In the vibrant city of Perth, private havens are often desired by homeowners to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Recently, a local family sought to transform their newly installed pool area into a serene and secluded retreat, utilising the efficiency of drip irrigation. The challenge? Crafting an environment that was not only private but also fragrant and green all year round.
Scope of work: The objectives of this project.
The main objective were:
- The job was to create a privacy screen or hedge that would give the house owners some seclusion as they had just installed a pool and wanted to create a haven for the family to enjoy the pool.
- The other part of the project was to “green” up the fence with trees/shrubs. The customer also wanted flowers that would fragrance the space with subtle perfume all year round.
The trick here was to find the right plants for the area and also plants that will deliver what the customer expected. After a bit of research and consultation with the client, she approved the Michelia Figo plants.
So off we went planning the finer details of the project: soil preparation, reticulation system design and install, planting, mulch type. All the costs and every detail were broken down into a comprehensive quote which the customer was happy to approve and go ahead with.
A bit of plant background.
Michelia Figo, commonly called Port Wine Magnolia, is an evergreen shrub that produces deep green, glossy, pointy leaves. Michelia Figo produces small, deep purple, fragrant flowers that come out in spring and summer. Michelia Figo is related to the magnificent Magnolia family and likes moist, well drained soil in a sunny position.
The plants can tolerate light frosts, moderate dry periods and are relatively low maintenance. Prune to encourage healthy new growth. The plants will grow to a height of approximately 3 metres.
Plant selection.
We chose the plants for various reasons:
- Evergreen shrubs that will look good any time of year.
- Fragrant, beautiful flowers which was a must for the client.
- Grow within 2-3 years to achieve 3-4 meters height. Fertilise in spring to promote growth.
- Low maintenance plants.
- Affords privacy and greenery.
- Dense foliage and low to the ground branches provide wind break to the space.
- Plants that do not create a mess with falling leaves as they will be close to the pool area.
Site preparation.
The clay soil was dug out and replaced with a good soil base and organic chicken manure to promote growth and fertilise the ground before the plants are put in. Good soil prep is a must to have thriving plants. We wanted to give the plants the best start.
Installing the Drip Irrigation system.
Drip reticulation system allows the most efficient use of water. The customer wanted a no-stress, no-hassle solution to watering while being water wise. Our expert team laid down the poly pipes and installed the reticulation system in just a few hours. The whole retic system was connected to the client’s existing smart reticulation controller.
Testing was done on the system and voilà!
The customer was kept in the loop throughout the whole process.
Final steps
The area was mulched using black mulch in keeping with the customer’s pool colour palette : honed white concrete with black speckles and black decking. The black mulch gave the surrounding a smart look. It also highlighted the dark green colour of the foliage and made it pop.
Clean up time!
Cleaning up is part of our policy. The area was left spotless after all the works had been completed. The customer was very happy with the job
