The bungalow sat in a big rectangle of cow grass that needed cutting every week and watering through every dry spell, and gave nothing back. The owners asked whether there was a better way. There was.
We removed most of the lawn, improved the soil and planted flowering shrubs and native plants that attract butterflies and birds: ixora, pentas, heliconias and native gingers. Stepping-stone paths wind through the borders, and thick mulch keeps the soil moist through the hottest weeks.
The garden now needs a monthly tidy instead of a weekly mow, and it is full of butterflies and birds.
