DESIGN NOTES gardens
Doing Your Block
Being left with a barren patch of earth after the builders have gone is
a fairly common occurrence. Here’s how to transform that moonscape
into a beautiful green oasis.
Words Jane Canaway
Finally, the builders have left, the painting’s
done and even the carpets and furniture are
in. But as the sun rises on your first day in your
new home, you see an increasingly worrisome
blot on the landscape – a so-called “garden” full
of nothing but clay and rocks.
Many new home owners find they are not
only starting with no plants – some have been
left with no topsoil, either.
“Most new developments have the
topsoil scraped off before building starts,”
explains Diana Cotter, who runs workshops
for Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA).
“Most soils you buy now are scraped off a
development somewhere then mixed with
about 50 per cent sand and have mushroom
compost added. There is no glue or substance
to it; nothing to hold it together.”
Ironically, the first thing a lot of new
owners do is buy in topsoil, but while it may
be easier to dig, few professional gardeners
consider it better for plants. “One site I worked
on was a sloping block so they’d imported some
topsoil to try and even it out,” Cotter recalls.
“On the top end – the natural clay – everything
grew really well, but on the lower side, which
was filled with topsoil, if you felt the soil, it
just ran through your fingers and everything
struggled.”
Gardeners interested in growing native
plants may find a scraped block is actually a
bonus; dormant weed seed is removed, as is
residual superphosphate, which favours weeds
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over wildflowers and is common on former
farmland.
University of Melbourne researcher
Dr Paul Gibson-Roy has tried direct seeding
native grassland species at a number of
experimental plots across Victoria’s volcanic
plains and achieved the best results on sites
that had five to 15cm of topsoil removed first.
But for anyone wanting to grow exotics,
lawn or vegetables, a rich, friable soil is best.
Cotter advises: “If you’re going to use topsoil
then get one load first and mix it in, then a
second load and mix it – otherwise you end up
with layers that plants struggle with. It takes
around 100 years to make an inch (2.5cm)
of topsoil the natural way, and some of the
soil mixes you buy are put together in one
afternoon.”
In their defence, suppliers say quality
topsoil can improve clays and sandy soils by
adding organic matter. A spokesperson from
The Green Centre in Keilor Park, Victoria, said
the company sells three qualities of topsoil: an
economy version, comprising screened topsoil;
a lawn mix with 25 per cent compost added; and
a premium blend that contains compost and
cow manure.
But Sustainable Gardening Australia
advocates against disturbing topsoil where
possible, because it releases stored carbon back
into the atmosphere, involves unnecessary
transportation, can spread weeds, and disturbs
the original composition of the soil.
DESIGN NOTES gardens
L
Working with a challenging,
steep block, garden designer
Phillip Johnson used gravity
to divert stormwater to the
top pool, which then flows
over the waterfall to a lower
billabong. No mains water
has been needed to keep
the water feature running
for the past five years.
Photo by Patrick Redmond
Melbourne landscaper Phillip Johnson
agrees: “You will never get better soil than what
you get originally on your site.” Johnson likes
to work with the builder to make sure any soil
that needs to be dug out or scraped off to put in
footings is saved for later use.
“My goal is for nothing to leave the site,”
he says.
Discussing a project which he describes
as “one of the most challenging sites for us,”
Johnson essentially worked with the very steep
slope, rather than fighting it. He brought in
extra topsoil to help even out some terracing,
but the soil was from a neighbouring site.
“Stormwater feeds into the top pond, which
cascades down to the bottom billabong, and
both are planted with indigenous aquatic
species that help purify the water and bring
good indigenous seed to the area.
“Having water used in the landscape also
creates habitat and has a cooling effect, as
well as the aesthetics.”
His personal rule is to try and source all
materials – rocks, mulches, decking and plant
material – from within a 100km radius.
“Ideally, it’s best to consult with a
landscape designer from day one to zone off
and protect key trees. Also, I like to design
landscapes around the building so you are
getting a functioning, sustainable design,
and a seamless connection between the
landscape and the building.”
Brisbane-based company Sustainable has
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 DESIGN NOTES gardens
gone one step further to combine building and
landscaping in one package. Its landscaping
manager, Tobias Volbert, believes that a holistic
approach to the site – instead of planning a
building first then garden as an afterthought –
ensures a connectivity between the two.
“It avoids fragmentation,” he says. “It
also means we can do any earth-moving in
one go while the machinery is on site.
“We can better consider how the wind
moves through the site and put in place an
integrated water management plan by, say,
using the water coming down the driveway to
water the garden or putting water tanks under
the building.”
With a master’s degree in Landscape
Architecture from Hanover University,
Germany, Volbert was intrigued by how some
Australians view stormwater.
“Many people want to get it off site as soon
as possible, then you see them coming out later
with their hoses; we try to slow down the water
flow to keep the water on the property for as
long as possible because that makes so much
more sense in a drought environment.”
Dislike of the one-size-fits-all approach
to building is a sentiment Volbert shares
with SGA-accredited garden designer Wendy
Clarke.
“On a small slope they’ll just cut and
fill without thinking about using the house
afterwards,” an exasperated Clarke says.
“I can’t count the number of times I’ve
come across a house with a steep drive that’s
impossible to get a pram up – and cars have
to back out.
“A slope is lovely to work with – it doesn’t
have to be battled and contained.”
Clarke also advises builders and renovators
to consider outdoor areas when planning
doorways.
“You can end up with an area you don’t
engage with because it’s not visible from the
house, or an area of house you can look out
on but can’t access.
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DESIGN NOTES gardens
L
Fed entirely by stormwater
and rainwater, designer Phillip
Johnson made sure all the
rocks, plants and other
materials used in this pond
were sourced within 100km.
Photo by Patrick Redmond
“If you have a house that fits in with the
block, you feel like your house is connected Gardeners interested in
to the site rather than just stuck on it.” growing native plants may
STARTING FROM THE TOP
find a scraped block is actually
Even where the topsoil has been left, heavy a bonus.
machinery may have compacted it and leftover
cement, lime or mortar increased its alkalinity
– so some soil first aid may be needed.
Test your soil first. Not only will you know
what you are working with in the future, but,
by testing a patch near the house and another
in an undisturbed area, you can gauge whether
you need to correct its pH, too.
Acidity can be increased by adding compost
or, for more instant or localised results, by
adding iron chelates.
Garden lime can be used to increase
alkalinity.
Thick clays can be made more friable by
digging and watering in gypsum, which does
not affect the pH.
After that, getting air and organic matter
into the soil are the key goals. The easiest way
is to dig in green mulch or compost.
Organic matter in the soil:
•W ill bind soil particles together, creating
stability
•W ill help the soil absorb plant nutrients such
as calcium, magnesium and sodium
•W ill significantly increase the soil’s
water-holding capacity, especially in L
Walkways link the garage
sandy soils with the main house on this
• Can increase the drainage of clay soils steep Queensland block,
designed by Sustainable.
Rocks, plantings, swales and
“It can be hard work and it takes time,” spoon drains help slow the
flow of water to maximize
Wendy Clarke says. “You have to keep digging absorption into the soil.
in compost and mulch and waiting for the The plan was to retain as
many original trees as
worms to come. And when they come, possible - ensuring the
landscape dominates,
you’ll know you’ve got it right.”
not the built form – and to
minimise disruption of the
land. Photo by Sustainable
www.sustainablebuildings.
com.au
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