need help waterwise plants for Perth

gorotsuki69

I'm about to subdivide and build 3 townhouses and the council requires some form of landscaping and plants. Estimated time to completion is about 2 years so I'm looking to grow and propagate plants at my home now which I can relocate to the development when it is ready. The townhouses will be in inner suburbia with minimal low maintenance yards.

So the plants I require must be:
1. nice looking
2. easy to maintain , low water usage
3. tough
4. no thorns
5. easy to propagate but not invasive
6. suited to the Perth climate

I won't be living there so no plans for any AP systems. I've already got Rheos happening , any other ideas :dontknow:

?

Sleepe

Depends on your opinion of nice looking

For tough etc mother in laws tongues, slightly pointy on the top bit nothing serious.
I have a 9' bird of paradise in my back garden which seems hardy enough
Monstera delicosa but they can spread a bit
Golden cane palms but I dont know whether you would be able to propagate them
Crassula ovata (some people dont like them though)

faye

Rosemary and lavender make great hedges, easy to propogate, useful and bee attracting.
Agapanthus always look good and maintenance free.
Do you have a style in mind eg tropical, mediterranean. The you could add fruit trees such as oranges and olives. Aah soo many options.

arbe

I've always liked the Frangapanni.

mattyoga

Agave are pretty bullet proof but pointy.

To add some softness in among the pointyness something like Dianella. Rosemary is hardy though would need to be kept under control every now and then.

PLJ

How about Dietes floribunda, D.bicolor, Liriope and Clivia? Also, another vote for Agapanthus. For something taller you could use Kangaroo Paw and Dracaena marginata. I think all of these are easy enough to propagate

gorotsuki69

thanks some good ideas there.
Sleepe , I had a Jade plant at my old house , trimmed it and didn't bother throwing the branches in the bin. within a week they started sprouting roots and even flowers! Little scary actually, but I think this plant could work well.
Dracaenas sound good too, I already have a few of them
The townhouses will be rented out so I have to rule out hedges and plants that drop fruit sorry Faye. Is there a "determinate" Rosemary that won't go out of control?
Is Agave easy to propagate?

Noddysevens

Any of the succulents should be a winner for you, I have had great strike rates with agave, with almost no maintenance. Plus they transfer easily

Sleepe

I'm with Arbe on the frangipani, not that flash looking in winter but easy to propagate and the smell in summer is magic.

Charlie

I wonder why blocks arent sold off at any reasonable size anymore. You would be doing well to find a block in the newer suburbs that could be subdivided to accomodate 3 town houses.

Kalgoorlie is the same and probably most other places I suspect. The old blocks around here are minimum 2000sq, now your lucky to get something over 600sq. I have a friend in Yanchep, same deal, 600sq blocks and houses wall to wall with barely a cricket pitch for a backyard. I couldnt live like that.

Subdivisions are also a massive craze around here too. Parents hand over the keys to their big property when they retire to the kids and then the kids go and split it up, build a couple of houses, cement the rest and make a killing.

p.s. I like frangipani's too :flower:

Sleepe

Surprised they don't just supply artificial lawns and plastic plants with them.

mattyoga

I once left an agave I picked up from the side of the road out of the ground in full sun during summer for a few months and it still came good when I popped it back in the ground! With propagating, they will often create little agaves at the base of the stem - just snap them off and stick in the ground.

I've got one in the front garden that is being evicted on the grounds of it taking up valuable AP space. You're welcome to have it, though I don't think it has any small ones at the base at present.

Sleepe

Go to the local tip, greenwaste. Beats the you know what out of paying for pretty plants.

mattyoga

might be able to pick up some GB/ST/FT while you're there :whistle:

niloc1984

There is a native nursery on Thomas road in Kwinana called Lullfits or something like that, they have a lot of different seedlings as well as seeds and more mature plants

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