If someone said to you that they wanted to grow tropical foliage plants in a garden where the temperature drops to -3C in winter and rises to 46C in summer, you'd probably think they were mad - I know I would have once. Yet, that is what I did, it wasn't something I intentionally set out to do - it just grew.
It started around 6 years ago with the removal of a large Jacaranda tree that took up most of the air space between the house and the pool area.
Late 1997
With the Jacaranda gone, the garden really needed some taller plants around the fences, this couldn't be done before as the pool would have been in the shade for most of the day. We had seen palms growing in local gardens and decided to add a few of our native Bangalow palms . It was not long after this that I came across a Cordyline fruiticosa 'Rubra' in a local nursery; I was told that it could be grown outside. So I decided to give it a try under the palms along with some subtropical and tropical plants that are safe to grow here. I also added a calathea to the garden to see how it would do. As the effect of our winters was still an unknown factor, work on the garden was left until the next spring to see how it would cope. The palms, calathea and cordylines sailed through winter with no damage.
Late 1998
I started again and go a little bit more daring. With palms planted on two sides of the pool, the 3rd side was looking very empty, just lots of paving and a wall. Planting palms along the fence here wouldn't help as the fence was too far away. The paving was removed at the edge of the pool and in the corners next to the wall; just enough to plant more bangalow palms and some alexander palms. Soon after this golden cane palms were added around the pool edge. Gradually more paving was pulled up to create larger gardens around these palms. These gardens kept growing until there was only a pathway left to connect the paved areas, this pathway was later replaced by a bridge . During the following summer, clumping palms were added to the garden behind the pool and as I came across different cordylines these were also added.
June,2002
This year we finished replacing an old sleeper retaining wall that runs from the house to the pool area and then around the pool. To do this we had to pull the existing waterfall apart, this also meant that the plants in this area had to come out. When the new wall behind the pool was built; we increased its height so that we could build a new waterfall. By June we had finished the wall and were ready to have the pool resurfaced in Pebblecrete, when the pool was being prepared we had a section of the pool wall removed so that the waterfall would go down into the pool. It was my husband's first waterfall and it turned out better than we expected. Between the pool edge and the new wall I added another level to the garden; this was built out of bush rock. This new garden is at the same height as the first level of the waterfall and it allows me to grow cordylines behind the pool. The plants in this area were planted in July and the photos were taken in February, the plants have grown so well during one growing season.
Since then the pool area has finished its transformation into a tropical foliage garden. Ballinese style statues have been added to the area, some are in full view and some are hidden amongst the foliage. It is a great place to sit and relax; in summer there is nowhere cooler to go than into the pool area, down the steps and across the bridge to sit on the garden wall, where the temperature drops drastically
There is also another small section in the pool area, it is behind the bridge on the higher level.
Planting and watching this area develop over the years has taught me a lot about creating microclimates. Here, the canopy, pool and different garden levels allow for different soil moisture contents, protection from strong winds, layering and density of planting all interact and play an important role in providing the essential habitat for the understorey planting. The layering of the foliage is also an integral part of the habitat as each layer adds protection for the layers below it.
June, 2002.
After finishing the recent planting in the cordyline garden, the pool a rea looked lifeless or dull. So I started on that again. Crotons, diffenbachias, aglaeonemas and bromeliads have been planted in the higher garden behind the pool. Now that the waterfall has more shade from the afternoon sun I have changed this area. More rocks have been added to extend the sides of the waterfall and I have planted bromeliads down the sides of the waterfall. In the lower level around the back of the pool I have added lots more bromeliads. This change of planting has added a lot more colour and life to the back of the pool.
