Urban Room Details
The Urban Room features two walls tiled with pre-formed steel roofing material with the visual attributes of stainless steel at a fraction of the cost. These tiles are ladder staked for a contemporary look. Mirrors flank the left wall designed to give the illusion of more space. The floor is laid with flagstone paving set in gravel. The randomness of the flagstones is designed to contrast with the order of the walls. The gravel between the flagstones allows water to penetrate the potting mix helping to reduce run off. Further to this, the subsurface of the potting mix has been laid with Ausdrain Drainage Cell which traps the ground water and carries it to a subterranean tank where the grey water is reused in the water feature and designed to evaporate back into the air.
Other features of the room include glass pots designed to view the potting mix plus having the added benefit of reducing root binding by encouraging the roots to grow down and into the pot rather than to the edge. Another quirky feature is a day bed planted with drought resistant lawn to allow the courtyard dweller the simple luxury of lawn without the maintenance hassle.
Plant species have been selected for their strong form and or colour. The Urban theme suggests linear shapes; hence the use of pencil pines. This however, is contrasted with the softer foliaged Cyclamen, used to break the hardness of space. And the black Mondo used for it's rich and unusual colour.
The potting mixture used here is Debco Pot Power. A potting mix product containing SaturAid, a Garden Water Maximiser that assists to break the surface tension of soil and irrigation water to improve water penetration. Water Storage Crystals, which absorb and retain excess water within the potting mix and, Green Jacket – a controlled release fertiliser, that contains a formula of plant nutrients, which provide a balance of strong root growth, foliage growth and flowering that will not increase the plants susceptibility to drought.
Facts List
PLANT SPECIES USED
Ground cover in planter bed: Cyclamen
Feature plant: Juniperus chenensis Spartan (pencil pine)
Ground cover in pots: Black Mondo
Lawn: Tall Fescue
PRODUCT SUMMARY
Walls lined in preformed steel tiles and panels of 6mm mirror.
Floor laid in silt stone crazy paving and gravel by Eco Concepts Australia 03 9427 8911.
Riverstone and gravels provided by Tuscan Path 03 9470 1023.
Potting Mix: Nutrient rich Debco Pot Power.
Lighting: HPM inground light 12 deg 20 w dichroic globes.
Lawn chair custom made.
Glass pots custom made.
Water saving products include drainage cell, tanks and pumps, supplied by AusDrain 02 9810 8335
and available at Tradelink Hardware.
Plants kindly sponsored by:
Established Tree Transplanters Pty Ltd 03 5964 4240.
Combined Nursery Sales 03 5971 2227.
Peninsula Water Gardens 03 9776 5458.
HG Turf Pty Ltd 03 8625 7218.
Water feature made from upturned stainless steel pots, constructed by The Statue Workshop 08 8234 5988.
Designed by: Tim Janenko Panaeff, Plank Modern 02 9310 5000.
Constructed by: Paul Leitch, Ramsay Developments 03 9588 0056. |
