An empty front lawn, perfect for a yard gardening project

James and Rebecca Wong have bought a new home in an outer suburban area. James works at the district hospital and Rebecca has a part-time job in a shop. They have two young, school-age children.

The Wongs want a garden which will add character and charm to the front of their home and distinguish it from their neighbors' houses. They need a better defined, more welcoming entrance that is within their abilities to maintain, fames would like to keep a small lawn and

Rebecca wants as many flowers and bird-attracting plants as possible. She likes roses, but knows they mean work, and is drawn to plants as long as they suit local conditions. Privacy is not a big issue, as their street is not busy. But they do want some enclosure to deter dogs and stop their children from running onto the street.


The old garden
An expanse of grass is dominated by the wide, grey driveway. There is no clear entrance way, and callers must either walk up the drive or wear a track across the lawn. Without a fence or any boundary planting, the yard and house seem very open and exposed.


Deciding Their Priorities

How much time?
3 hours per week, including the back yard. Less during school holidays.

Essential ingredients?
Year-round flowers in colors that will blend with the bricks and painted surfaces of the house. At least some plants that attract birds, and a warm appearance.

Likes and dislikes?
Rebecca likes watering, feeding, deadheading and other light gardening tasks that she finds relaxing. Dislikes maintaining beds of annual flowers, spraying poisons and heavy pruning. James is not keen on lawn mowing or caring for fragile plants.


The new garden
A low-maintenance steel fence and arched gateway enclose the yard. Side boundaries are defined by informal hedges of bird-attracting shrubs. A new path, paved like the drive, forks inside the gateway and leads to the front door and the meter box. The small lawn is easy care.


Carpet of color
Anthemis tinctoria, in the low bed beneath the master bedroom, produces golden flowers in late spring and summer.

Fragrance
Gardenias, planted amongst the anthemis, waft their heady perfume through the windows in summer.

Hiding the fence
Grevillea 'Sandra Cordon' and G. 'Moonlight' underplanted with Banksia 'Birthday Candles' provide nectar-rich flowers all year for the birds that will visit the bird bath.

Pretty native
Angophora 'Little Gumball' grows 4-5 m tall and has attractive, reddish-orange bark and white flowers.

Seasonal flowers
Pots of seasonal blooms can be arranged to give a warm welcome at the front door.

Subtle enclosure
The open metal framework of the front fence and arch are ideal supports for the easy-care, ever-blooming, fragrant climbing rose 'Crepuscule'.

A leafy sanctuary
Cream-flowered Osmanthus fragrans and brown-orange Banksia spinulosa, grown to mask the side fence, provide perches and nectar for birds.