Take a look
at this:
Does this
scene ignite your tropical senses or what?
Of course it
does. Crystal clear water, swaying palm trees, it doesn’t get more tropical
than this - unless you add a sarong- clad waiter with an ear full of frangipani
flowers and a tray full of mango cocktails.
Now imagine
the scene minus the pool. Doesn’t work
nearly as well does it?
Because
pools epitomise tropical.
Some pools,
that is.
Here at Mt
Cotton we have a pool and it’s a great pool. Unfortunately it does not epitomise
tropical. No way.
With this
in mind, I come to the conclusion that the next job on my to-do list has to be
the pool garden. What does it need? A tropical transfusion! When does it need
it? Now!
Even though
the weather is not conducive to outdoor physicality, if I’m to keep on track
with my overall mission, I can’t allow the grass to grow under my feet. Also there is still a huge mulch pile
beckoning from the footpath and the pool garden will use up a tonne or
two.
So, where to start?
There's a lot of scrappy lomandra grass in this bed. If
you’ve been with me since the start, you will remember that I have battled (and
won) with these tough critters before, but I know I'm in for a fight.
An owl
on a string, which Ian insists keeps the ducks away, also does not form part of my
garden plan. It, too, will be leaving.
I start the
frontal attack with a crow bar and, working late in the afternoon to avoid sunstroke,
I remove the offending grasses plus a wheelbarrow full of persistent weeds. The next morning, with Ian safely at work, I
ceremoniously set the owl free.
What I am
left with is a little disconcerting. It’s just agaves, agapanthus and some sad
looking ‘happy plants.’
The agaves and
agapanthus sort of fit in so they can stay, the not-so-happy plants will keep
the owl company at the dump. So it's back in with the crow bar.
Finally I'm ready to add.
I plant
Macarthur palms on each side of the pool and, because we don’t want to block
the view at the back of the property, I choose smaller growing palms for the middle – the
lovely Hawaiian Loulu lelo (Pritchardia Hillebrandii), dwarf golden Canes (which I never knew existed till I visited my
local nursery) and the good old faithful Cascade palms. That's the backdrop.
 |
| Loulu Lelo Palm |
 |
| Dwarf Golden Cane Palm |
Colour is
supplied with Crotons, Cordyline Rubras, Dracaena Colorama (these have the
lovely red tinged leaves) and some Dianella and black Mondo grass.
 |
| Cordyline Rubra |
 |
| Dracaena Colorama |
 |
| Crotons |
We’ve run
out of newspaper, so I collect some cardboard from a neighbouring food store
and lay it down between the plants to slow down the weeds. My usual cocktail of
mushroom compost and pelleted poultry manure comes next and then it’s time to
attack the north face of my mulch pile.
The mulch
spreading takes a little longer than I anticipate. Ferrying wheelbarrow loads
through quite a narrow access requires a calm attitude and a steady hand - one
false move and both me and the mulch will end up in the pool.
As per usual
the finished product will need time to establish. But, if I’m patient, maybe
one day, fingers crossed, our pool will have the tropical touch.
