Sustainable Outdoors Newsletter

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Free Great Gardens Workshops

FREE Great Gardens workshops, focused on saving water, fertiliser and having a great time, these workshop are a winner when it comes to gardening in Western Australia.

Find out the recipes of what will improving the look and the functionality of your garden, how to save time and money, enhance the environment and the local wildlife. These workshops are jam packed with useful knowledge even for the most experienced.

The Great Gardens team also run several other workshops that focus on “Energy Efficiency” in the home, how to grow “Great Fruit Gardens” and “Heavenly Hectares” a workshop directed towards people with properties from 1 to 1000 hectares.

“Re-defining community environmental education through a unique, comprehensive and highly successful range of free environmental education programs tailored specifically for the people of Western Australia.” Chris Ferreira and Garry Heady.

For more information or to reserve your seat check out the Great Gardens website.

“The Great Gardens team, 2009.

Waterwise

Sustainable Outdoors has been endorsed by the Water Corporation and Irrigation Australia to provide high quality, industry standard irrigation systems.

When we install a system we like to see that our clients get the best advise every time. Being waterwise in the garden isn’t a challenge, we recommend the system includes a rain or soil moisture sensor, a programmable controller that can meet watering rosters and drip irrigation for the gardens and directional matched precipitation sprinklers for lawn areas.

For more information about our irrigation systems, click through to the drip irrigation page

Small native garden installation / Verge Garden

This verge garden was created using drought tolerant native Western Australian plants and there is no need for any irrigation system.

Looking through the photos you’ll see the ground being prepared by rotary hoeing soil amendments including Compost, Bentonite clay and Zeolite into the existing sand. The benefits of amending sandy soils with these ingredients helps to kick start the biological life into action with compost, increase the water holding capacity with Bentonite and lock in and store soluble nutrients into the root zone with the Zeolite.

A thick layer of mulch has been added to protect the soil from the hot Summer sun.

And finally planted with ground covers, small shrubs and strappy leaf grasses.

Landcorp Demonstration Garden Seville Grove

The Great Gardens team gets the opportunity show them how it’s really done.

Revolution Road, Seville Grove is Landcoprs latest sustainable subdivion showcasing some of the finest, energy efficent designed buildings. The Great Gardens team takes center stage at the main entrance with a sustainable West Australian native garden.

Over several weeks two ordinary house blocks were converted to showcase as an example of a sustainable garden. One of the concepts that it made a point of was the use of native plants and ground covers as an alternative to lawn particularly on verges. Although, lawn has been used in both designs, it is in a minimalist manner. Pathways feature heavily in both for access as well a structure.

A third block was also converted over a 24 hour period to host the final 2008 Great Gardens workshop series. Six people work from dusk till dawn to make the event possible. Local business promoting sustainable ideas were also involved including those from the area of, solar energy, hot water, rainwater tanks, grey water systems, grass trees, native landscaping, designers and the nurseries all made the day possible with great success. Big Thanks everyone.