Lilli Pillies around the fence line are a great starting point. A personal favourite.....

It is worthwhile having a landscape designer come in and do a straight forward simple plan. It doesn't need to be a flashy set of fully detailed plans either more just a concept set of plans that you can DIY over a year or two.

A small paved area with built in seating for sitting in the winter sun or having a couple beers with friends on a warm summer evening perhaps.

would depend on where you live as ours were a total failure, Lilli Pillies are very hardy, very popular at the moment are non clumping bamboo no trimming needed.

Photinia - super hedge.....fast and tall, frost tolerant. Love the idea of painting or staining the fence behind first. Get a landscaper in to lay some proper garden beds and edging also.

https://www.ozbreed.com.au/hardy-exotic-range/dense-fence-viburnum-is-a-dense-screening-hedge-with-subtle-red-new-growth-foliage-hardy-exotic-range/ We planted these last summer along our fence line and they've been amazing, doubled in size already and are filling out to meet one another already. Our local nursery ordered them in for us, each about $22, about 30cm high. A bit more interesting than Lilly phillies that are getting a bit overused IMO! We planted one every 90cm but we could have spaced them out more as they've filled out a lot.

We've also found a monthly country market (Wallan, just out of Melbourne) where we'Ve bought lots of great plants very cheaply, direct from the growers eg we bought 5 x lavender for along our front fence for only $10 each for 30cm pots and lovely 1.5m lemon & orange trees for $30ea. Really healthy and much cheaper than Bunnings prices.

In all honesty, I would employ a landscape designer. What you spend you will absolutely reap. Speak to him/her about lighting. Once you have a good plan, you can then do a lot of the work yourself, saving what you spent on a designer. It will be worth it, I promise. Be extraordinary

Go for natives for your area as they are going to be as "fail proof" as possible. Start off with your basic tree's - be aware that sometimes things that grow quickly also may not have a long life or shallow root systems and this could mean problems in the future. You have a blank canvas so thinking about your long term plans for the garden should be considered before you plant anything so draw up a few plans e.g. a garden shed, a vegetable garden (will need sun not shade), maybe kids toys (trampoline - swing) if you have kids. Once you have an idea of what is going where then you can start to think about planting. I would suggest visiting a nursery where they grow the trees rather than a garden centre as you will save so much money, dealing directly with the grower and you may then be able to afford bigger tree's. Try to make the garden bed wide and think about the size of the tree when it matures rather than the smaller plant you are bringing home on the day. The wider the distance from the fence, for planting the better. Once you have your tree's in then you can gradually build up, your under plantings and you can do that cheaply again dealing with the grower or getting cuttings or seedlings from friends and neighbours. Always think about the sun, the wind and the height of the tree when it is mature and obviously you need to consider your neighbours (e.g. blocking their light). Also keep in mind if you want ever green or want tree's that are bare branched in winter, do you want flowers etc. Good Luck.

I painted my timber fence in a blue/grey stain and it was a fabulous backdrop for plants.

Do beware of Lllli Pillies, they are prone to disease, even supposed disease free species can still become infected and are a lot of hard work get them back to full health. Viburnum Emerald Lustre makes a lovely lush green hedge. They will grow tall but can be kept under control with regular pruning.

If you have patience and really want to save money, look for a plant that you can propagate to create your own plants. A golden gardenia is one I know is really easy to grow from cuttings, you have a lush green plant all year then fragrant white flowers that turn yellow to a deep gold as they age. The only maintenance is deadheading the flowers.

Sasanqua Camellia is another hedging plant that can be propagated and you have the flowers over winter for some colour.

Hey Blake, take these photos to your local nursery. They will get you on the right track on what is appropriate to plant in your area. The lawn looks magnificent and you've got a decent pitch there which is becoming more rarer these days. Embrace what you have already, you have the essentials a decent size patio cover for outside, leave the lawn as is and just put a boundary garden bed in around the fence line with high growing shrubs and some trees to block out the neighbours and reintroduce native birdlife back into the area.

Thanks Paul

I'm finding all of these suggestions helpful for my garden! I agree with the suggestions of getting some ideas from a professional, and it looks as though you're getting some great ones here. I've noticed some comments are to do with painting the wooden fence – and I'd like to know what brand of charcoal or blue-grey stain or paint is the best for treated pine fences.

windflower, check out your local paint shop, it is many years since I painted the fence but my preferred "go to" brands were generally Cabots or Dulux so I'm sure it was either of them. Stains are very quick and easy to use, it is like painting with water and they add colour to the timber while letting the grain of the timber show through for a more natural look. I do remember it was a turps clean up. The colour I chose (no idea of the name now) reminded me of the blue/green/grey colour of eucalyptus trees and as I lived near the bush it really complimented the area. It was a colour I would use anywhere though, as it just made a nice backdrop for the garden.

