Sue visits Liz Adams’ Open Garden
Presenter: Sue McDougall
Episode: 24 (13th October 2007)
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard the story, a mechanics car is always broken down, a plumber’s toilet always leaks and an electrician has never quite finished the light fittings. So when you come to a landscape designers garden what would you expect to find, lots of weeds and many unfinished projects. Well in this case nothing could be further from the truth.
Liz Adams is an accomplished plants women and garden designer, her garden is open as part of Australia’s open garden scheme next weekend and its inspirational. Good Waterwise design sense is an important element in this garden.
Large towering trees on the west side keep the garden protected from the searing heat in summer and it creates micro climates in areas under the tall canopy. This makes it possible to grow certain plants that may not otherwise survive in the full sun. It’s a little shady, but not heavy shade so sun loving plants can thrive. Shade loving plants like Athropodium will still grow in the area happily. It also ensures plants are not losing as much moisture through their foliage. This can be achieved in any garden.
A parterre garden is a formal garden constructed on a level surface. Garden beds are edged with clipped plants usually in a symmetrical pattern that is pleasing to the eye. There is something special about a parterre garden, the middle can be an eclectic mix of flowers, shrubs or standards and as long as the border plants are kept neat and edged the garden looks in control.
By choosing the right plants for a garden you can create a grand exotic look and not use very much water at all. The Pride of Madeira is a thick stemmed evergreen shrub that has these large spikes of purple flowers in spring. A Pride of Madeira will survive for about 3 or 4 years and then they tend to die off. But don’t worry because they will self seed and you will have one appearing in another position in the garden, ready to flower again next season.
The Euphorbia characias with its lime green bracts is a stunning edition to any water wise garden. It loves areas where it is hot and dry and nothing else seems to grow.
Liz Adam’s garden is open next as part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme, part proceeds from the gate go to the Scott Kirkbride Melanoma Research Centre.
Featured Garden:
Liz Adams’ Garden
17 Keane St,
Peppermint Grove WA
Featured Plants:
Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans)
Euphorbia (Euphorbia characias)
Episode: 24 (13th October 2007)
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard the story, a mechanics car is always broken down, a plumber’s toilet always leaks and an electrician has never quite finished the light fittings. So when you come to a landscape designers garden what would you expect to find, lots of weeds and many unfinished projects. Well in this case nothing could be further from the truth.
Liz Adams is an accomplished plants women and garden designer, her garden is open as part of Australia’s open garden scheme next weekend and its inspirational. Good Waterwise design sense is an important element in this garden.
Large towering trees on the west side keep the garden protected from the searing heat in summer and it creates micro climates in areas under the tall canopy. This makes it possible to grow certain plants that may not otherwise survive in the full sun. It’s a little shady, but not heavy shade so sun loving plants can thrive. Shade loving plants like Athropodium will still grow in the area happily. It also ensures plants are not losing as much moisture through their foliage. This can be achieved in any garden.
A parterre garden is a formal garden constructed on a level surface. Garden beds are edged with clipped plants usually in a symmetrical pattern that is pleasing to the eye. There is something special about a parterre garden, the middle can be an eclectic mix of flowers, shrubs or standards and as long as the border plants are kept neat and edged the garden looks in control.
By choosing the right plants for a garden you can create a grand exotic look and not use very much water at all. The Pride of Madeira is a thick stemmed evergreen shrub that has these large spikes of purple flowers in spring. A Pride of Madeira will survive for about 3 or 4 years and then they tend to die off. But don’t worry because they will self seed and you will have one appearing in another position in the garden, ready to flower again next season.
The Euphorbia characias with its lime green bracts is a stunning edition to any water wise garden. It loves areas where it is hot and dry and nothing else seems to grow.
Liz Adam’s garden is open next as part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme, part proceeds from the gate go to the Scott Kirkbride Melanoma Research Centre.
Featured Garden:
Liz Adams’ Garden
17 Keane St,
Peppermint Grove WA
Featured Plants:
Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans)
Euphorbia (Euphorbia characias)
AS SEEN ON 
