ISLAND G SNEDRA The Formal Garden

By Peter Schinkel

Bribie region’s gardeners, long-timers and newcomers alike are asking how to create a formal garden. In contrast, the cottage garden is informal and stocked with colourful flowering plants. Stocked (full) being the operative word.

By definition, a formal garden is simply a garden laid out in a conventional and ordered design. Creating one is surprisingly easy. It doesn’t require hedges, for example. Or expensive plants. While hedging will certainly add a formal feel, there are many ways to create a smart garden without them.

A good way to start would be to draw up a plan like the one pictured here. This will help you space out your plants. Apart from hedging, plants are not required to join into one. They will usually have spaces between them, so each plant can be admired on its own merit. For example, if you have small shrubs, each growing one metre wide, you can plant them two metres apart, creating the desired space.

The plan shows the garden divided by a driveway, but it’s still treated as one garden.

For example – A – denotes foxtail palms. Attractive, smart, tidy, and easy to maintain, taller plants are a great way to frame your garden.

In between – B – are one-metre-high shrubs. For colourful flowers – Azaleas, Little John bottlebrushes and dwarf Crepe Myrtles are beautiful examples. Other favourites include dwarf Magnolia varieties, Min-a-min Murrayas, and various small conifers such as the Gold Cone Juniper or Chinese Arborvitae. The choice is enormous and really comes down to what catches your eye when you’re shopping.

Next – C – denotes medium plants (around 30 to 40cm high). You may want more than pictured here but remember to note their potential width and leave space between them.

For edging/border plants – D – denotes ground cover or plants under approx. 20cm. For a formal appearance, small grasses such as Dwarf Dianella, Liriopes, and Mondo Grasses are hardy and attractive. Dwarf agapanthuses are quite stunning too (especially the dark blue flowering variety). Thyme and Oregano work well (for many obvious and wonderful reasons), but they do require maintenance to remain smart in appearance.

Then, you can choose stones or mulch to cover the ground. Both are beneficial in suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture. When choosing stones, walking on small gravel (5mm to 10mm) is much easier.

Lastly, you can add a small number of adornments. A birdbath sitting on a paver (BB in the plan), a paved pathway, a bench to sit on, a pond or fountain, or a mix of these make great finishing touches to any formal garden. In Moreton Bay and most Australian councils, ornamental ponds or fountains are not defined as swimming pools or spas and do not require fencing. In some councils around Australia, the water must be less than 30cm deep.

For extra fun, keep in mind that most councils allow you to make a curbside garden too. Moreton Bay simply require you to keep a 1.5-metre footpath space. Whatever you choose to do, it will be your unique creation – Enjoy, and I’ll see you again in Issue 195 on 14th July. Au revoir!