit many outdoor settings. the plants in them. Then backfill The reasons for growing hedges vary. Perhaps you need privacy from the neighbours, the street, or a resilient windbreak for the brisk, coastal Moreton Bay breezes. Do you love repetition-style plantings, or want to create a wildlife habitat or corridor? Are you seeking a “green” fence? Whatever the reason, your purpose will influence the types of plants you choose. Decide on the overall dimensions of your hedge and select plants that will grow with your enriched soil comfortably into those spaces. Also, and gently tamp down the consider the maintenance of your hedge. soil to remove pockets Do you want to trim it regularly or are you of air. Generously more into “free-spirited” growth? Some water in the plants plants will drop a lot of leaf litter – this and use a seaweed could be a problem near swimming pools fertiliser solution and ponds. to give them a good Some popular types of hedge plants are head-start. the Lilly Pilly, Coastal Rosemary, Mock Minimise water Orange (Murraya), Clumping bamboo evaporation & weed varieties, Japanese Box, Sasanqua camellia growth by mulching & Photinia Red Robin around the plants – Once you have selected your plant type, the next step is to figure out how many keep away from the plant trunks. plants you require. We suggest a 1/3 guide. Then tip prune all Multiply your preferred hedge height by plants to the same 1/3 to get your horizontal plant spacing height – this will distance. If you want a 1m height hedge, encourage more allow 33 cm between each of your plants. growth to occur on For the taller hedges, it might be better to the sides. Focus on reduce the ratio so that you still end up getting the lower half with a tight foliage spread. Also, consider of the plants filling root competition. Some bigger plants have an extensive root system and need more out correctly first. As your hedge grows Plants | Pots | Soils | Gifts water & nutrients from the surrounding through the years, soil so you might need to feed your hedge semi-regularly. To help you get the correct alignment, keeping pruning to create your desired shape. 17 First Avenue, Bongaree mark out your plant holes with spot paint first. If you are planting in a straight line, use a string line to help determine your Keep feeding your hedges regularly so they will bring you 0480 160 689 | bongareevillage.com.au/ @growplantnursery grow-plant-nursery plant locations. For a curved hedge, use a garden hose to map out the shapes. Then many years of natural beauty for your Garden Centre OPEN 7 DAYS dig out holes for your plants – ensure coastal homes.

HOME AND GARDEN YOUR

RESPONSIBILITY

as a fence owner

Dividing fences are a common cause of disputes between neighbours. People often disagree over who pays for the building and upkeep of the fence, or the type of fence needed, particularly when one neighbour wants a fence for a specific purpose, such as to keep a dog.

WHAT IS A DIVIDING FENCE?

A fence does not just mean a line of posts, wire or panels; rather, it is anything that encloses an area of land—including a ditch, embankment, a hedge or even a creek—and it does not have to extend along the whole boundary. It also includes gates, cattle grids, or anything else that forms part of the enclosure. A dividing fence is normally constructed on the land is owned by that neighbour, even if common boundary line between two the other neighbour helped pay for the properties, although it may be built off the fence. You should be careful to build your boundary line when the physical features fence on the boundary if you are paying of the land prevent it. This, however, has half the cost. ownership implications. BASIC RULES FOR DIVIDING FENCES WHO OWNS A FENCE? 1. There should be a ‘sufficient’ dividing If it is built on the common boundary line, fence between properties if an adjoining a dividing fence is owned equally by the owner requests one—even if one or both adjoining neighbours. However, a fence, pieces of land are empty. or part of a fence, built on one neighbour’s

PART ONE.

2. Usually neighbours must contribute equally to the cost of building and maintaining a dividing fence. 3.You should not attach anything to a dividing fence that could damage it. 4. In most cases, issues about dividing fences need to be solved by the owners of the properties. If you are a tenant, unless you have a long-term lease on the land, you should refer queries over a dividing fence to the property owner or agent.

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HOME AND GARDEN QUALITY PRODUCTS GIVE YOU PEACE OF MIND Prudent customers know that they can achieve greater peace of mind if they take the time to find and research a reputable company that stands by its solar products. The two main components of a solar system are the solar panels on the roof and the solar inverter, which transfers the DC energy into 240V AC electricity. When selecting products, think long term. We live on the ocean and surrounded by water, and our environment is harsh on electrical appliances. Look for solar panels that are on the higher quality Bribie Island S LAR

At Bribie Island Solar we aim to save you range and avoid any panels that are from budget companies. Brands such as LG, REC, Longi, JA, Canadian Solar and Risen have a longmoney on power bills. Installing a solar term presence in Australia and have been designed to handle the system on your roof will generate power conditions Bribie Island can throw at them. The best solar panel systems will often come with warranties with local support offices. but how you manage your energy use will This means that if there is an issue, your money hasn’t gone down determine how much you save. the drain. Failures of solar inverters are the most common problems with solar. SUN SUN SUN There are hundreds of options available on the Australian market. We recommend three brands that have been tried and tested, too often we see cheaper Chinese inverters fail as they are not suited Living at Bribie Island, we are fortunate to have one of the best to the Australian environment and made from inferior products. climates and most sunny environments on the planet. We are We recommend three brands that have a track record for longevity, admired by many for the lifestyle of beautiful beaches, great Fronius, Delta and Sungrow. weather and an average of 261 days per year of clear sunshine Homeowners may not realize that installing solar power can per year. actually make money. The payback period will show you how you Smart Bribie Island homeowners are using new technology to make money back on the investment. The electricity that your family turn our abundant sunshine into electricity to power our homes. doesn’t need can go to the utility, providing power to others who Solar power has advanced to the point where it’s cheaper than are connected to the grid. Speak with us about the payback periods buying your electricity from the power grid. We can now live in of your solar system to learn specific details of how you’ll do this to paradise with very little ongoing costs of electricity as we can save money in the long run. power our homes simply from the sun, whilst using the grid for backup and night-time use. Solar is supported FREE ENERGY FROM THE SUN When you look at the total costs to own a solar system over Are You Ready for Solar? by the government in the form of Rebates a long period, you can see that solar is really affordable. The Now that you have had a chance We can offer advice on key is to do your research and work with a trusted provider to evaluate the most common conthe rebates and offer zero and installer of solar power equipment. As is the case with cerns and considerations about solar deposit finance if required. any major upgrade to your home, you get what you pay power and whether it is too expenCurrently, there are genfor. This is true because in many cases, cheap solar can be sive, you may be ready for erous rebates available to of very poor quality, ineffective or even dangerous. The more insight into how a solar system help bring down the price of cheapest installations often come with no warranty to protect the customer. When you look at the facts, solar is not too expensive when you have the peace of mind that you are purchasing quality products. can benefit your family. Give Bribie Island Solar a call and have a chat about what solar can do for you! your solar system. Discuss the long-term costs of owning a solar it’s also a good idea to ask about the latest Before you invest in and install a solar power system, it would be in your own best interest to understand the difference between cheap and unreliable solar products and safe quality products, which may comparably have a higher cost. rebates and other programs, such as the Smallscale Technology Certificate and feed-in-tariffs that can help with the long-term costs of having solar. The government is motivated to encourage solar power system adoption to curb pollution and to help us all be more self-sufficient.

6.6 kw 10.2 kw 13.2 kw

0425 477 639 0425 477 639 Please call first in case we are out on site - 9/9 Toorbul St, Bongaree Arca. Opp Brennan Park

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