DIY: How To Make A Wheelie Bin Screen

Our local council supplies us with 3 big wheelie bins for general rubbish, recycling and garden waste and we keep them at the front of the house in the driveway.

The bins don't make the best first impression to our visitors who walk past them on their way to our front door plus they take up space in the driveway where we want to park our cars.

So when we designed our front courtyard we included in the design putting the bins in the corner of the courtyard so they are out of the way. Having 3 bins all lined up was still pretty unsightly so we decided to make this wheelie bin screen in front of them to hide them from sight.

The finished timber look wheelie bin screen 

Initially I wanted a screen made from decorative privacy screens but because of the patterns you would still be able to see the bins through them and the screens and a frame would cost over $400.

So then we had the bright idea of making a screen from the Alitimber metal fence slats which we used on the courtyard fence. This would mean the screen will blend in with the fence behind as it's made from the same product, plus we could make little to no gap between the slats so the bins were hidden properly and we had a few lengths leftover so the cost would be less.

The pack of metal fence slats, support posts, inside channels, caps and cement cost us about $300. The other items needed for this DIY is a circular saw, tape measure, level, drill and screws.

DIY: How to make a wheelie bin screen

First things first we worked out how long we wanted the screen to be to fit the 3 bins. Then Mr P cemented a support post into the ground on one side and attached the other support post to the exterior brick wall of the house.

Next we fitted an inside channel to the middle of the support poles with a few screws and used a level to make sure it was straight. The inside channel is what you screw the metal fence slats to. 

Once the two support posts were in place we waited until after the courtyard had been paved before making the screen otherwise it would be in the way of the guys laying the limestone pavers.

This may have taken us almost a year to get around to finishing but as the saying goes Rome was not built in a day! Renovating takes time as well but we get there in the end!!

So over the weekend Mr P got out the circular saw, measured the distance between the support poles and cut the metal fence slats to size.

Using the level again to make sure it was straight Mr P attached the fence slat with screws into the channel in the support pole. Working from the top to the bottom once the first slat is in and straight then the rest are easy to install. We didn't want a big space between the slats or you'd be able to see through the screen so we used a 2mm spacer so there was only a very small gap.

A cap is placed on the top of each support pole to stop any water getting in and then it was done.

Now all 3 wheelie bins sit behind the screen out of sight. The screen also hides the reticulation controls and power supply.

We now have our entire driveway to make use of for parking the cars and it just looks so much nicer at the front of the house without the big green wheelie bins in the way!

This was a great DIY weekend project to tick off the to do list and in fact is the last project to tackle in our front courtyard garden - it is now officially done and we can sit outside in our outdoor oasis and enjoy what we've created.

Where do you store your outdoor rubbish bins?

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Book Review: Plant Craft By Caitlin Atkinson

This is a book review of Plant Craft by Caitlin Atkinson that was published by Timber Press on 19 October 2016.

Caitlin Atkinson is a photographer, stylist and interior merchandiser. Caitlin photographed the book Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias and this is the first book she has photographed, styled and written herself.

This is a beautiful craft book based around the concept that not everyone has a garden but with just a few materials you can bring some nature into your home in the way of crafts inspired by nature and made of living plants, flowers and branches.

With over 250 pages and 30 projects ranging from a table centerpiece, hanging mobile, hanging rock garden, bench planter and more there are projects to suit all types of creatives.

The projects range from easy to difficult and will suit all levels and talents (yes including black thumbs like me!). The projects look easy to follow with step by step instructions and lots of images to assist each step.

What I love most about this book is the beautiful photos which are lush, green and full of life and really inspire creativity. You can tell this is a photographers book it's just beautiful you could almost buy it just for the stunning images!

I recommend this book to plant lovers who want to bring some garden greenery inside.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Plant Craft can be purchased from the author here 

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Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Timber Press to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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DIY: Laying Lawn On The Front Verge

Last weekend we installed reticulation and sprinklers and leveled the ground ready for lawn to be laid on the front verge. Then over the Long Weekend just gone we got busy and laid a lush new green lawn which has added instant kerb appeal to the front of the house.

There's been a bit of debate about whether lawn on verges is the way to go in Perth - due to the hot climate and water restrictions it's hard to grow a lush green lawn. Some Local Councils allow you to grow native shrubs and vegetable gardens instead of lawn. Artificial turf and paving or any hard surface is not allowed. However, we are going down the traditional route and laying a hardy sun loving lawn .... fingers crossed with lots of love and attention it grows well.

BEFORE 

AFTER

For our front courtyard grass areas we got Velveteen lawn from Australian Superior Lawns and so we used them again - this time we picked a Wintergreen Nullarbor Couch lawn as it's one of the tougher lawns that will tolerate full sun and high traffic.

Couch is a bit cheaper than Velveteen and costs $5.50 per roll x 45 rolls + delivery = $335.

The lawn was delivered on Saturday the same day we planted it - you want to plant lawn within 1-2 days of it being cut.

