Garden design Adelaide

[tiger]

Have just built a new house in suburban Adelaide and yet to start on landscaping.
Have rainwater collection and storm water collection tanks, idea is to use rain water for house and storm water for garden plus mains of course.
Have approx 1000sqm to landscape and looking for advice on low maintenance, environmentally sound designs incorporating vegie patch etc possible chook(s), future shade, and encouraging birds and other small suburban wildlife.
Not much I can see by way of this type of advice in Yellow Pages!

[ecodharmamark]

G'day tiger, and welcome to the PRI Forum :)

One great new reference source for backyard garden designs that take into account the sustainable and the ecological is Josh Byrne's (you may know of him, from the ABC's Gardening Australia?) new book "The Green Gardener":

http://www.joshbyrne.com.au/green_gardener.html

Don't forget to tap into that other great resource for watering your garden, fruit trees, etc - grey water! Josh has a lot to say about this in his new book, or you can download his fact sheets here:

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

Another point of reference that you may wish to explore is your local permaculture group. You are bound to find a wealth of information here to help build on your already great-sounding plans. The following is a group of links, both SA-based and elsewhere, to get you started:

http://www.users.bigpond.com/brookman/permlinks.html

Cheerio, and don't forget keep us up-to-date with the progress of your garden,

Mark.

[Sonya]

Hi Tiger,

I've heard very good things about the Food Forest at Gawler. Might be worth a trip out there to do a short course or maybe something a bit longer and have a look around.

They should be able to offer lots of advice about urban permaculture design to make the most of your garden and meet all those requirements you have.

Sonya.

[ho-hum]

Tiger,

Welcome to the forum.

Along the same lines as mark's is the homepage of Jerry Coleby-Williams, also of the ABC. His website/home is one of the most inspiring things I have come across and a must read for anyone wanting to develop their own urban yard.

http://web.mac.com/bellis_brisbane/iWeb/Bellis/home.html

Cheers

mike

[Jez]

Worth checking out

Aldinga (click) (http://www.aldinga-artsecovillage.com.au/)

as well. IIRC there is someone from there who posts here occasionally?