Lilypilly's are also not frost hardy. So not a good choice if you live in a cold area. They will burn off really badly in frost, also some varieties are prone to heavy pest damage . Have a look around the gardens in your local area and see what grows well in your district.

I wouldn't pay for a landscape designer - You don't know what you will get and its a lot of money - your heading says budget so it's clear you don't want to spend a great deal. I had a friend who paid a lot of money for a designer yet the plan was appallingly boring and the plant suggestions completely wrong for their requirements; within a couple of years the plants were all raggy and eaten by snails because they didn't have time to put in to a garden (which they stipulated to the designer) and within a few years they had to pull it all out. They could have done a better job themselves, its all a matter of research which is what you are doing :) I love the photos from Julie above - fantastic idea, looks smart, very up market. What about Robinia Mop Top trees - easy care and can prune hard if necessary interspersed with underplantings of smaller shrubs, smaller topiarys or a lower hedge? Whatever you do, apart from hedgings the secret to good landscaping is bulk planting, never have one or two of anything, always have a minimum of 5 plants. Think hard about lilypillys - I planted them at my daughters and they got some bug which stunted their growth and no matter what we did, even with a 2 weekly spray program we could not get rid of the bug and they havn't grown at all, they now look terrible, stunted and as if they've been in a fire with all their leaves curled up. Good advice to stick with plants appropriate to your climate. Good luck - love to see photos when you've done it :)

When it comes to design, I'm afraid I'm rather old fashioned. I do not like the rows of plants all the same, I find them very boring and unimaginative. I prefer a more relaxed and varied width garden, one with a variety of many plants, to get variations in leaf sizes, shapes and colours for interest, one that allows some depth for plants to grow and spread naturally (save hours on pruning) and one that creates secret areas of interest - like a corner nook to sit accessed by a narrow path through a wide garden that hides the area. Use your garden hose to plan the curves and width. A narrow border garden reduces your choice of plant and any plants that overhang the lawn can be annoying and can also cast shade on the lawn so you get patchy edges: a wider garden allows you to have low growing plants to the lawn edge and help avoid this. You can even divide your whole garden into rooms this way to help disguise things like the clothes line, a compost patch even if you have swings for children, they can have their own little private area. As brizcs said, this type of planting gives your garden a lot more depth and blurs the boundary so your garden looks bigger than it is. A single specimen tree is definitely a good idea too, it gives privacy while not looking like an obvious screen although I prefer a deciduous tree for this purpose to allow the garden winter sun. When we mostly spend outdoor time in summer, this is not such an issue. Smaller trees will grow much quicker, even tubestock can grow very fast because their smaller root system reduces the trauma of them being transplanted.

Ask Dr. Google for creative garden ideas too, he is very helpful, you are only limited by your imagination and how you want to use your garden.

Blake - congratulations on your upcoming marriage and your new home. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and you will be very happy there. You sound like you have a lot of interest in creating your garden and it is something that can be readily learned. Don't underestimate yourself. Local nurseries provide a wealth of knowledge of plants and soil conditions suitable for the immediate area and thanks to Google, never has so much knowledge been freely available - garden design and ideas as well as all the facts you need on individual plants and how to successfully grow and maintain them and deal with any pest issues, is all there. It just all takes time, but the best gardens are those that evolve over time, just like decorating a house as you sort the trends from what makes you feel good.

You are starting a whole new phase of your life too, deciding how you want to live your life establishing a whole new lifestyle even according to your budget and time constraints. I always recommend people moving into a new home wait a year before doing anything to it - live through all 4 seasons to gauge aspect and lighting before decorating as this can save you a lot of costly mistakes. This would definitely apply with a garden too, what areas get the most sun or total shade, prevailing breezes, especially to cool in summer can be blocked by putting a tall hedge right around your garden, so hasten slowly on this - just plant what might be necessary to give you privacy but allow for versatility to create for the lifestyle you want in the years to come. Kids definitely change things, but they will want nice areas for playing and exploring to feed their imagination as well as quiet areas to sit. Vegetable gardens are great learning experiences for kids too, so you need to allow for them.

My old home had very wide free form gardens with access tracks for maintenance and surprise decorating features and I can't wait to create all this again in my new home. When my grandchildren came to stay, they would spend hours finding secret places to fire their imagination. The garden also attracted all the native birds that became quite tame over time to the even greater delight of the children.

Keep the ball kicking for a local park - it is cheaper on the windows.

