Comments

1. 
   gottagarden 11/03/2011

   I really like the stepping stones through the pea gravel.

2. 
   JulieBW 11/03/2011

   What gardening zone is this?

   The pea gravel is very soothing.

3. 
   tractor1 11/03/2011

   A very organized garden but where are the koalas?

4. 
   jdigi 11/03/2011

   I am reading (with a dictionary next to me) in scientific papers that we could help plants and the climate by keeping all the water that reaches our property on our property. It has to do with recharging the water table and saturating the soil.

   One reason to promote the idea of native plants is they co-evolved with the habitat and survive with little extra care because the plants help the soil hold moisture.

   Lawns are a design statement from another time that needs to be revisited. I wouldn't want to rake leaves from gravel, and I understand gravel is excellent for seed germination from volunteers. That said, this garden is outstanding with varying heights and textures. I like the empty pots which seem to say the gardener is open to and ready for new things.

5. 
   Lisianne 11/03/2011

   Similar to the above question about which zone: Does Australia have hardiness zones like the US does? If so, where can I see these? Sort of interesting to ponder. Thanks for the international photo!

6. 
   meander_michaele 11/03/2011

   Nora definitely has the gardener's survival instinct of making lemonade out of lemons. Her areas are very interesting and visually pleasing. Is the plant with what seems like pendulous purple flowers a wisteria?

7. 
   pattyspencer 11/03/2011

   Very nice! Tranquil - I would love spending time in this garden.

8. 
   wwross 11/03/2011

   This is very nice, but I agree with gdigi; The pea gravel, or other similar solution only works successfully in certain locations. In the East Coast of the U.S. there is too much stuff (leaves, twigs, etc.) that comes down onto the surfaces during the year. The gravel gets tough to keep clean and maintain. (Dirt actually starts filling in!)

   Flat stones, flagstones, etc. interspersed with walkable ground cover, to mimic the lost lawn grass is another idea.

9. 
   greengrowler 11/03/2011

   The Wisteria is gorgeous! One of the plants I love but can't grow in Colorado. The pea gravel is very soothing and Zen-like. It's true that it can be challenging to keep clean of litter (my dog's pen is gravel; removing leaves and other "presents" they leave is a bit of a chore) yet clearly this is not the case in Nora's garden. Actually, a few fallen narrow, fine leaves enhance the calmness of pea gravel - I see fine-leaved trees or shrubs in the photos. Thanks so much for sharing your peaceful retreat!

10. 
    user-7006885 11/03/2011

    This is quite well done and does look tranquil and inviting. It's so encouraging when someone faced with changing gears drastically doesn't just fling up their arms and say, "There's nothing that I can do in this situation".

    I do agree with wwross that keeping debris out of the pea gravel could be difficult. Not only that, the gravel absorbs and then radiates heat and makes for a hot, arid feeling when covering large expanses. My mother-in-law living in Florida had just such a lot surrounding much of her house which had been put in because of water restrictions there.

    The suggestion of ground covers by wwross is a good one to add a few patches of green in the graveled area. Fortunately most ground covers seem to need a lot of sun so there should be a good many different varieties to choose from.