Phase one of my Balinese style garden is almost complete! I've been putting it off for a while since it took a solid day to complete and a couple car loads of hardscaping, but its finally looking like a balinese courtyard garden after all. I still need to scrub the older pavers and fill in some more rock mulch, but its more or less finished. I used cost effective pavers, which I laid over builder's sand. The rock is just run of the mill marble chips, but its perfect for matching the houses details and brightening up this shady nook. I got the bamboo poles at 3 for $2.50 at Walmart, and they add a nice Southeast Asian accent until I can get something more fitting.
Here's a vignette of neoregelia bromeliads, lady palms, bamboo palm, picabeen palm, and some ratty looking heliconias, which are actually starting to bloom! The area behind the plants will eventually be filled with more rock.
Radicalis palm and various bromeliads dress up this corner nicely!
This corner has a distinctive Asian feel and will look wonderful at night!
I'll make the entry larger in order to better accommodate my mom's power chair, but for now its at least an acceptable entry to my new Balinese courtyard garden. Notice how I've used a lantern over a circular paver surrounded by stones and then repeated it in the back. I'll try to repeat this element at various points along the path to the house to create a unified theme and encourage people to stop and look. For now all I need to do is clean those dirty old pavers... at least now you can see where the old, smaller patio was before I enlarged it. Too small!
Balinese Garden Part 2
Cool! Your Balinese garden is growing. I like to watch palm sway when the wind is blowing. Your bromeliads are beautiful. I think the garden looks as nice from inside through the windows. Well done :-D
ReplyDeleteNice job! The bamboo palm does add some asian feeling into this courtyard. Love the lanterns. Are they solar powered or they actually have wire connected to ? Love your collection of bromeliads as well.
ReplyDeleteVery nice! Love the broms and palms. Your hardscape elements are nice as well. The light-colored rocks and pavers really brighten this area. Also love the lanterns. The bamboo poles are a clever way to give that Balinese flavor.
ReplyDeleteLooks good. The marble chips do brighten up the space and create a background to highlight the new plants. I'm sure that your Mom appreciates the thought and work involved.
ReplyDeleteVery peaceful retreat. I especially love the broms, and the lanterns are a perfect accent!
ReplyDeleteAwesome use of this space! Great transformation, too! I really like the before and after photos...puts things into perspective! Your choice of plants and lighting is perfect, too. Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt's looking good. The color combo of your plants is wonderful. It should all look great once you finish. Can't wait to see another photo in a couple of months.
ReplyDeleteLovely job! I do like the lantern over the circular stone idea and repeating that around the pathway. Looking forward to seeing a photo at night as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! The lanterns are of the solar kind and pretty dim, but that should be rectified by the bright hardscaping. My fiance reminded me that I still need to add the requisite ti plants before I even think of finishing! She has the best ideas... The area in front of the pavers will need something too, and I'm thinking of my beloved alocasia "california" surrounded by a dark planting of liriope spicata!
ReplyDeleteThese palms two feet from the walls violate Antigonum's Gospel Commandments!
ReplyDeleteNot only will they look horrendous in adulthood,
the lack of proper ventilation will be great for
fungi and other diseases.
I can the seeds all over the gravel and pavement,
staining it, making a mess...
I was hoping you'd chime in! I agree completely, but its not permanent. The lady palms and chamaedoreas are very sensitive to bright sun, and the live oak and bottlebrush are not mature enough to give them the shade they need. Those two will stay small enough in the meantime until I move them under the bottlebrush. Eventually I'll pave all the way to the walls (letting some bromeliads perch here and there) and put an irrigated potted palm in the corner.
ReplyDeleteThe Piccabeen palm is only there for the moment until winters over. Then it's moving out and getting its crown wrapped in future winters. Admittedly, I couldn't resist that purchase and since it was so affordable it could legitimately be considered an annual and will not grow to maturity around here anyway unless theres a miracle. And of course if it were to stay in that spot, the stagnant air would certainly do it in if already weakened by a freeze.
Antigonum, I value your knowledge of good landscaping practices greatly and I appreciate the input.