I’ve lived in flats and appartments for most of my adult life. During this time my gardening life has consisted of a few house plants all of which died due to lack of care.

In 2011 I moved into a new house on 5 acres in Kyneton. The land had gorse along the road side boundary on both sides of the fence when I purchased it. I’ve since cleared it but do have new growth sprouting which I expected.

The block slopes from the back to the front with a depression in the middle where they used to quarry granetic sand. Everytime there is a decent downpour it floods. I intend putting in a 2 to 3 gigalitre lake to deal with the problem.

There are half a dozen “gum” trees scattered on the block and some scrawny wattles along the roadside fence.

I plan to live here for a long time and would like to have a great garden. I spend as much time as I can outside when the sun is shining but realise I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I don’t have a creative bone in my body and have next to know knowledge of horticulture but I want to do everything right and have a magnificent garden. I will get there eventually.

I have some ideas but need to flesh them out a bit.
For example:

• I want some large shrubs along the north fence in the front yard.
  1.5m or 3m?
  Native or the standards that everyone else has?
  All the same or different?
  Layers of different heights?

So far I’ve planted a 50m hedge which is slow growing, an orchard and a bed of grevillias.

I want an informal garden that requires little maintenance. I don’t want manicured hedges and exotics that take a lot of looking after.

I want to doccument my progress and keep records of names and details of what I have done with my plants and that is how I ended up at Folia. I hadn’t intended to share everything with the whole world but it looks like I am so hello to anyone who wants to follow my progress.

Regards,
Brian