I am a big fan of a front garden that makes a statement in the street-scape or somehow breaks up the monotony of the suburban front garden ‘norm’. I often kick myself for not being able to stop or being without my camera when I spot a front garden that goes out of its way to stimulate interest and inspire; especially if they are using native plants.
This first garden is on a narrow nature strip in front of a white picket fence, it is full of some of the happiest and most healthy Warratahs I have seen, and just this fact alone makes it feel generous, as though the gardener is happy to share their gift for growing such a fiddly plant.

The garden is a bit crowded and it is almost impossible to walk past the house without going onto the road but this is a small inconvenience given what the plants are adding to the street.

In the image above you can see the Telopea ‘Shady Lady White’ popping its head up behind the fence on the  right, and in the image below the other Telopeas just growing like weeds!

 

There is a lovely foliage contrast with the Acacia podalyriifolia and the Philotheca sps. and I get the feeling that as the taller things grow up you will be able to pass through the space under their canopy. Just beautiful.

 

The other verge garden I took photos of recently is similar in that there is quite a strong front fence/wall on the boundary, showing that these gardens haven’t been grown for privacy from the street but more as a statement or a need for a passionate gardener to have more space in which to play.

 

 

This verge garden has a number of excellent feature plants in the Xanthorrhoea glauca planted on both sides of the passage way.
There is a crushed decomposed gravel pathway with plenty of room to pass though and all though the wall is solid and impenetrable I can assure you the garden on the other side is in keeping with the verge planting.

 

There are many showy Grevilleasin the garden and the Ozothamnus ‘Radiance’ seen on the right is planted throughout with striking effect, as it has such a long flowering period.

Above you can see the clear passageway that has been left for passersby, which is not only easy to walk through but adds an element of exploration too.
Both these verge gardens set a fine example for how well Australian Native plants fit into the suburban landscape, adding colour and interest but also screening and habitat for wildlife. They also tell a story about the gardener too which I find is both generous and intriguing; imagine walking around a suburb where every front garden treated the street in this way!