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[The following text is a continuation from the "Tropical Landscape Grounded in Natives" article on pp.10-13 in STG Issue 17]

The tennis court was a later addition to the garden and it explores the idea of the tropical bush food and honey flora garden. As it is an open sunny area on the north side of the house, grafted grevilleas such as Grevillea ‘Billy Bonkers’ and G. ‘Ivory Curle’ flower profusely. The screening to the court is provided by Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), Lemon-scented Tea Tree (Leptospermum petersonii), Native Round Limes (Citrus australis), Finger Limes (Citrus australasica) and Beach Cherry (Eugenia reinwardtiana). Other fruit trees such as the Burdekin Plum (Pleiogynium timorense), Davidson’s Plum (Davidsonia pruriens) have been planted according to their requirements for light.

The only unwelcome bird is the local Yellow Footed Scrub Fowl. Being a megapode it incubates its eggs in a mound and is a powerful digger. During the dry season as the forest surrounding the garden dries out, these birds love to dig up the drip irrigation system at night. To counter act the worst of this, large river pebbles have been placed on the garden beds and inter planted with the local Pepper vine (Piper sp.) and Native Turmeric (Curcuma australasica). New planting areas are often established with wire chicken mesh placed over the top.

Around the corner from the pool there is a courtyard shaded by the Native Handkerchief Tree (Maniltoa lenticellata) where a Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa) grows with the Bali Sacred Bamboo (Schizostachyum brachycladum). The laundry courtyard beside the garage is screened by Tiger Grass (Thysanolaena maxima) and protects Heliconia bihai ‘Chocolate Dancer’, Calathea zebrina and Gardenia tubifera. These small areas offer a surprise and a place to contemplate.