Indigenous Healing Plants

Here's a list of local indigenous plants that I've selected for the healing garden project according to the environmental constraints of the site. The main selection criteria were suitability for growing in shady areas and tradition medicinal or other use. The selected plants vary from small to medium size for planting in pots and have flowers in different colours to offer a good variety for the garden. Many of them are also drought tolerant for low maintenance. 

Green Wall Final Design

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The log planter green wall final design.

Green Wall Design Ideas

Inspired by images of stacked timber logs, here is what I have in mind for the green wall in the healing garden at the moment.

Here are some of my previous design idea sketches:

Idea #1 - Vertical green wall panels system

However, panel system requires built-in irrigation system, which may have high installation cost. Also, only low-profile plants can grow on such system, limiting variety of plant species.

Idea#2 - Pots in wire space-frame

Another type of green wall is stacking of horizontally placed planters, which allows plants to grow vertical, not limiting the height of growth. This also allows individualisation of pot designs. 

Idea #3 - Curved structure with climbers and planters
This loosens the rigidity of a rectilinear design by introducing curvilinear lines. 

Timber Log Planters

Our current design has a series of timber logs at varying sizes, serving several different purposes, including planters, sculpture, seats, table, platforms, etc. Timber logs offers a rustic natural feel. Timber logs can be recycled from fallen trees from arborists or sourced from certified timber plantations or firewood suppliers, making them a sustainable and cost effective material for garden designs. Here are some examples of timber log planters:

An article on how to turn timber logs into planters:
http://www.ehow.com/how_12097962_turn-logs-planters.html

Visit to VINC

Our group visited the Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Co-operative (VINC) to learn more about indigenous plants, collect some first hand information on traditional medicinal plants and their growing conditions and get some fresh ideas for the healing garden project.

Dianella Tasmanica

Kidney Weed & Common Rasp Fern

Seaberry Saltbush

Prickly Moses

http://www.vinc.net.au/

Using Everyday Object to Create Indigenous Art

Re-Use / Recycle / Sustainable


~using everyday object to create Aboriginal Art in the courtyard space


Unique Garden Planters and Displays

using recycled tyres to create a pattern, as indicated in our design proposal

Gardening Australia resource

Useful general resource covering Australian native plants. 

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/native.htm

Indigenous Plants - some useful resources

The Royal Botanical Garden Melbourne website provide some valuable information on indigenous plants:
http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/

The Education section in particular contains some useful fact sheets:
http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/education/teacher-resources




The Australian Garden in Cranbourne is worth visiting for some authentic Australian landscaping design.
http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/australian-garden/australian-garden-features/plants-and-landscape

The Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Co-operative has an online database of indigenous plants, which is very informative and useful for selecting the right plants for particular conditions.
http://www.vinc.net.au/

Living Green Walls

Greenery can transform a ordinary brutalist looking concrete wall into a visually pleasing living vertical gardens. here are some examples:

However, these large scale green walls can have costly irrigation installation and maintenance systems. There are alternative options for small scale vertical gardens that are cost effective and just as aesthetically pleasing and perhaps even more interesting.

There are several blank walls in the hospital courtyard that can be transformed into similar looking vertical gardens, planted with indigenous medicinal plants.