26 Tips for Creating Your Dream West Australian Garden

Imagine your garden for a moment, as it is right now.Now ask yourself, Does the image in your head match the garden of your dreams? Or do you want:• An inviting healthy green lawn that will add a real asset to your home and lifestyle? • Colours exploding across the yard from red banksias, smokebush, yellow dryandra, eucalyptus erythrocorys, red-flowering gums, green kangaroo paws?

• Tasty produce from your veggie garden that is ready to pluck: beetroot, silverbeet, broccoli, potato, capsicum, celery, pumpkin, chilli, Chinese kale, fennel, corn, and cucumber to feed you and your family?

It is possible to have the garden you want. This special report shows you how to do it.First we’ll show you how to create a thriving garden in West Australian soil. Let’s get started.

Why is Perth’s Soil Sandy?

Perth rests on ancient sand dunes. This foundation means gardeners face a unique challenge in creating a thriving garden.

The soil is hydrophobic. "Hydro" means water, and "phobic" means “repel.” Plants have a waxy coating and when it rains, this coating leaches into the soil. Each grain of sand in your soil gets coated with wax. The soil then repels water.

Sandy soil has its advantages. It is:• Well-aerated• Free-draining• Easy to dig.

But it has one significant downside: it lacks the capacity to hold moisture or nutrients.

Here are the steps for managing hydrophobic soil.

Combatting Hydrophobia #1: Apply a Wetting Agent.

Apply a wetting agent to break up the waxy coating. The wetting agent allows water to move between the grains of sand, and reach the plant's roots.

You need to do this at least twice a year. Otherwise, the waxy coating will return, and your plants will struggle to survive.

How do you know if you need to apply a wetting agent? Pour water on the soil. If it vanishes instantly, you know you have healthy soil. If the water sits on top or runs to another spot, the soil is hydrophobic, and you need to treat it again.

Combatting Hydrophobia #2: Add Organic Matter.

By adding organic matter, you encourage microbes in the soil to become active and make space for the water to flow.

Organic matter can be mulch, compost, or manure.

For most WA gardens, the best kind of matter to use is sheep manure.

Combatting Hydrophobia #3: Add Ground Rock Dust. Ground rock dust is what it sounds like – the dust from crushed-up rocks.

When you add ground rock dust to your soil, the plants get micronutrients they need to thrive, such as zinc, copper, iron, and manganese. Plants only need these in tiny amounts, but if they are missing, expect disease-prone, stunted plants.

Microbes love ground rock dust. They convert it into a type of matter the plants can eat.

Combatting Hydrophobia #4: Add Protection with Mulch.

Mulching keeps the soil cool, protects beneficial microbes from damaging ultra-violet light, suppresses weeds, and reduces evaporation.

Mulch can be compost, which we cover in the next section, or it can be lawn clippings, or decaying leaves or rotting bark.

When you prepare your soil this way, you create an environment where plants flourish.

Next we'll show you how to make one type of mulch: compost.

4 Tips to Successful Gardening in Sandy Soil

Start a Compost Heap in 3 Easy StepsWhy compost?

Anyone with even a tiny interest in gardening hears the advice use compost in your garden. In this section, we look at why you should compost and how to start a compost heap.

Composting improves soil quality. Compost helps your soil to cling onto air, nutrients, and moisture. The result you achieve is healthy, thriving plants.

When you combine inorganic matter, such as sand, silt, and clay, with organics like compost and humus, the soil structure gets stronger.

Compost adds nutrients to the soil, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, and micronutrients like manganese, copper, iron, and zinc. Your plants only need micronutrients in tiny amounts, but without them, they won’t thrive.

Composting can be cost-effective. It acts as a slow-release fertiliser, saving you money spent on herbicides and fertilisers.

Now we show you how to create a compost heap step-by-step.

Composting Step #1: Choosing a Location.

The easiest option for a beginner who wants to start composting is heap composting; that is, piling up organic matter and helping it compost.

What’s the best location for a compost heap?

You want an open, level area with good drainage. It is critical that your compost be neither too wet or too dry.

You want somewhere partially sunny. Avoid too much sun as it will dry your compost out. Avoid too much shade, or it will leave your compost damp.

A great place for a compost heap is next to a fence. It will get the sun for part of the day, and shade for the rest. And putting it on the fence means it’s out of the way, rather than the centerpiece in your garden.

How big should it be? Make a square, 1m-1.5m on all sides.

Composting Step #2: Layering Your Compost Heap.

Building a compost heap is like making lasagna, you layer your ingredients.

Start with a layer of bulky materials, such as a layer of twigs and make it about 15cm deep.

Then add a 15cm layer of kitchen waste or grass clippings.

Continue to layer your materials until you have made the compost heap as large as you want it to be.

You can add most organic materials to your compost heap:• Green waste, which gives your plants nitrogen.• Brown materials, which gives your plants carbon.

But some organic materials are a no-no:• Meat, dairy, fat, or oil products• Carnivorous pet faeces• Diseased plants or weeds that have seeded• Human waste• Charcoal or coal ash.

