To fulfill a development condition to plant a visual buffer around their solar farm, the University of Queensland commissioned Lowndes Landscapes to plant 30,000 tubestock trees at their solar farm at Sladevale, just outside of Warwick on the Southern Darling Downs, Queensland. The trees and shrubs are a mixture of local endemic species consisting of […]
Author Archive | Ian Lowndes
Sandstone Crazy Paving v Corten Steel
Local materials come to the fore in this Yeeronga landscape. Cut sandstone crazy paving has been combined with corten steel edging, hoop pine mulch and indigenous plants to make an authentic landscape. Helidon sandstone is recognized as some of the best in the world and is scoured less than two hours drive from Brisbane. Corten […]
Tarragindi Luxury Residence
Recently completed luxury residence. The Client’s brief- create an interesting, low maintenance space that compliments the architectural elements of the building and assists with drainage. Another component of the brief was to retain and add stairs to the side of the house, which was driving dirt into the basement. The final design was to use […]
UQ Riverbank Volunteer Planting- Five Years on
On July 6, 2005 over 100 volunteers from the University of Queensland (UQ) student and teacher fraternity planted over 6,000 tubestock plants along a section of riverbank from Emanuel to St Leo’s colleges. Lowndes Landscapes (then known as Solargreen Landscapes) designed the planting in conjunction with UQ Sustainability and the Society for Conservation Biology UQ […]
Brisbane’s Five Best Mulches
Mulch can save you work, time and money, this guide should help with mulch selection so you have the right type in the right place. 1- Hoop Pine Mulch (around $90 per m3)- coming from plantation grown hoop pine on Brisbane’s outskirts. It is coarse, being in long ribbons from the bark of the pine […]
Moorooka backyard/front yard
Comprehensive construction of front and back yards. Clients were frustrated by dirt entering the house down the driveway and wanted low maintenance front and back gardens. Front garden used corten steel edging, drainage gravel, timber terracing and drip irrigation. Tropical planting in the south facing shade areas with more hardy natives graduating to the road […]
Concrete to Turf
100% Concrete! This small (less than 300m2 block) West End yard was 100% concrete… except a washing line, that broke someone’s arm. No other features! So levels were taken (tape measure, spirit level and string line). The back retaining wall height and excavation depth were determined by the level at the bottom of the stairs, […]
Frontage face-lift
With a simple picture saved from a magazine, Lowndes Landscapes worked with the client to adapt and deliver this classic landscape concept. Timber edging combined with deep gravel and garden areas to break up and redefine this house frontage. Tiny retaining laws create an optical illusion of infinity edged lawns looking downhill. Lawn areas have […]
Riverbank Restoration St Lucia Apartments
A big thanks to the body corporate of Macquarrie units in being proactive in eradicating infestation of Mother in law’s tongue (Sansevieria species) from the Brisbane River bank at St Lucia. Lowndes Landscapes were engaged to remove and restore the area. Coir logs, jute matting and weephose irrigation combined with native plants Dianella caerulea, Dianella […]
Tarragindi Landscape Transformation
Total landscape transformation. My clients finished the build on a post war renovator, with just the softscape to go. The brief- turf the verge, screen and soften the retaining wall (and associated 600 wide concrete cantilevered footing), create something interesting (but low maintenance) for guests to look at when arriving, help with the weed choked […]