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The Queensland Gardening Pages

Information & resources about plants & gardens for Brisbane & Qld

Ideas for a Beach Themed Garden

This page is under construction

This will not be a page about creating a garden in actual coastal conditions. It's a page for lovers of the beach, who would like to create a little of the ambience of their favourite place in their suburban backyards.

If it's more of a lush tropical resort-style backyard you're thinking of, see Tropical Gardens


Some preliminary ideas

Could be quite understated, using colours, textures and a few signature plants. However, there's a danger of it looking tacky if you use too many decorations like surfboards and beachballs.

On the other hand, you could have some fun and go crazy with beach umbrellas, plastic sea creatures, fishing nets, a beach shack and all the rest.

Filling the backyard with sand is probably a little impractical (especially if there are cats in the neighbourhood!) but you could use sand-effect paving surfaces. Alternatively, think about boardwalk-effect timber decking.

One of the characteristics of the beach is the vast expanse of sky. It's colours, clouds, sun moon and stars are part of the ever-changing scenery. This is something you are not going to be able to create in suburbia with neighbours, powerlines, trees etc all likely to be in close proximity. However, think about making the most of whatever views you have, while using vegetation to block distracting elements.

Vegetaion is not the only way to hide things; at lower levels a wall or reed screening may be effective while taking up a lot less space. The walls could be painted with an appropriate colour. or maybe even a tasteful beach scene.

More to come in future updates...

More Links

a beach cottage
Blog about decorating an actual beach cottage in NSW
Beach Cottage Love A U.S. blog dedicated to beach houses
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