Millie plants up a shady corridor beside her house. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
On the narrow strip between the fence and the northern side of Millie’s house is her Treasure Garden, with food plants, flowers and lots of other treasures. But along the southern side of the building, it’s a different story; it’s cold and dark most of the year, with a blast of sun in the middle of summer and lots of service connections that need to be kept clear.

But Millie plans to try some experimental plantings to fill these tough conditions, offer views from the bathroom, and create some habitat.

She’ll use some groundcovers, climbers and tall, thick shrubs. She will include some local species such as strappy dianella that might not be visible but will offer habitat for local fauna.

Another challenge is to incorporate some interesting containers, such as the top of a rotating ventilation pipe cover.

A base structure for climbing plants is a pair of old gates that Millie has already attached to the side timber fence. The fence has been painted a dark colour so that it shows off the plants well but also makes it appear more distant.

She creates a window-like shelf for more container plants by sanding and oiling four pieces of cypress timber that she screws into place against the fence.

The soil in the area is very compacted so Millie loosens it with a fork, adds some compost, and then positions the plants into place, checking the view from indoors.

Shrubs can be trained to suit narrow spaces and can be lower maintenance than climbers – Millie uses a tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and a cool-climate corea, Correa baeuerlenii.

The pathway is finished off with a layer of crushed brick.

Plants featured:
Black-anther Flax-lily - Dianella revoluta var. revoluta
Evergreen clematis - Clematis armandii
Purple apple-berry - Billardiera longiflora
Tea plant - Camellia sinensis
Chef’s Hat Correa - Correa baeuerlenii
Necklace fern - Asplenium flabellifolium
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