Sustainable Garden Design Perth and Fremantle, Australia
Landscaping Ideas: Garden Features

The three types of garden features we tend to specialize in are vertical gardens, Japanese style Zen native gardens and sustainable water features.

What are vertical gardens?
What are vertical gardens. The term vertical garden or green wall simply describes gardens that grow on vertical surfaces. The most inspirational vertical gardens have been developed by Patrick Blanc, a French botanist and are designed to grow on the surfaces of buildings and are sustained hydroponically. We tend to incorporate more simple vertical designs which contain architectural succulents with the intention of providing a beautiful living sculptural effect within the garden. Such designs are perfectly suited to those with more limited space.

How can you create a sustainable water feature?
One of the classic features of many gardens is the trend towards smaller gardens with water features. Such a feature can add the soft element of water to a garden providing a sanctuary for those with busy lifestyles.

Interesting ideas that now make such a feature more sustainable are the advent of solar powered pumps – meaning expensive electrical connection is no longer necessary and that the water feature does not have to draw upon mains power. A second development has been the integration of water tanks into the overall design of the garden. One of the more innovative ideas that I have seen has been the placement of water features directly under or connected to downpipes. These water features function as both points of beauty in the garden and are designed to act as a type of soakwell during the heavier rain periods of winter.

Is it possible to create a Japanese Zen garden with native plants?
Having lived in Japan for three years one of my passions in life has been the inspirational minimalist gardens developed by the ancient Buddhist monks of Japan. For me this is the perfect template for a simple, beautiful and water-wise garden. There are many species of banksia, acacia and native grasses to mention a few that lend themselves perfectly to such a landscaping design feature. In this type of design less is more. Japanese designers often replaced a plant with a rock and used local pebbles and gravels extensively in their designs rather than having to plant out every space in a garden making it essentially the perfect water friendly garden.