Next we’ll look at some tips for creating healthy compost.

Composting Step #3: Tips for Healthy Compost.

As your compost heap turns from a pile of waste into nutritious material for your plants, you need to do a couple of things to help it along the way.

Keep the compost moist, but not soggy. Sometimes this means you may need to water it.

You will also need to turn your compost, for two reasons.

First, turning it aerates the compost and mixes the layers so that it breaks down more efficiently. Turn it every four to eight weeks.

The second reason to turn your compost heap is if it is too wet. In this case, turn it more often. Alternatively, you can add more brown matter to soak up the excess moisture.

Compost is a helpful ingredient in managing hydrophobic soil, as we saw above, and it is a core element for the next three gardening areas we’ll cover, starting with veggie gardens.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Vegetable GardenWhy Grow a Vegetable Garden?

A veggie garden provides you with several benefits. Obviously you get nutritious, homegrown organic produce.

However, there’s a deeper benefit. You can take pride in what you create. In providing food for your family from your labour.

A veggie garden gives your yard a purpose beyond aesthetics. Apart from providing you with yummy food, a veggie garden is carbon-positive. This means it absorbs carbon dioxide and helps combat global warming.

Growing Vegetables Step #1: Choosing a Location.

When choosing where to put your veggie garden, consider these factors.

• How much sun will the garden get? Your veggie garden will need at least five hours of sun, but ideally it will get eight.

• What type of soil is it? It is probably hydrophobic, which means it is sandy and repels water. If this is the case, the soil will need extra preparation, different to what we outlined in the section above on preparing sandy soil for gardening. We tell you how to do this below.

• How much room do you have for a garden?

• Is the location well-drained? Plants cannot grow in waterlogged soil. An elevated location is ideal.

• Do any local laws affect your ability to install a veggie garden? Check what laws your council has about making these kind of changes to your property to stay within the law.

Growing Vegetables Step #2: Choosing the Vegetables to Grow.

Your next step is to choose what vegetables you want to grow in your garden.

Here are ten common vegetables you can grow at home:• Fennel • Beetroot • Garlic • Carrots • Lettuce • Leeks• Capsicums • Cucumbers • Chillies • Tomatoes.

The best kind of vegetables to choose are the ones you’ll enjoy eating. Also, consider vegetables that have similar needs for soil conditions, sunlight, and nutrition.Next we look at where to set up your veggie garden.

Growing Vegetables Step #3: Choose Your Vegetable Garden Layout.

You want to choose the right layout for your garden and your needs.

One way is to find a patch for your veggie garden. A 2m x 2.5m plot is large enough to feed a family of three or four people.

Unsure if growing vegetables is for you? Consider trying out the idea in pot plants. This is also a great way to get the hang of it. When you’re ready, you can transfer potted plants into your veggie garden.

Next we look at preparing the soil.

Growing Vegetables Step #4. Prepare the Soil in Your Vegetable Garden.

As mentioned before, because Perth rests on ancient sand dunes, your soil is likely to be hydrophobic. The waxy coating on hydrophobic soil makes it repel water. To make your veggie garden thrive, you need to prepare the soil.

1. Apply an organic, humus-based wetting agent. It is not as powerful as the ones you would normally use, but it lets the soil absorb water.

2. Apply fine compost. Fine compost has smaller particles than other types of compost.

3. Feed vegetables a regular feed mix of seaweed solution and fish emulsion, so they thrive.

When the soil is ready, plant the seeds according to the packet directions.

Growing Vegetables Step #5: Reap the Harvest.

How do you know when to harvest?

This depends on what you’ve planted. The packets will give directions on how long you can expect to wait. You’ll know when your vegetables are ripe by squeezing them, just as if you were at a supermarket.

In this section, we’ve shown you how to bring produce from your garden onto your table. In the next section, we cover how to bring plants indoors.

5 Benefits of Growing Indoor Potted PlantsYou are about to learn why it is a must to have potted plants in your house. After you read this section, we hope you’ll want to try growing potted plants.

Potted Plants Benefit #1: Beauty.

The first benefit you get from indoor potted plants is pure aesthetics. Plants in the home are beautiful. Their foliage and flowers bring colour, energy, and life to your house. Their greenery can help you feel calmer, tranquil, and relaxed.

Potted Plants Benefit #2: They Remove Dangerous Airborne Pollutants.

Houseplants offer a powerful health benefit. They purify the air, removing dangerous pollutants. In other words, plants in your house make the air fresher and healthier to breathe.

According to the space agency NASA, the presence of 15 to 18 healthy, vigorous plants in medium-size pots can improve air quality in the average home.

Here’s a list of plants that are most effective in removing dangerous pollutants:

• Golden pothos• Philodendrons• Spider plants• Peace lilies• Chrysanthemums• Lady palm• Bamboo palm• Dwarf date palms• Areca palms• Boston fern• Queen fern• Rubber plant• Dieffenbachia• Chinese Evergreen• Bamboo• Schefflera• English Ivy.

Potted Plants Benefit #3: People with Limited Space Can Have a Garden.

