Ideas to transform a sunny, weedy side yard?

Hi all, I’d love some tips and ideas from you for a garden project I’m planning in Victoria.

We have a long narrow south-facing side yard (15m x 3.3m) off the side of our house. It has very shallow, stony topsoil (about 6cm) over a weed mat. The weeds have come through everywhere and it’s hard to manage. I think the soil underneath is clay.

What I want to achieve:

A pretty, low-maintenance outdoor area we’ll actually use (somewhere to sit/relax).
Something that copes with lots of afternoon sun in summer, and no sun in winter.
Screen the view of the water tank and create some privacy along the fence on the left.
Open to ideas! E.g. Maybe a veggie patch, gravel/seating, nice lighting, bird bath etc.

Budget – Up to $3k. Hoping to do it myself and just pay for materials/plants.

Questions I’m hoping the community can help with:

Design – how would you organise this space?
- Gravel sitting area?
- Lawn strip?
- Raised beds vs in-ground planting?
- Climbing plants on the fence?
Soil – what’s the best way to deal with the current soil? Should I remove the topsoil and replace it? Build raised beds on top? Something else?

I’m an intermediate gardener so happy to do some work but not looking for something that requires daily maintenance. Thanks in advance

by strathcal1

Upset-Layman-1438 3 months ago

Ohhh, I love these challenges!
If it were me, I’d go raised garden bed along the fence along the concrete (as in, fully self contained so you don’t have soil resting on the fence – been there, done that and it’s a mistake many make and it’s a mess to fix). I’d plant either veggies that you will use in Summer and Autumn, then just put green manure plants in there over Winter to replenish the soil OR if you aren’t interested in food, plant annual pots of colour seasonally that you can get for a couple of bucks at your local nursery/Bunnings (like marigolds, petunias, portulacas etc). Rip up the weedmat – it’s a nightmare – lay down cardboard, wool, whatever you can get your hands on that’s natural. Depending on where you are in Victoria, I’d plant a citrus tree in the middle of the current lawn (most people go lemons, but if you don’t use lemons, plant whatever you use – oranges, limes, mandarin, whatever). Then, on top of the cardboard, whatever you use, I’d put gravel (small bits) and then larger pebbles (personally I’d use white – they will absorb the heat in Winter and keep it warmer but not cook it in Summer).

Then you could put a small outdoor table and chairs (maybe one of those rustic looking iron ones) for a cuppa outside on nice days, you have a fruit tree that will provide you with heaps of fruit if it’s managed properly and your own veggies that you can just pick and eat as they grow. Raised beds also make it ideal for watering (looks like there’s a tap on the side of the house, you can just chuck a hose on there and off you go).

Alternatively, if you don’t want a citrus tree, I’d put in a native (like say a bottlebrush – fine with clay soil) but not in the middle – more towards the back – so you can feed native birds, butterflies and insects and the like (although be wary doing this if you or your family are allergic to bees). Then you can have a mix of colour, flowers and food. (If you wanted, you could probably do both, so long as you get a dwarf citrus tree).

Also – DON’T do climbing plants on the fence, they pull down and rot the fence and make it a disaster to deal with when the fence needs replacing (it’s timber, and it definitely will need replacing at some point).

If you use bottlebrushes (Callistemons) and use a citrus tree with a good rootstock like Trifoliata, clay soil won’t matter. If you use raised garden beds, get the best quality manure/compost you can and do a lasagne type bed – cardboard, straw, manure, compost, hay, whatever – to build the soil immediately and make it right for planting.

The only thing daily you would need to do would be watering unless you get an automated system, but that’s a whole other level of complexity. The hose tap is right there and it’s only until things get established – then on hot days (although veggies will need regular watering to grow as quickly as possible to harvest often).

3 Comments

xinxai_the_white_guy 3 months ago

I’d go cacti and Succulents against the fence in a row then a sitting area on the right where you can take in the serenity.
ThatDudeHarley 3 months ago

I think growing some of your own fruits and or veggies needs serious consideration.
Upset-Layman-1438 3 months ago

Ohhh, I love these challenges!
If it were me, I’d go raised garden bed along the fence along the concrete (as in, fully self contained so you don’t have soil resting on the fence – been there, done that and it’s a mistake many make and it’s a mess to fix). I’d plant either veggies that you will use in Summer and Autumn, then just put green manure plants in there over Winter to replenish the soil OR if you aren’t interested in food, plant annual pots of colour seasonally that you can get for a couple of bucks at your local nursery/Bunnings (like marigolds, petunias, portulacas etc). Rip up the weedmat – it’s a nightmare – lay down cardboard, wool, whatever you can get your hands on that’s natural. Depending on where you are in Victoria, I’d plant a citrus tree in the middle of the current lawn (most people go lemons, but if you don’t use lemons, plant whatever you use – oranges, limes, mandarin, whatever). Then, on top of the cardboard, whatever you use, I’d put gravel (small bits) and then larger pebbles (personally I’d use white – they will absorb the heat in Winter and keep it warmer but not cook it in Summer).

Then you could put a small outdoor table and chairs (maybe one of those rustic looking iron ones) for a cuppa outside on nice days, you have a fruit tree that will provide you with heaps of fruit if it’s managed properly and your own veggies that you can just pick and eat as they grow. Raised beds also make it ideal for watering (looks like there’s a tap on the side of the house, you can just chuck a hose on there and off you go).

Alternatively, if you don’t want a citrus tree, I’d put in a native (like say a bottlebrush – fine with clay soil) but not in the middle – more towards the back – so you can feed native birds, butterflies and insects and the like (although be wary doing this if you or your family are allergic to bees). Then you can have a mix of colour, flowers and food. (If you wanted, you could probably do both, so long as you get a dwarf citrus tree).

Also – DON’T do climbing plants on the fence, they pull down and rot the fence and make it a disaster to deal with when the fence needs replacing (it’s timber, and it definitely will need replacing at some point).

If you use bottlebrushes (Callistemons) and use a citrus tree with a good rootstock like Trifoliata, clay soil won’t matter. If you use raised garden beds, get the best quality manure/compost you can and do a lasagne type bed – cardboard, straw, manure, compost, hay, whatever – to build the soil immediately and make it right for planting.

The only thing daily you would need to do would be watering unless you get an automated system, but that’s a whole other level of complexity. The hose tap is right there and it’s only until things get established – then on hot days (although veggies will need regular watering to grow as quickly as possible to harvest often).