Guidelines to help you design your front garden
belong at Elliot Springs
elliotsprings.com.au 1800 881 091
ESP - 11 Jul 2019
Useful informationFor further guidance refer to the following documents:
z Landscape Guide Designing your Garden by Lendlease: communities.lendlease.com/-/media/communities/au/shared/documents/blog/landscaping-guide.ashx
z Guide 4 Landscaping: An integral Aspect of Sustainability prepared by Townsville City Council: townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/4121/Sustainable-Housing-Guide-4.pdf
Your front garden should provide a great first impression and a welcoming entrance for you and your guests – it can also help keep your home cool and enhance the overall street appeal.
The steps below will help you determine your sites attributes, make the most of your space, choose plants and designs that complement your house and lifestyle and fulfil the landscape and associated covenants requirements.
Process
Elliot Springs guidelines to help you design your front garden
ESP-11 Jul 2019
2
GUIDELINES TO HELP YOU DESIGN YOUR FRONT GARDEN
Start with a plan
Start with a plan of your home including external window and door locations and position it accurately on your lot plan. The plan should include the north point, contours and any retaining structures, patios, services such as air condi-tioning and hot water units, meter boxes, bins etc.
1 Select a planting theme
Select a planting theme to suit your selected garden style:
• Contemporary - Texture and colour
• Native
NOTE: There are numerous other planting themes you may like to explore such as Edible, Habitat, Tropical/Resort and Cottage Garden.
4
Select the plants
Select the plants for your front garden and include the name, number and plant size at time of planting that:
• Responds to the local climate, orientation and breezes
• Have the same requirements such as nutrient, moisture, soil type and aspect
• Are consistent with your chosen garden style and plant-ing theme.
• Locate individual trees, shrubs and ground covers groups on your plan.
5
Submit
Submit your landscape design for Covenant approval.
6
Construct
Construct the landscape taking into account:
• Depth and quality of topsoil and mulch to ensure your plants flourish.
7
Consider the gardens orientation
Consider the gardens orientation to determine where turf and or gardens would best preform and how you may use and present the area.
The orientation of your home, refers to the direction that your house and garden face and should guide the home and gardens overall layout and design and the plants species that will suit and flourish in your yard.
2
Select the style of garden
Select the style of garden that suits your home and lifestyle such as:
• Informal - suits Contemporary, Resort, Native and Cot-tage gardens
• Formal – suits Hedged and Edible gardens
Design the location and shape of garden beds and where you want turf, paths, stepper, driveway, fences, etc.
NOTE: These are not exhaustive and there are numerous other styles you may like to explore.
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Elliot Springs guidelines to help you design your front garden
ESP-11 Jul 2019
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Native planting themeContemporary planting theme
LetterboxesLetterboxes are an important part of your front garden. They look good located in a landscaped garden bed and in a style that reflects your home, such as a solid pillar style letterbox. The photos below are suitable examples.
Max. 1.8m high fence agreed with neighbour
Plants required to strip between driveway & side
boundary
Fence to finish 1.0m behind adjacent front wall
Minimum of 3 trees or shrubs
Shrubs & groundcover
Residence
Driveway
Gate
Letterbox
1
22
Grass to verge must be made good
Existing street tree to remain and be protected
1 Trees or shrubs capable of growing beyond 3.0m tall and at least 600mm high when planted
2 Shrubs or groundcovers planted at minimum spacing of 1 plant per 1m2
Front garden design for lots 10m wide or less (theme dependant on plant selection and positioning)
Front garden for a lot 10m wide or less
Elliot Springs guidelines to help you design your front garden
ESP-11 Jul 2019
4
Contemporary planting theme Native planting theme
Max. 1.8m high fence agreed with neighbour
Plants required to strip between driveway & side
boundary
Fence to finish 1.0m behind adjacent front wall
Shrubs & groundcover
Minimum of 3 trees or shrubs
Residence
Driveway
Gate
Letterbox
12 2
Grass to verge must be made good
Existing street tree to remain and be protected
1 Trees or shrubs capable of growing beyond 3.0m tall and at least 600mm high when planted
2 Shrubs or groundcovers planted at minimum spacing of 1 plant per 1m2
Contemporary front garden design (theme dependant on plant selection and positioning)
Max. 1.8m high fence agreed with neighbour
Plants required to strip between driveway & side
boundary
Fence to finish 1.0m behind adjacent front wall
Shrubs & groundcover
Minimum of 3 trees or shrubs
Residence
Driveway
Gate
Letterbox
12
Grass to verge must be made good
Existing street tree to remain and be protected
1 Trees or shrubs capable of growing beyond 3.0m tall and at least 600mm high when planted
2 Shrubs or groundcovers planted at minimum spacing of 1 plant per 1m2
Informal front garden design (theme dependant on plant selection and positioning)
2
Front garden for a lot greater than 10 Metres wide
Elliot Springs guidelines to help you design your front garden
ESP-11 Jul 2019
5
Native planting themeContemporary planting theme
Decorative fence Max. 1.8m high
Plants required to strip between driveway & side
boundary
Shrubs & groundcover
Minimum of 3 trees or shrubs
Residence
Driveway
Gate
Letterbox
1
2
2
Fence to finish 4.0m behind adjacent front wall
Front yard landscape to return around corner
Grass to verge must be made good
Existing street tree to remain and be protected
Secondary FencingThese fences face the street and are required to be decorative in style. The photos below are suitable examples.
