I went for my usual afternoon swim today and thought I would talk about the planting in the carpark there. There a particular bug-bear of mine that I want to mention about these plantings, as I see a similar thing in so many places when I’m out and about.

What I see all the time is the constant use of certain plants. In particular a plant called Lomandra longifolia, often called mat-rush or basket grass (and I mention this plant as one example of about five or six plants). While this plant is a native Australian plant, it gets used everywhere. The reasons for this include the fact that it’s tough, requires little maintenance and can survive in all sorts of conditions, which are all valid reasons for using it, I can’t deny.

There are a couple of main reasons why it frustrates me that this plant in particular, along with a limited number of other plants (whether similar in form or not) are used all the time. Firstly, there are so many other plants that can be used that don’t need any more attention than lomandra-this just shows a lack of thought and imagination in the design.

Secondly, the line that is used frequently is that native plants should be used more frequently in our landscapes, to increase biodiversity and a whole list of other reasons.I do agree with this, BUT if the same plants are mass planted all over the place with no other plants included you are not solving any issues at all. For biodiversity to actually exist, you need to have a wide range of plants from ground covers to mid-layer shrubs to trees and everything in between. Just having the same old plants of one particular form, with nothing but a few trees and the odd grass tree dotted through does a biodiverse landscape make.

I understand the need for an area of planting to be easy maintenance, in terms of the time and money spent in caring for such a space, but there is a need for knowledgeable people to be engaged to help design and maintain such places. Landscape designers, while important, are celebrated far too much, especially when they are using the same things as any other designer, while not thinking about the practical maintenance needs of the spaces they design (pebble creek bed on an inaccessible slope where pebbles are washed to the bottom and need topping up as one example). The horticulturists that care for many of these gardens are in the opposite camp. These folks they are seen as the fools that couldn’t do any other job, so this is the job they do, and get added crappy jobs like cleaning out drug dens and piles of rubbish that I have had to do in previous incarnations of work (which is why I don’t work there any more!). The clients often wonder why there gardens don’t look as good as they should!

How do I think the above can be solved? In all honesty, I really think that education is the main thing here. Most people are so disconnected from all things plants, they lack the basic understanding of how natural ecosystems work. Even though gardens are human constructed, they function in roughly the same way. Kids need to be outside playing in the dirt, exploring and learning, both in and out of school-playing in the mud is as natural as being a surly teenager. Adults either need to read up on the relevant information as they go along, or trust the advice of a reputable horticulturist (after having a conversation about what they would like compared to what’s achievable in that space) that they employ to care for their gardens (or councils, etc depending on the situation).