Charlie Albone

When choosing plants for a certain area or effect think about the plant and how it grows, what shape does it have and how does that shape change as it matures. These factors will affect the type of plant you choose for the style of planting you want. Over the next two months we will look at the most common styles of planting with a few of my favorite combinations thrown in.

Hedging:

Hedges can be found in almost every Australian garden and are a great green boundary in the garden; they can be used for screening out ugly fences, intruding neighbors and defining boundary lines. Low hedges define garden bed borders and help frame the plants that make up the center of the bed. Not all hedges have to be formal; do not automatically think of a formal style when you think of hedges. A loose hedge can create the feeling of segregation without installing the formal theme. Aerial hedges or pleaching can have a great effect but work best in larger spaces where the open aspect of the pleach can be exploited. My favorite native hedge is the Acmena (lilly pilly) as it grows quickly, has great dense green foliage. There are now even cyillid free varieties. For low formal hedging it’s hard to go past buxus with its compact growth and hardy when established nature. Another great hedging genus is the viburnums, mostly quick growing with a huge variety of flowering shrubs, these can be formal or loose and can be used almost anywhere.

Mass planting:

Mass planting is when one species of plant is used on mass and can be very effective in many gardens. Modern houses look great with mass plantings of spiky architectural plants; my favorites include cordylines, yuccas, New Zealand flax and Doryanthes. Cottage or formal gardens appreciate mass plantings behind some low hedging to really set them off. I like the combination of a low buxus hedge with a mass planting of wind flowers or salvia leaucanthea poking over the top. Grasses make a great mass planting and can either give a meadow feel or a modern feel depending on situation and surrounding architecture. Bright colours are emphasized on mass but really suit a larger space. Mass planting courtyards can appear a bit lifeless so really focus on the built structure if a single plant type is what you want.

Next month we will look a few more popular styles of planting by focusing on feature plants, mixed garden beds and clumps and drifts planting.