1 Trees or shrubs capable of growing beyond 3.0m tall and at least 600mm high when planted
2 Shrubs or groundcovers planted at minimum spacing of 1 plant per 1m2
Corner lot front garden design (theme dependant on plant selection and positioning)
2
Front garden for a corner lot
Elliot Springs guidelines to help you design your front garden
ESP-11 Jul 2019
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Buckinghamia celsissima Ivory Curl Flower
Spectacular flowering small specimen tree; 20cm long cream
blooms
T Height: 5-12m Diameter: 3-5m
Elaeocarpus eumundii
Smooth-leaved QuandongLarge bronze young growth;
clusters of sweetly scented cream flowers
T Height: 6-12m Diameter: 3-5m
Harpullia pendula Tulipwood
Pale green foliage, insignificant greenish-yellow flowers; orange
seed-cases
T Height: 7-10m Diameter: 2-3m
Syzygium luehmannii Small-leaved Lillypilly
Glossy foliage; specimen, shade or screening tree; pink new growth;
pink/ red fruit
T Height: 5-8m Diameter: 3m
Fraxinus griffithii Evergreen Ash
Small tree; panicles of small white flowers
T Height: 5-7m Diameter: 4m
Xanthostemon chrysanthus Golden Penda
Screening or specimen plant; masses of yellow flowers; moist;
well drained location
T Height: 10-12m Diameter: 6-8m
Corymbia ‘Summer Red’ Red Flowering Gum
Hardy; red flowering gum
T Height: 3-4m Diameter: 3-4m
Grevillea baileyana Brown Silky Oak
Column-shaped; bronze tinge to the leaf under surface; honey-
scented cream flowers
T Height: 5-10m Diameter: 3-4m
Hibiscus heterophyllus Native Hibiscus
Open habitat; comes in a range of colours
S Height: 3-6m Diameter: 2-3m
Plumeria speciesFrangipani
Deciduous elongated leaves; large and perfumed white or pink
flowers with a yellow centre
T Height: 8m Diameter: 4m
Cordyline speciesPalm Lily
Tropical feature plant; large broad leaves. Some species have green,
pink or reddish foliage
S Height: 1-3m Diameter: 1-2m
Ixora speciesIxora
Vivid orange, pink or gold flowers; rich glossy foliage; subtropical
screening or feature shrub
S Height: 0.5-2m Diameter: 0.5-1m
Allamanda schottii Golden Trumpet Bush
Compact shrub covered in bright yellow flowers
S Height: 2m Diameter: 2.5m
Cupaniopsis anarcardiodes Tuckeroo
Shade tree with large leaves; decorative orange-yellow seed
pods
T Height: 5-8m Diameter: 3-7m
Gardenia Glennie River Glennie River Gardenia
Small shrub; fragrant white flowers to 5 cm diameter
S Height: 1-1.5m Diameter: 1.5-2m
Callistemon speciesBottlebrush
‘Bottlebrush’ shaped flower spikes vary from red, yellow, green,
orange, pink or white
T Height: varies Diameter: variesS
Suggested plant pallete You should select plants that perform well in your area. This list is not exhaustive and provides suggestions only.
