If you have just moved into your newly built dream house in Perth, all of your attention may fall on making the inside feel like home. All the time spent on finding perfect furniture and knick knacks may lead you to forget about your backyard – especially as we move into the colder months when many of us are less likely to break out the BBQ and entertain outdoors.
Although basic rear landscaping is included in all Ross North home builds, for some, gardening can make for a fantastic hobby and the perfect outdoor haven may consist of more than a manicured lawn or sparkling blue pool. Adding flowers, hedges and towering trees will help you create a peaceful and sheltered space that can be enjoyed all year-round.
Not everyone is a seasoned gardener with a green thumb – so before you break out the spade and a bag of mulch, you need to decide which type and size of tree is best suited to your needs and the aesthetic of your home.
Whether it’s a large tree with plenty of shade to lounge beneath in the Summer months, something with fragrant blooms in Spring or just a low-maintenance addition to the space – take your time when selecting which type you’d like to plant and choose one that offers the right qualities and will stand the test of time.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or spoilt for choice, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with a couple of different options suited to various needs – so you’re sure to find the one (or at least some inspiration for further research!)
Crape Myrtle
Crape myrtles are among the most popular trees in the southern region – and for a good reason. The stunning and colourful, quickly growing tree provides a bit of shade and blooms in the hot summertime, adding a wonderful pop of pink, purple, red or white to your garden. Crape myrtles love sunny areas and are extremely heat-tolerant, making them perfect for a low maintenance garden space with a lot of direct light exposure.
Evergreen Magnolia
Not only are they beautiful, they’re versatile too! Magnolias are known to adapt to a variety of locations and conditions. Capable of reaching a height of up to 15 metres, the evergreen magnolia is a good choice for any backyard with an abundance of space. Its beautiful, creamy-white, fragrant flowers make it a real eye-catcher. These stunning plants prefer full sun to part shade, humus-rich soil and a little protection from hot, dry winds. Bear in mind that as they grow, the roots may start to lift your pavers, so make sure to plant these far away from any important areas or plumbing.
Frangipani
An island dream, the frangipani is a small and versatile tree with a distinctly tropical appearance, growing perfectly in a wind-protected area. Keep it in a pot to control its size or plant it against a sunny wall, where it will provide some you with some much-needed shade in Summer but still be able to maximise sun exposure in Winter. Unlike many other plants, it thrives on sandy soil, so it’s perfect for Australian backyards. The richly fragrant flowers appear across the warmer months and awake thoughts of tropical beaches and holidays – what more could you ask for?
Lilly Pillie
Lilly pillies are a very popular, fast-growing evergreen tree that produces red edible fruit. It’s thick foliage makes it perfect for use in hedging or for those who enjoy creating manicured trees. Although these prefer fertile, moist soil – they can still thrive in drought, full sun or semi-shade, so they are a flexible addition to most backyard or front yard environments.
Blueberry Ash
The Blueberry Ash is a medium sized Australian native rainforest tree. This evergreen species grows between 3-15m tall and 3-5m wide and needs little maintenance to thrive, surviving well in low nutrient and dry soils – the perfect, good-looking yet low-maintenance tree. The Blueberry Ash produces frilled white flowers in spring, with colourful blue berries that attract native birdlife.
While many of us are choosing to DIY and garden while we spend more time at home, we hope that we have given you some valuable insight into the plant world that may assist you in making some preliminary decisions before you embark on your next Bunnings adventure.
