The parlour palm is the most reliable palm for indoors .. Plants add exponentially to the indoors effect and personality, as has been said many times over, however as with anything, ideally should be placed/chosen tastefully and not in a hodge-podge or messy looking fashion. Unhealthy looking plants are particularly unattractive ..

Not sure how it would go in Brisbane but what about trying a conifer? They grow fast and very tall. You can shape them or leave them natural. They are plain and certainly not tropical. Maybe speak to a local nursery and find out if they would grow in the sub-tropical climate of Brisbane first, as they are usually in colder climates (Sydney and south). Leightons Green Conifer – Leyland Cypress http://www.evergreengrowers.com.au/shop/hedging-screening/leightons-green-conifer-leyland-cypress/ Your quite limited if there's not enough sun and you dont use bamboo or tropical plants. Many other screening plants or hedges wont get tall enough for that space and climate. I hope you find something.

Hi Ellie, It's always tough down the narrow sides of the house, however there are still good options for the garden bed. It does depend on the style of garden or look you are after. You can go for quite striking plants that work with a mi-century home such as: Sanseviera (Mother-in-law's tongue) could work well there and provide some interest out of the window. Or you could try Blue-chalk sticks (Senecio). Otherwise you could go with native groundcovers or strappy leaved plants such as: Chrysocephalum (Common Everlasting) Or strappy leaved Dianella (Native Flax Lily) The hanging baskets are a different situation and you will need something that can handle hot sun in Summer. You will also need to keep the water up to them. Maybe a native daisy (Brachyscome) Or you could go for some succulents in the hangers. Good luck with your project!

You could try Wet & Forget on the driveway. You can buy it ready to use and attach it to a hose or buy a bottle that you dilute to use in a sprayer. I have used it and it works - slower than water blasting but it won’t damage driveway if it has some damage? I can’t quite tell from photo if that’s grass clippings/mulch or broken concrete on driveway? If you use it be careful not to spray garden bed. I live in FNQ and we planted seaside daisy - doesn’t need watering but it also won’t die from our wet season. It’s a ground over and spreads out beautifully in a courtyard area that’s get a lot of sun. Just needs a trim from time to time. I see you have Rio (purple green ground cover) which you could separate and plant down the path but it does like water. Maybe for the fence you could try attaching lattice to it and plant another passion fruit vine to help cover the whole fence. It does look like you need to get rid of some woody parts of the passion fruit. It’s a tough plant and will enjoy a bit of pruning. We had one that I thought had died last year and it has returned with no help from me. Be careful with the heliconias and gingers ... they can get out of control if you don’t stay on top of them. Anything tall will cover your fence but it will also cover the passionfruit vine which obviously loves the spot it’s in. Good luck!