Native Bird attracting Partial SunButterfly
attracting Full sun
Groundcover - CreeperGTreesT ShrubsS
Contemporary (Texture and colour)
Native garden
ShadedBee attracting
Lizard attracting
Consider a plants water and aspect requirements
Note: Tree sizes on images are indicative. Some plants may contain poisonous parts
Elliot Springs guidelines to help you design your front garden
ESP-11 Jul 2019
7
Philodendron ‘Xanadu’ Xanadu
Tropical feel; distinctive glossy lobed leaves; understory or border
plant
S Height: 0.5-1m Diameter: 1m
Liriope muscari ‘Evergreen Giant’ Evergreen Giant
Clumping grass-like perennial with purple flower spikes
G Height: 0.6m Diameter: 0.5m
Callistemon pearsonii ‘Rocky Rambler’
BottlebrushGold tripped bright red brushes; dense habit gives shelter to small
wildlife
G Height: 0.5-1m Diameter: 0.5-1m
Rhoeo spathacea Moses in a Cradle
Short-stemmed; tender foliage groundcover; upright purple and
green leaves in a rosette
G Height: 0.2m Diameter: 0.4m
Mussaenda philippica Bangkok Rose
Surrounding the flower are pendulous bunches of soft,
coloured “flowers”; velvety leaves
S Height: 1m Diameter: 1-2m
Sygygium ‘Cascade’ Lilly Pilly
Mid-sized; glossy leaves with attractive red and pink new
growth; pink powder-puff flowers
S Height: 2-3m Diameter: 1-2m
Lomandra hystrix Green matrush
Versatile and hardy plant; tussock grass-like plant forming a clump
G Height: 1m Diameter: 1-1.5m
Dianella caerulea Flax Lily
Clumping perennial plant; small blue flowers in spring + summer
G Height: 0.5-1m Diameter: 0.5-1m
Xanthostemon verticillatus
Little PendaShowy, pale yellow cream flowers and beautiful dark green foliage
S Height: 1-1.5m Diameter: 1m
Pandorea jasminoides Bower of Beauty
Evergreen native climber; dark green leaves; pink funnel-shaped
flowers with maroon throat
G Height: 3m Diameter: 5m
Melaleuca linariifolia ‘Claret Tops’ Claret Tops
Dense compact shrub; small leaves and attractive claret coloured new
growth
S Height: 1-1.2m Diameter: 0.6-1m
Evolvulus pilosus ‘Blue Sapphire’ Blue Sapphire
Groundcover; soft silvery-green foliage; bright sapphire blue
flowers
G Height: 0.3m Diameter: 0.5-1m
Hymenocallis littoralis Spider lily
Upright growing strappy leaf bordering plant; scented white flowers that resemble a spider
G Height: 0.5m Diameter: 0.5m
Hibbertia scandens Guinea Flower
Vigorous and twining plant with large yellow flowers
G Height: 0.5-3m Diameter: 1-4m
Leptospermum ‘Pink Cascade’ Tea Tree
Cascading semi-prostrate tea-tree with masses of pink blossoms
S Height: 0.5-1m Diameter: 1-1.5m
Alpinia caerulea Native Ginger
Broad sword shaped green leaves with attractive red leaf reverses;
fragrant white flowers
G Height: 2-3m Diameter: 1m
Native Bird attracting Partial SunButterfly
attracting Full sun
Groundcover - CreeperGTreesT ShrubsS
Contemporary (Texture and colour)
Native garden
ShadedBee attracting
Lizard attracting
Consider a plants water and aspect requirements
Note: Tree sizes on images are indicative. Some plants may contain poisonous parts
Elliot SpringsCUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE Phone: 1800 881 091 Email: [email protected]
OPENING HOURS Monday – Sunday: 9.00am – 7.00pm
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elliotsprings.com.au 1800 881 091
Creating special placesFor over 60 years Lendlease has been creating communities that define the way Australians like to live. Truly beautiful places planned to maximise the things we love about our unique way of life.
These are places to belong, with a choice of living options designed for the way we like to live today, yet ever mindful of our responsibilities for how we will live tomorrow. At a Lendlease community you will find real opportunities in housing choice, education, work and healthy recreation built in from the very beginning.
Over 150,000 people live, learn, work or play in more than 45 major Lendlease communities creating an already rich history in master planned development.
We believe everyone who comes and experiences our places should feel safe within a welcoming community that will grow and prosper into the future.
We lead by example. Across the country, communities that we are responsible for continue to flourish, nurturing the very essence of what we believe for generations to come. These are the places that make us proud.
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