That's what our builder did for us-- it requires maintenance every 3 to 10 years depending on the brand and material used. You will have to pressure wash and the apply the product or pay someone to do that for you which in my area the first time is the most expensive then after that it is $500-700 for next application for an 800sq ft drive. Good luck!

I share your exasperation! We have a large garden with clay soil at our place in sydney and limited budget to redo the whole thing! With 2 kids and work it's hard to keep the backyard looking good. I've found that lilli Pillis worked a treat for screening and grew quickly ie within 2 years were at fence height ( 50cm when planted ) though it looks like you have some hedges growing that may be these already? There are more tree like versions of lilli pillis eg waterhousia floribunda see picture - it's grown over 2 meters in 1.5 years now almost 4m tall and starting to throw shade. We lost a heap of shade when our large Blum gum was removed due to safety reasons. Another option might be a baby citro gum tree? For general landscaping I also love purple fountain grass another plant that really thrives in our climate. Gets to about 1.6m tall and looks very pretty when there is a breeze and they are nice and soft for kids. Agapanthus are another plant we cat seem to kill, and they flower all spring and summer. I often take a look and see what the council plants in the area, usually gives me an idea of what is likely to grow and not require excessive maintenance. There is a fair bit of trial and error some things that look great just can't cope with my low/zero maintenance strategy I now order plants from a wholesale nursery as retail prices can be a budget killer. Also IKEA have good freestanding umbrellas, works well and was cost effective, casts a large amount of shade and can be moved around the garden if needed. The lawn is a bit of maintenance but speaking from experience if you don't have to water it then mowing is probably easier than garden beds, I haven't yet found a way to really stop weeds, so that might be a consideration. Hope the tips are helpful.

Hey there Emma l, lovely deck and pool area you've got happening already! We particularly love that you're using a fully-frameless glass pool fence around your pool, very stylish! Have you considered either a succulent and rock garden (easy to maintain, modern to match your pool space, and can add a mix of shells, driftwood and found sea stones/objects to add to the coastal theme) OR a lovely water feature surrounded by smaller grasses (ie. mondo grass) and sea stones? Can't wait to see what you decide to go with.

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