Backyard Design Starter Plants

Staring at a blank backyard and wondering where on earth to begin is a rite of passage for every new home owner. This collection is built for that exact moment: reliable, forgiving species that form the framework of a garden design, so you can get the bones right before worrying about finishing touches.

Good backyard design follows an order of operations. First come the structural plants, the screening hedges and small trees that define boundaries, block neighbours and cast summer shade; plant these earliest because they take the longest to mature. Second come mid layer shrubs of one to two metres that fill beds and soften fences. Last come the groundcovers, grasses and border plants that tie everything together at ankle height. Working in this sequence stops the most common beginner mistake, which is spending the whole budget on pretty fillers while the fence line stays bare. As a rough rule, allow one screening plant every 75cm to 1m for a dense hedge, and give feature trees at least three metres of clearance from paving and pipes.

Budget wise, a sensible split for a starter garden is roughly half on structure, a third on mid layer planting and the remainder on groundcovers and borders. Starting with 140mm or 200mm stock keeps costs manageable across a whole yard, and most easy care species in this range will double in size within their first two growing seasons if watered deeply once or twice a week while establishing.

To work out exactly how many hedging plants your boundary needs, run your measurements through the hedge calculator before you order. If your block is on the compact side, the plants for small gardens range keeps everything in proportion, and once the framework is in you can layer in colour from garden makeover essentials. Two staples worth reading up on before planting day are covered in our murraya care guide and star jasmine care guide, both classic first garden choices.