My first DIY landscaping project

In 2014 we were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to live in a big old farm house on a 120 acre farm, 30kms out of Mansfield, Vic. We had a 2 year old son and I was pregnant with our daughter. The house had been left to bats and mice with very little maintenance done inside or out. The farm was a productive cattle and sheep farm so the house was usually vacant, until we moved in and created a home! We spent a lot of time out doors and the immediate surrounding lawns and gardens were to be our responsibility to look after. By the time my daughter was 2 and son 4 I had decided to take on a small landscaping project on the property. There were big windows in the main living area looking out to the surrounding lawns and paddocks. It was beautiful, there was snow as far as the eyes could see in winter and the most magical sunrises but there was a corner full of weeds and head high wild fennel and a resident wombat and no doubt a few slithery snakes.

Luckily the owner was more than happy for me to take on the project. I had no design experience but I had started my gardening business now and I was freshly enthusiastic and motivated to bring some work home! My mum was visiting from Tasmania when we started the project. She used a machete to slice through the wild area reminding me some what of Rambo.

Once we could see the ground it was easier to whipper snip and get an idea of the unevenness of what lay in front of us, this is where we found the resident wombat who was soon to be evicted. We believed his burrow lead to under the house right next to the back door which we had attempted to fill in several times as it was truly not safe for toddlers to be stepping out and into a hole that appeared to go to the center of the earth. I'm convinced he had managed to get a copy of 'Diary of a wombat' and his life goal was to be just like the famous wombat. That, or there is a possibility the author of this particular book actually lived in the house before us and it was written purely about the beast himself. Nevertheless it was time for him to move on.

My husband borrowed a bobcat from his work which was invaluable in leveling out the corner.

Once levelled I could see where small retaining walls could be put in place. On a budget and trying to be resourceful (which my husband has learned I'm very good at!) I found some old what appeared to be compost/waste bays made out of old redgum sleepers on the property. With permission we carted them up to the work area and put them in place to hold back soil from a comfrey garden edge we had uncovered. I collected rocks from around the property and used them on the other lower edges.

My husband collected some thin straight logs from the forest surrounding the property so I could create the shape in the center of this new area. Once they were all laid out we top dressed the outside and spread lawn seed and then spread gravel on the inside for a fire pit area and path.

This project was so rewarding to look at everyday, from an unsightly and unusable space to a beautiful outdoor living area, where we could entertain friends and family, and watch our old mate wombat waddling around in the paddocks he now calls home.

My first DIY landscape completed on a very tight budget at an accommodating rental. I hope it inspires you to make use of unsightly or unusable areas in your outdoor space no matter the size, your experience or budget. Where there's a will there's a way! Fast forward 7 years and I have gained so much experience and helped achieve many more garden projects with my clients.

Stay tuned for my next post on my first garden design on a 2200 square meter vacant block we purchased!