Garden designs for rural landscapes

Living in a rural area doesn’t mean you can’t have a great garden design. Read how you can increase the visual appeal of your garden, while ensuring it’s easy to maintain.

1. Design a garden landscape you can manage

One of the biggest traps in tackling garden design in rural areas - which tend to be larger landscapes than city gardens - is trying to manage a really large garden space.

It's better to have a smaller garden that you know you can maintain rather than taking on a larger area and finding that you can't keep on top of it in terms of the pruning, mowing, watering and so on.

2. Garden ‘premium zones’ to help management

Maintain the garden space immediately surrounding the house. This is usually the highest maintenance zone, which involves careful planting, pruning, mowing and pest-control measures. This area is the 'premium zone', with a more manicured and cared-for feel.

3. Low maintenance garden design zones

As you move away from the house, you can create zones that progressively involve less care and maintenance. The last zone might blend a man-made garden and natural bush or farmland.

4. Learn about the climate

Where do prevailing winds come from? If you're planting a completely new garden then one of the first things to do is establish wind breaks. Then you can go ahead and plant out the rest of the garden.

After this, you need to turn your attention to the sun and the change of seasons. Where is the sun the harshest and where can you utilise shade? Work out how to minimise plant and garden damage from high temperatures and severe frosts.

5. How much water?

Access to water will always be an issue in rural Australia. Many people living far from town only have tank and dam water to use - unless they're lucky enough to live near rivers and creeks - and so must incorporate this into any plans for the garden.

If you have minimal water access, choose drought-tolerant plants. Plant thirsty plants together, close to water sources if possible.

6. Implement a fire plan

The ever-present danger of fire in rural regions means areas near the house must be kept clear of trees, debris and long grass. Trees a bit further away should be trimmed of branches that reach out to or overhang the house. Try to avoid having too many thick, bushy plants in the garden close to the house.

7. Consult a landscape designer

If you’re still unsure as to how you can maximise your garden space, talk with a professional landscape designer about how you can create a beautiful environment that can be managed.

Get the most out of your garden with a landscape designer: