Last week, we had some work done on our driveway. Our local council put in underground power last year and the light pole which was on the edge of the driveway has been moved to allow for much better access to our property. This has given me a great opportunity to make some changes and start a new project.
We renovated our house about 7 years ago and when we did the builders destroyed the lawn on the verge, which is the space between our property boundary and the road. Technically, homeowners do not own this space but have responsibility for it.
We used to have a well-maintained buffalo lawn in this space, that was reticulated and was constantly being repaired by my husband after damage caused by folks driving over the reticulation sprinkler heads. I really value my husband’s time and was always concerned about watering the lawn that we were never going to be able to use in a practical sense, as this space is mostly used for parking vehicles.
This is why, when it came to moving back into our house after the renovation, I decided to plant purple Agapanthus, yellow Hemerocallis day-lilies and delightfully purple Verbena boneriensis, immediately outside our picket fence and on the other side of the council-owned tree which is a very large and not my favourtite kind of tree, a Queensland Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus), I have been placing woodchips that I top up each year or so with mulch that comes from trimming the Fiddlewood, the Marri and the Jarrah trees in our back garden.
This has been very successful to date, we have saved water and it looks neat and tidy but I have always felt that we needed to improve the access to the house via a sensible pathway.
The driveway changes mean that we can now safely park 6 (!) vehicles on our driveway (it sounds a lot but we are soon to have 5 drivers in the house plus my work ute).
I wanted to offer an alternative for guests to enter our home via the gate and the arbour which is home to a beautiful climbing rose, Pierre de Ronsard.
This week I have achieved that. Woohoo! I have created a straight pathway through the mulch with the help of Darren, my friendly landscaper and his Dingo (small bobcat).
Rather than leaving the pathway bare, I have prepared it with a wetting agent (Richgro EziWet liquid) and Nutrarich Mature Compost as the soil under the mulch is very hard and compacted and dry.
The final step was to plant it out with one of my favourite super-tough plant recommendations, Dymondia margaretae or the common name of ‘Silver Carpet’.
I first saw this plant growing in dry, very hot conditions at The Huntington https://www.huntington.org/ in Los Angeles in 2015 and wanted to use it at my place ever since. It is a brilliant lawn alternative that will withstand some foot traffic which is perfect for my new pathway. I am not expecting many people to use this access but some will for sure.
Dymondia margaretae
Is a tough lawn substitute that will grow low and flat (about 2-5 cms only), it forms a dense matt and once established will suppress weeds. It is tough enough to survive occasional foot or even vehicle traffic, and attractive enough to look great through the year. It spreads on runners and that’s exactly what I need in this space. It is not invasive and when in flower with its tiny yellow daisy-like flowers will offer habitat and food for bees. It will tolerate sun and shade areas and most importantly our sandy soil. The leaves are variegated green shades and the underside is a charming silver colour.
So, here’s what the new pathway looks like
The mulch looks very high at the moment but before you know it, with some rain and vehicular traffic this will compact down and look a little flatter.
If you are looking for a tough lawn alternative or something to grow in between pavers, then why not give the Dymondia margaretae a try?
