Easy Guide to Hardy, Large -Scale Landscaping Plants

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When starting out in a new garden and landscaping business, you need to have quick and easy access to plants suitable for larger scale jobs. The number one requirement for most householders and business owners these days is low maintenance. Choosing plants that are both hardy and attractive is essential.

Follow this easy guide to selecting the top performing plants to help you get off to a flying start. Choose plants that look great and thrive effortlessly for your clients.

The main selection criteria, apart from choosing low maintenance and no fuss specimens, is identifying plants that are drought resistant and able to cope with harsher conditions. Logically, native plants come to the forefront.

Choosing Native Grasses

These are popular because they are both tough and ornamental. Varieties such as Poa, Pennistum and Themeda make extremely attractive landscaping choices. These native grasses establish very quickly to provide one of the fastest and simplest solutions.

Poa (Tussock Grass)

A popular favourite, this grass has soft grey-green leaves that form a graceful weeping display. It can be used individually as a contrast plant or in a mass planting exhibit. It will grow to a medium height and will do well in harsh, shallow soils all around the country.

Pennisetum (Fountain Grass or Foxtail)

This is a beautiful grass with fine feathery plumes and makes a superb contrast plant. The graceful, arching leaves grow to into an attractive medium sized display. It is a popular choice for borders in both commercial and residential landscapes in all states of Australia.

Themeda (Kangaroo Grass)

This grass is known for its interesting colour and texture. The long, thin leaves change from green to shades of red or purple as the plant matures. During summer, it forms attractive seed heads in rusty red hues. It will grow successfully in just about any area of Australia.

In addition to these excellent varieties, there is also a range of ornamental grasses that are not necessarily natives, but are equally tough and well suited to easy landscaping. Varieties of Bamboo and Carex are superb examples.

Selecting Strappy Leaf Plants

There is a fine selection of native plants on offer that are compact, grow uniformly and require little work.

Dianella

This is a perennial with bright green foliage that is drought tolerant and grows in almost any soil type. It is perfect for border plantings, as it grows in short, attractive clumps.

Lomandra

Well known for its toughness, this strappy large leaf plant makes an ideal filler plant. The attractive, arching, lime-green foliage grows to approximately a metre in height. It will create an eye-catching border in all soil types.

Picking Colours

Fortunately, native landscaping plants come in a pleasant variety of colours. You may wish to blend your plant selections or look for attractive contrasts. Often you will find plants with magnificent flowers for that extra added bonus to your colour display.

Phormium

This attractive species comes in a range of hardy varieties and colour choices. Choose from a striking variety with minty-green and chocolate brown foliage. It provides an all year colour contrast in compact, low growing clumps.  It is excellent for low borders or as a fill-in plant.

There is also the option of a mid-sized Phormium plant with glowing red foliage. This makes a stunning feature or for use as a mass planting option.

Liriope

This plant comes with attractive green and cream variegated colours and beautiful pink flowers as a perfect contrast. The low and compact growth makes it ideal for mass plantings.

For the best results, work with a local wholesale nursery to select the plants you want to be able to supply for your landscaping clients. 

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8 January 2016