We applied 3 bags of soil solver clay to the ground which gives the soil structure and helps water absorption. We gave it a good rake and mix into the soil and sand. Next we applied a bag of stinky fertilizer to help the lawn grown.

Then we leveled it as flat and smooth as possible so there will be no dips and bumps in the new lawn.

Then Mr P with help from my brother got to work laying the rolls of lawn. Starting from the corner edge and working down in rows the lawn was laid with each new roll tucked in neatly to the next.

To cut the curved edge of the driveway and around the sprinklers a sharp long bladed knife was used.

The lawn needs to be laid staggered just like you do with laying bricks so you don't end up with a run of lines - staggering helps it look natural and the grass will grow over the lines and pretty soon you won't see the joins.

Once all the lawn was laid and any patches filled the lawn needs to be compacted to help it adhere to the soil and grow and it also helps to flatten and level the ground and to fill any gaps. 

A quick trip to Bunnings and Mr P hired a compactor for $45 (for up to 4 hours hire although we only needed it for 1 hour).

I was inside making everyone lunch at this point and avoiding the loud vibrating compacting noise so I don't have any photos of the compactor in action sorry!

When we were finished on came the new sprinklers to give the lawn a good water in.

You need to water new lawn twice a day and with Perth's water restrictions we're only allowed to water twice a week! So we applied online with the Water Corporation for a permit for new lawn and they approved it instantly for one month so we can water twice a day and there was no cost for this either.

It's a good idea to get a permit if you are trying to establish a new lawn or garden (especially as you don't want to be fined for watering when you're not meant to be!).

We had just 2 rolls of lawn leftover and some guy driving past pulled into the driveway and asked if he could take them ... I thought he may have offered a 6 pack of beer or bottle of wine but he just took them! Oh well love thy neighbor and all that!!

After years of having a sandy heap at the front of our house it is so nice to see a green patch of lawn. 

Beware if anyone tries to park their car on it over the next few weeks they'll be in trouble!


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My Water Wise Plants + Pebbles Courtyard Garden

I have been dreaming about our courtyard garden for many, many years now and it's almost surreal that my gardening dreams are now becoming a reality!

Let's take a trip down memory lane to the front of our house 

BEFORE the courtyard renovation .... 

Now let's look at its progress today!

The Courtyard isn't completely finished yet but we don't have much left to do ..... We need to install our new shade sail to the poles, build a screen to hide the rubbish bins, seal the limestone pavers and then add furniture and pot plants and it will be an outdoor living space that we will want to spend time in all year round!

Over the last few weekends we've been planting a garden straight from my Pinterest inspiration boards with hardy plants that are perfect for the front of the house which gets a lot of sun and will need to survive a hot Aussie summer.

As the Rain Chain feature is part of this garden bed and it's close to the house foundations we also wanted plants that don't need to be watered very often so water wise plants were on the wish list.

The yukkas we grew from cuttings given to us from a friend and when we removed them from their pots we noticed some were growing extra plants and so we split them into more plants.

I'm so amazed that these yukkas cost us nothing as they are such a good looking plant and make a real statement in the garden too!

Next we planted some Cordyline black knight plants which are a red/purple plant and compliment the timber look fence perfectly. 

I love the spiky plants and the way they look architectural and modern. 

We add a few succulent plants to fill the gaps and we're hoping they'll grow and spread a little more to cover the ground.

I love succulents they are my favourite plants and this is a nice sunny spot for them to thrive in.

Instead of mulch we decided to add pebbles as a top layer to create contrast around the plants and in the garden bed. We shopped around for pebbles and found Masters had the best value - 20kg bags for $10 and we used 22 bags in total.

As the Rain Chain feature pot is in this garden bed we also wanted a solid base for any rain that may overflow down the Rain Chain in heavy downpours. Pebbles would keep the area a lot cleaner than mulch or soil would which will wash away and make a mess if it gets too wet.

I love how the black pebbles look against the limestone pavers and it makes the plants really pop as well. We just hope the pebbles won't heat up too much in the sun and that the plants will be tough enough to handle it if they do! 

We had to finish the reticulation in this part of the garden so that it's on its own watering program (we have separate zones for the lawn, the front verge area, the herb/veggie garden and this pebble garden because they all have different watering needs and need to be watered at different times).

Mr P fitted sprinklers around each plant so they will be watered automatically because my black thumb cannot be held accountable for keeping the plants alive!

Around the front of the garden to balance out the Rain Chain feature pot we added a similar feature pot that is slightly smaller with a large yukka planted in it.

Then we planted some yukkas and cordylines in between.

The courtyard garden is really coming along nicely.

I love how this garden design was easy to plant out and with the hardy plants it should be easy to take care of (or better yet it takes care of itself!).

The next gardening project for the courtyard is to plant a vegetable and herb garden and I have already sown some seeds which I've watched sprout and I can't wait to grow my own fresh veggies and herbs!

What are you growing in the garden?

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