Hi Blake, What an exciting time of your life. I would agree that painting the fence charcoal will be a great start. I would create a few zones. You like the idea of a fire pit, so get one of those fabulous metal dishes that can be custom designed such as Yarrawonga Custom Plasma Cutting does. You could put this outside the alfresco area and pave the space around it. PO Box designs do some amazing lazer cut decorative screens and sculptures. You could break up the fence and add more height and privacy by placing a decorative screen on it which can even be backlit to give a lovely atmosphere at night. Just be aware that you shouldn't block the neighbour's light, especially that high window which they wouldn't be able to see you from but will be providing important light for their home.

I suggest having an edible garden. You can plant oranges, lemons and limes which are all evergreen, grow to a good height, and have the bonus of divine smelling flowers and fruit that you can use, and under them plant herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme. A bay tree is very useful, but they can grow huge so keep it in a pot or prune hard to keep it to a workable shape. You can use the leaves fresh or dried so cut away and give the prunings to friends! In a shady spot that you are happy to have anything grow, you could plant mint. It will spread but I use it by the arm full in summer in my drinking water, in salads and in fact most summer dishes, and even as fresh mint tea. It will bring in the bees. If you don't want it to spread them plant it in a tub. I would also make some raised beds for some home grown vegies such as tomatoes and annual herbs like basil and parsley.

Water is great to attract birds and bees so find a small birdbath and place it by a plant so that the birds can feel safe. I have a lovely one that is on a pedestal with little wrens around the edge but a wide shallow dish on a ground of pebbles looks lovely too.

It is lovely to have fresh flowers inside so adding gardenias, daphne, lavender, native shrubs like grevilleas, banksias, correas, bulbs such as daffodils and jonnies, also iris and roses are all lovely.

You can train climbers up the fence too such as jasmine, wisteria, and native hardenburgia.

None of these plants are difficult to grow though the citrus will like some frost protection to start and I grew them all with great success in the bitter frosts, a number of floods and the scorching heat of the North East Victoria.

As you can see, I like my garden to be a work horse not just a show pony. If I am investing my money and time then I want to be able to get perfume or produce from each plant.

Blake - love the idea of the gardenias, they should smell divine when they are all in flower. They grow 1m wide, so I don't think you will really have any space to plant anything else. One of the best things with gardenias is they grow lush from the ground so really don't need anything else.

Just a tip too - when you plant along the fence line, don't be tempted to plant so close to the fence. If a plant (like this gardenia) grows 1m wide that means it will basically grow 1/2m in all directions from the trunk so you will have the back of your plants jammed against the fence. If the fence needs any maintenance, then your plants suffer.

If you plant shrubs or trees that grow taller than the fence, they will then spread over your neighbour's yard and can interfere with their garden and planting and give them never ending work pruning your plants to have the garden they choose. They can also grow thick trunks that damage your fence as they grow - you need to allow space.

It is neighbourly to consider how the plants you choose can and will affect your neighbours, a tall very dense hedge can impede sun and light to their garden and can kill their plants or cause ugly moss build up. If they planned a garden with plants needing full sunlight and you grow something putting these plants into total shade, their garden is basically ruined. There is also the issue of leaves and spent flowers dropping into their garden causing mess. Some plants seed prolifically and your neighbours can suddenly find their garden invaded with dozens of your shrubs.

Keep these things in mind and you will grow a healthy manageable garden and maintain good relationships with your neighbours.

Blake - on looking at your photos, I'm with Olldroo - they are way too close to the fence line! its easy to fall in to that trap when they are small but they'll end up looking jammed up against the fence and you will regret not moving them; its best to do that ASAP before they get established. When planting always take in to account the width of plants when grown. If you want to plant in front of these ones, for a plant that will take up room width/depth wise you may need to make the bed wider once the gardenias are moved forward, or you could use a line of black (or green) Mondo Grass or similar at the front edge. But seriously - you need to move the Gardenias away from the fence before they get any bigger or you may loose some - they don't like being moved.

Blake, keep them well watered for a few days and they should be fine. I don't know if Daryl has had different types of gardenias to mine but I find they are the easiest plant to propagate from a cutting and I've moved many of mine without any problem at all.

Blake this thread has been going since 2017. Start your own design dilemma - you will get a far better response as it won't be seen as much here. Nice clean looking entry but it definitely needs more. Maybe the wall on the left (lst Photo) painted a feature colour (nothing too strong) or use the wall for an art gallery. If you search Photo layouts here you will get lots of great ideas.

thanks olldroo
yeah I started a new thread after realising I somehow posted it here then not knowing how to delete it

thanks for your input

Just discovered your new thread. Looks like it worked a treat. Good luck with it and with bub too.