Inspiration behind the DIG logo

A logo is an important element of the business. I wanted a simple and classic logo that will survive the test of time, the life of the business (which I’m planning will take me into retirement...) and will also reflect the essence of me and my love of designing with inspiring plants.

 

I worked with the creative Nikita and Georgia and the lovely Kel Doolan from Worldwide Printing, Mount Waverley. They spent the necessary time with me to understand me, my business objectives what I was looking for and what I wasn’t.

From these discussions I was resolved to include somehow the flower of Doryanthes excelsa, Gymea or Spear Lily as it is otherwise known as. It's by far one of my favourites. You will see a floret (a single flower within a larger inflorescence) included into the G of DIG.

Doryanthes excelsa is just a fantastic Australian native plant. It is striking in the landscape. The plant forms a large clump with sword-like leaves to 1 meter high. The flower stems sit up high above the clump with stems of between 2 to 4 m high. Flowering occurs from late Spring to early Summer.

It is a versatile plant to include in garden designs. It can be used well as a specimen/accent plant or used on mass in the right situations in large gardens for an amazing effect. This plant is being incorporated into a current design proposal to be planted as a group under a Melia azedarach a deciduous Australian native valued for it’s form and fragrant flowers.

If you want to know more about any plants written in my blogs then please don’t hesitate to ask. I can give you more information or guide you to good books or internet sites. For information on Australian natives go to http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/index.html

Enjoy the Doryanthes and I hope you start seeing them around your travels. They are planted in many public gardens of Melbourne, so keep your eyes peeled, especially as the spear-like flower stems start to emerge.

I've just completed a small soft landscaping job in South Yarra. The site involves common ground for four large apartments and the residents are mostly all owner occupiers.

The site is initially very harsh on the eye. It is a tall grey building, featuring grey pillars and a grey brick front fence. The garden has been neglected with only a few pink Roses, Gardenias and Camellia's surviving with a flourishing (pink flowering) Hibiscus. The job brief was initially to replace the front turf area. So that's what I did. However I'm not a fan of small turf areas. My preference is to remove the turf and onvert the area to garden bed. By doing this you will reduce your overall water and maintenance requirements.

In any case, the job brief extended following the lawn work. I spoke to the residents and we agreed that the four existing garden bed areas that were made up of mixed plantings and a strip of lawn need a make over. So up came the strips of lawn and the garden beds were extended. The front fence-line has been planted with Olive trees which will be pleached and provide a tall softening screen effect. A secondary planting of Osmanthus fragrans will be hedged as a two tier effect with the Olives to provide a solid structure for the front. The Buxus hedge along the front wall of the apartments wasn't performing and so it was removed to make way for a Rosemary hedge planting.

You will see in the photos areas of extending grey brick work. Here I have planted Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston Ivy) to make its way up the grey pillars which will soften the entire landscape. Other plants used in the garden beds had to be able to suit the existing pink flowering plants, so here I've include Loropetalum 'China Blush', Rhaphiolepis umbellata, Sedum 'Autumn Joy' amongst a mix of silver ground cover and grassy/strappy like foliage plants.

The landscape is in it's very infantile stage and the true test of development will be to see what sort of first year results in late Spring, Summer and Autumn bring and then how the garden develops over the years to come. For now all the residents are happy. It's great to see people's facial and body expressions become so positive as plants arrive on site and are planted and mulched.

Graceful Ginkgo biloba

This Ginkgo biloba sits solitary on the front lawn of Burnley Gardens. The graceful old tree enjoying the moisture this autumn is bringing compared to previous years. There is a soft almost gentle carpet of rich yellow leaves surrounding the base. The beauty and rich autumn yellow tones stops you in your tracks as you approach the area. Worth the look if you're in the area.

Understanding plant growth, shape, colour, texture and form is essential for good garden designs. You want a garden that will live a long life, provide beauty and inspiration. This is the case for large expansive big budget gardens to simple plantings.

Today I was pruning a mixed Australian native screen that is planted along a narrow strip (approx 300mm) of garden bed that runs along a driveway. This is just not enough room for such large shrubs, there is no point to this planting, it doesn’t look uniform because of the mixed species and it requires regular pruning so the growth doesn’t impact on the cars.

Try using climbers to green a fenceline. Durable and effective climbers you can use include:
• Ficus pumila, an evergreen self supporting climber that grows sucker pads to cling onto a wall or the like surface;
• Trachelospermum jasminoides or Aphanopetalum resinosum, both are evergreen twining climbers that do require support to climb but will provide you with a rich green wall dense in habit from the base to the height required.

Climbers do require regular pruning, but they will give you better uniformity along a difficult narrow site. Again, it’s about choosing the right plant for the site.