As the population increases, people end up with smaller yards. Less space for gardens means you need to get creative about making use of that space.

Spare space in your house can be turned into a beautiful garden that will deliver many of the benefits and beauty of an outdoor garden.

Potted Plants Benefit #4: Growing Tropical Plants in Cooler Climates.

Perhaps your ideal garden is a tropical paradise. Potted plants can give you a taste of the tropics.

In a pot, you can grow tropical plants in cooler regions. Put them outside during the warmer months, and bring them inside when it gets cooler.

While plants grow best outdoors, with the right

knowledge, many plants can thrive indoors.

Potted Plants Benefit #5: Try a New Plant Before Adding it to Your Garden.

A final benefit of potted plants is that you can test out new plants before you commit to growing them.

You can position them where you think they will go, and see if they are going to work as well as you think they will.

Before we finish this section, let’s look at how to care for potted plants.

Caring for Potted Plants

Potted plants offer a way for non-gardeners,and those who kill anything they touch, a way to build their gardening skills.

Here are four tips for caring for potted plants:• When choosing what size pot to put your plants in, bigger is better.

• Pots MUST have drainage holes.

• Leave a 2.5cm-5cm gap between the top of the soil and the top of the container.

• Fertilise often because potted plants run out of nutrition faster than plants grown in open soil.

In the next section, we look at what you need to do to have the perfect lawn.

7 Tips for the Perfect LawnWhat is the Perfect Lawn?

The perfect lawn is one that is green, soft and healthy which offers the perfect environment to enjoy your lifestyle.

Having a perfect lawn does not mean having a problem-free lawn. Rather it means that you learn to solve those problems and care for your lawn.

In this section, we cover seven tips that help you grow the perfect lawn.

Perfect Lawn Tip #1. Mow at the Right Height.

What difference does the height you cut your lawns make? If you mow too low, your lawn will need more water.

The right height depends on the kind of grass you have, as each species thrives at a different length.

Perfect Lawn Tip #2: Nourish with the Right Fertiliser at the Right Time.

Fertilise lawns at the right time with the right fertiliser.

Fertilise any lawn in early spring. The rest of the year it depends on the type of grass you have, the type of fertiliser you use, and your climate.

When you buy a bag of fertiliser, check the schedule that the package recommends for using it.

Perfect Lawn Tip #3: Leave Clippings on the Lawn.

After you have mown your lawn, many people think you should remove clumps of clippings from the lawn. They are unsightly, and the grass underneath them can die off.

However, there’s an advantage to leaving them. Lawn clippings contain 12% nitrogen and 88% moisture. When you leave the clippings on your lawn, they will help it thrive.

Perfect Lawn Tip #4: Determine Mow Times by Height, not the Calendar.

How often should you mow?

It may suit you to make a regular time and mow every fortnight, or every week, but that may not be what is best for your lawn. Instead of a regular time, look at how long your grass is.

Each species has its healthy length, something you can ask about when you are buying new turf. The right time to mow is when the grass has grown a third longer than the length that’s right for that species of grass.

The reason you want it to grow a third longer than its ideal length is that when you mow, you never want to remove more than one-third of the length of the grass. Cut more than this and you will harm your lawn.

Perfect Lawn Tip #5. Vary Your Mowing Pattern.

Each time you mow your lawn, mow it in a different direction.

By doing this, you help the grass to grow upright and avoid developing ugly ruts in your soil.

Perfect Lawn Tip #6. Avoid Mowing Wet Grass

Whenever possible, avoid cutting grass when it is wet. Wet grass means your lawn may not be neat and tidy after you cut it. Also, the clippings can clump together in the mower and leave the yard looking patchy and messy.

If you do mow when wet, then catch the clippings.

Perfect Lawn Tip #7: Keep the Mower Blades Sharp.

The purpose of mowing is to remove brown and damaged tips of grass. But each time you mow, you shock the grass – it is a plant alive after all, and mowing hurts it.

Keep your mower blades sharp for three reasons. Sharp blades put less stress on the mower so that your mower lasts longer. Sharp blades cut better because the grass does not bend under the moving blade. Moreover, it helps prevent clumps of grass clogging up the mower.

By reading this report, you may have realised that is possible to have the garden you want. But to have it will take a lot of work. In the final part of this special report, we look at the most effective way to get the garden you want without doing all the work.

How to Have the Garden You Want When it is Just Too Much WorkRemember at the start when you held a picture in your mind of your garden? We hope after reading this report you’ve realised you can have the garden you want.

But maybe thinking about it makes you sigh. “I’d love a garden like that, but it’s all too much work for me.”

That is when you should consider a lawn and garden expert like Jim’s Mowing.

Apart from mowing lawns and gardening, Jim’s Mowing provides services you may not have realised they offer. These other services include gardening, weeding, hedging, edging, rubbish removal, trimming, gutter cleaning, and odd jobs.

Call Jim’s Mowing on 1300 986 091 to arrange a visit and chat about how we can help you create your dream garden.

Call Jim’s Mowing on

1300 986 091

to arrange a visit and chat about how we can help you create your dream garden.