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PaulG
08-02-2012, 07:46 PM
I'm going to go through my books tonight but thought I'd throw it out there to get some suggestions from the brains-trust.

One of my commercial clients has just installed two of the older style evaporative air cons on two rooms at his office.

The office is an old Queenslander style house with verandah. Where the air-cons drip on the verandah they plan to put planter boxes with drains going through to the ground under the verandah.

No direct sunlight, south facing and will be constantly wet in Summer from the dripping air-cons.

Suggestions for smallish plants to suit in front of the windows?

Mrs HMS
08-02-2012, 07:50 PM
I just posted this one in another thread. What about bromeliads...they are native to tropical rainforests so like it dark and damp. They have some gorgeous varieties too. I love the flowers.

Bluey
08-02-2012, 07:59 PM
Yep they would do. I use my AC condensate to water my lawn. Have a small childs hulla hoop that I use as target indicator. Have a hose connected to the outlet and just plonk it on the lawn. Throw the hoop across a couple of feet and when I move it I put the hose there then move the hoop. You can get a bloody lot out of an evap AC so why not use it. Just don't put it on your veggies. Heavy metals may be in the AC annd leach out plus all sorts of bacteria that it filters out or grows there. But it works on the lawn a treat

Stripes
08-02-2012, 08:04 PM
Ferns would do well in that spot. Some of the ornamental grasses as well.

imoww
08-02-2012, 08:28 PM
I have a client who wanted maintenance free plants. So got her Aust natives and put a simple irrigation in to water them.
Last week, most of the plants died????? WTF?

Stripes
08-02-2012, 08:54 PM
I have a client who wanted maintenance free plants. So got her Aust natives and put a simple irrigation in to water them.
Last week, most of the plants died????? WTF?

The problem with most of the popular natives is that they are mostly from WA where the soil is sandy. Throw them into clay soils over here and they drop dead when we get continuous rain. I put in Grevilleas at jobs that were just beautiful and going strong for two years, then all of a sudden they all dropped dead in the space of a week. They just don't like wet feet.

PaulG
08-02-2012, 09:11 PM
Ferns would do well in that spot. Some of the ornamental grasses as well.

Actually yes, some Sedges or similar.


I have a client who wanted maintenance free plants. So got her Aust natives and put a simple irrigation in to water them.
Last week, most of the plants died????? WTF?

Are people still under the impression that indigenous and native plants are low maintenance? Some are, some aren't. Just like any plants really.

What were they? Where were they planted? Did you use a native soil mix to plant into?How much water were they getting and how often?

courty
08-02-2012, 10:17 PM
The problem with most of the popular natives is that they are mostly from WA where the soil is sandy. Throw them into clay soils over here and they drop dead when we get continuous rain. I put in Grevilleas at jobs that were just beautiful and going strong for two years, then all of a sudden they all dropped dead in the space of a week. They just don't like wet feet.

I'd love a couple of bucks for every time I have heard that happen. Grevillea's are renowned for turning up their toes at the drop of a hat.
I like Bromeliads and my mum has a great collection in her garden but they are not maintenance free,they require a lot of "cleaning" to keep looking great.

allo
09-02-2012, 04:58 PM
what about spathyphyllum they love no sun etc.?????

Wyadra
14-02-2012, 08:26 AM
Hard to go past Cliveas, you can always pick them up free and sell them for $18. Got a great collection of them and Bromeliads in my backyard that I gather from cleanups and then sell whenever I get a shaded garden to do. Any wholesale nursery would sell them to you for less than $5.

PaulG
18-02-2012, 01:03 AM
Customer has bought the planter boxes - 3 of.

Talked to him today and he said he wants 3 shrubs each in two of the boxes and one or two shrubs in the third smaller box when I'm there next week. That's my brief - that's it...


Going to drop in tomorrow to have a look at size for amount of potting mix etc and I'll have to hit the nurseries up this weekend to see what they have on hand as far as plants go.