Kia ora e te Lemmy whānau!
We’ve just moved into a new build, which hasn’t been landscaped, and I’m at a loss for what to do immediately next to the external walls.
I’ve seen a few options around town, but I haven’t found a good resource for actual recommendations. I’ve seen:
- river stones/gravel surrounding the foundation for ~30 cm
- plants against the walls (e.g. griselinia, lancewood
- driveway (concrete/asphalt)
I know I need to direct drainage away from the foundation, but can I plant grass (or similar plants) right next to the walls? Is there a standard rulebook I can refer to?
Any help would be appreciated!
I very strongly recommend bark rather than stones.
The gaps between the stones quickly fill with dust and dirt and weeds grow like crazy. It looks great for the first season but becomes an undiggable weed fest afterwards.
With bark, you just buy another few bags of it and tip them out over the old bark.
Plus the bark mulches and feeds your plants.
As for planting, there are a lot of native compact grasses and low shrubs that prefer shaded areas, they will do well and look great.
TL;DR: avoid stones lest you never usage a spade in that garden again.
We moved into a new build 7 years ago without landscaping. I did gravel and grass around the house. However all the grass close to the house failed to grow properly due to lack of water / sun, so I dug it out a couple of years later and replaced with pebbles and pavers. For the rest I’ve built a deck, and got a lawn and woodchipped area.
Also good to check the quality of the soil and if there’s any debris. I found out they had left the old tennis court in small chunks just below the surface.
Drainage is important too indeed. I’ve put in some perforated pipes. Worked well for the first couple of years, seem to be blocked more now, so in winter it’s very wet.
Fruit trees are cool too.
Hope this helps.