“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow,” Audrey Hepburn.

A healthy crisp lawn manicured to perfection, an easy-care native garden bursting with earthy, bush colours, or a delicate cottage garden brimming with pinks and lilacs – that’s the beautiful thing about a garden, they can be anything you want them to be, absorbing your time for hours each week or mere seconds as you walk by.

Traditional, modern, natural, resort – there are many ways to design and grow a garden and the Sovereign Hills Display Village has more than your fair share of ideas to inspire yours.

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Effortless natives

Australia is home to some of the world’s most distinct flora and here on the Mid North Coast there are striking examples all around us - Golden Wattles, bold Banksia and blushing bottlebrush, towering gum trees – all magnificent, and spotted everywhere from the sides of our roadways to coastal bush belts, thriving without human intervention.

A native garden is drought-tolerant, attracts a variety of birds and other wildlife and contributes to healthy soil and water, all while purifying the air.

Take a stroll along York Street to discover examples by Hotondo Homes and Pycon Homes & Constructions.

Note how this design style often uses curved lines to replicate natural contours.

Consider:

• A variety of foliage, blossom types and flowering times to ensure you have a pop of colour all year round
• Ground cover plants and paths to add a little structure and balance
• Mulch, leaf litter or wood chip in a range of natural hardwood colours the help the soil retain moisture
• Hardwood fencing and large rustic feature posts to complete the look

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Australian coastal

Prefer to spend your time enjoying coastal recreation activities? The low-maintenance coastal garden style of natural textures and native grasses is calling you.

Top tips:

• It’s important to choose plants that are resistant to the coastal elements of salt and wind
• Combine shape and texture of foliage to create interest; mix fine grass trees and find foliage ground covers with lush broad-leafed Birds of Paradise and a variety of tropical palms
• Add interest to your design with natural elements of sandstone statement rocks at key visual points to provide impact

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• Explore the spectrum of greens from the deep emerald spears of lush tropical leaves through to silvery sage foliage of Variegated Flax and the warmer tints of Golden Cane Palms
• Look for a more architectural style of plant with long sleek refined leaves… Embrace plants such as the striking Pandanus, which take centre stage in Stroud Homes’ front and rear gardens
• Compliment your coastal planting scheme with simple geometric garden beds bordered by exposed stone or pebbled paths offset with the symmetry or hardwood decking

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Quaint cottage 

Embrace the true essence of Hamptons style. Flex your green thumb by opting for a delicate cottage garden filled with flowering shrubs, lush green lawns, elegantly trimmed hedges and quaint picket fences.

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Important Hamptons garden elements include:

• Classic flowers such as Hydrangeas and white Gardenias. We’re also loving the blossoming pink hues surrounding Perry Homes’ Sirocco display and the evergreen Magnolias framing Coral Homes’ Lisbon design.
• Symmetry… A balance of planting and paving
• Clean and uncluttered spaces
• Rich greenery with well-manicured hedges and topiaries

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Stunning succulents

Creating a drought resistant desert-inspired landscape to offset the mid-century modern façade of your home is the perfect low maintenance choice for our warmer summer months… The trick is to make your garden feel welcoming rather than prickly and dry.

The key to a Palm Springs garden - inspired by southern Californian desert plants - is balancing planted and empty spaces. This style is often defined by the absence of lawns and opts instead for rock beds and stone pavers, as showcased at Adenbrook Homes’ Design and Build Gallery.

Top tips:

• Rendered or textured stone walls make the perfect backdrop for this dramatic landscape
• Focus on a mixture of succulents and other plant species in various heights, colours and textures to add interest
• Succulents and cacti love sunshine – up to 10 hours per day and require watering every one to two weeks
• Soil quality matters. Improve the drainage by adding plenty of grit, gravel or sand to the soil before planting to help avoid excess moisture

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Self sustaining – Gardens you can feast on

There’s something satisfying about tucking into a meal you’ve prepared using homegrown produce. Getting started takes planning and dedication but the reward far outweighs the work.

Not only does tending to an edible garden encourage you to spend time in nature but you’re harvesting pesticide-free food.

Consider:

• Thinking beyond the veggie patch and herb pots. Fruit trees lining your driveway and fence lines will not only produce pretty blossoms but delicious, sweet fruits when ripe for the picking
• Apples, pears, oranges, mandarins and even cherries are not only low maintenance, your kids will love picking the sweet treats
• Bees are an edible garden’s best friend, especially native stingless bees. They pollinate our plants, boosting food production and play an essential role in Mother Nature’s cycle
• Soil quality counts when it comes to a successful crop, mixing in organic matter by adding a good quality compost before planting

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Elevated style

Lift your garden game and add an architectural element to your landscape. Elevated garden beds, rockeries or decorative retaining walls not only create interest and allow you to tier your plant species but serve a practical purpose on sloping blocks.

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Top tiering tips:

• Consider your materials. Mix statement sized sandstone blocks with river rocks and pebbles in beds and natural hardwood timbers for decking
• Play with scale by planting your garden in tiers… Smaller shrubs at the foot of the feature wall and ground covers with taller hero plants in the elevated beds
• Rockeries and tiered garden beds are perfect for more drought-resistant plants including ornamental grasses, Lavender and Cordalyns making them a practical solution to water conservation
• You can use raised beds to create screening and privacy or add a seating area for an eye-catching and functional architectural element.
  

Find your favourite garden style at the Sovereign Hills Display Village – York Street, Port Macquarie.

Open daily from 10am – 4pm. 

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