Planting in gravelly soil

In the Darling Range, on the Darling Scarp, and in the Eastern Coastal Plains around Perth, western Australia, some of the soils are very gravelly. This comes from the laterite surface soil types of this part of the state. Along the Darling Scarp, where I have my home, there are: sandy loams over a clay base; sandy, clayey soils on flat plain, waterlogged in winter; and brown alluvium.

I am looking for a few plants to fill up a space on the north facing side of the garden. It is more or less all gravel, and except for a few native trees and shrubs there is nothing there at all. The last part of the garden to be developed, so to speak. The area is approximately 41 metres (45 yards) by 9 metres (10 yards). There is also a 3-metre (3.5-yard) drive running along the north edge of the 41-metre measurement.

Looking in my small reference book, Perth Plants for Your Garden, I found there are a few plants that will survive in what could be called a rather unfriendly type of soil.

How does one make it a little more friendly? The local garden centre suggested I mulch the area thoroughly; I have just come in from doing just that. Then, add a small amount of blood and bone, at the rate of about 100 grams per square metre (a third of an ounce per square yard), making sure of course that the area is well and truly damp before spreading the blood and bone. I also asked the garden centre to check the pH value of those parts of the garden I wanted to develop. The pH value was approximately 6.5, so I don't think I have much of a problem chemically; the problem is the lack of humus in the gravelly soil. One thing I can say, the garden is very well drained in the gravelly sections.

The Acacia drummondii, commonly called Drummond's Wattle, has long golden spikes which contrast with the soft green to blue-green foliage. Many people admire this variety as one of the most attractive small wattles. The size ranges from 0.3 metre (1 foot) to 3 metres (9 feet) in height and the flowers appear in July and stay around until late October.

Another plant that flowers, this time, from October to late January is the Beaufortia purpurea, or Purple Beaufortia. It is an attractive rounded shrub that grows to about 1 metre (3 feet) and has tiny grey-green leaves. The colour of the open flower is deep red and eventually becomes mauve-purple. It said in the book that it is sometimes found on rocky slopes. This would fit on with the garden as it is at the present; there are several rocky outcrops on the part I am presently trying to develop.

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