Guide 4: Townsville Gardens

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Introduction

Mr W Airds garden Walker Street 1907. The garden includes coconut palms, cycads, massed shrubs and flowerbeds and specimen trees in the lawn. (John Oxley Library Collection)

Protection of Townsville's historic inner city garden heritage is of vital importance, not only to support the unique identity of the houses and the streetscape character, but also to maintain the distinct garden traditions and features.

The front gardens in Townsville's older suburbs generally hold much of the original structure and appearance, though with the loss of the more fragile plants. They can very easily be retained or restored in the appropriate traditional character. The side and rear gardens are frequently altered to suit the contemporary lifestyle, the desire to view a pleasant garden from the house, and to use the garden for outdoor living and entertainment. With the garden restored in the appropriate traditional character, each house and the whole street will be enhanced in presentation, amenity and value.

This brochure is a guide to assist you in either a faithful historic restoration or in a renovation of an appropriate, or respectful character.

Understand our Garden Heritage

Widespread clearing

The original vegetation of Townsville was substantially cleared in early settlement. Trees were primarily cut for firewood. By the 1880's, photos of Townsville show only a few trees left amongst the houses. Though areas of original vegetation remained, the tree clearing and the dry rocky hillsides led to a stark appearance of the town.

Goats

If the properties were not fenced it would have been difficult to establish gardens near Castle Hill, e.g. at Stanton and Melton Hill, due to the wild, roaming goats.

Harsh Climate and Water Shortages

The often hot dry early summer climate, poor soils, the availability of only precious tank water, or bore water for the wealthy, all generally limited the gardeners' efforts. The shortage of water has restricted the scope of Townsville gardens till recent times when the construction of new dams meant a lessening of water restrictions.

In the first twenty or so years of settlement roads were not sealed and dust blew over the gardens from the dry streets. Extensive gardens were restricted to the wealthy due to the need for labourers to assist with watering and other maintenance tasks.

Availability of Suitable Plants

Many of the plants available from nurseries in southern states in the first 40 years of settlement were unsuitable for the Townsville climate. However, by the 1920's and 30's, suitable tropical plants were grown in local nurseries. Poincianas, rain trees, terminalia, calophyllums (beauty leaf), umbrella trees and fig trees were common in streets and gardens and crotons and acalyphas were popular garden shrubs.

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Early Influences

"Rosebank" ca 1892. Gravel paths along the front and side of the house, and open lawns with a circular feature bed. The windmill would have provided the water needed in summer for this extensive well kept lawn. (John Oxley Library Collection)

Ben Gulliver had established the Acacia Vale Nursery in the 1880's and cultivated a large variety of fruit and decorative trees. His nursery would have been an invaluable source of plants for Townsville gardeners. He had over 60 varieties of roses, many crotons, ferns and orchids, and numerous fruit and shade trees - including the best varieties of mangoes.

In 1880, the Botanic Gardens had about 10 acres laid out as a garden with walks and flower beds. The bush house was a major feature of the gardens with a large collection of crotons, dracaenas, ferns and orchids.

From the early 1880's many wealthy residents established "villa" residences with fine gardens in the suburbs along the Charters Towers road. Closer to the centre, fine examples included the large scale Stanton Hill garden of P Armati with his large caladium collection, and the Bartels at German Gardens had a large pleasure garden for strolling and teas.

Garden Styles

A cottage garden with white painted concrete edges to the gravel paths. Plants at the verandah include a Cordyline and a strap leaved plant such as Agapanthus. (James Cook University of North Queensland Collection)

The photographic evidence of more spacious Townsville gardens around the turn of the century indicates a partly geometrical, gardenesque style mixed with the English romantic. Victorian era influences were present in the use of bold and unusual trees such as pines, bamboo clumps, and mass plantings of tropical foliage plants.

Smaller gardens generally followed the traditions of the English cottage garden style. The entry path through the centre of the front lawn, with beds along the edge of the house and the fenced borders of the lot completed the "squared" garden. This style remains in evidence today throughout most of the older suburbs.

The bush house was a popular addition to Townsville gardens from the 1880's, even in the small gardens of the inner suburbs. In the difficult climate the shade allowed women to participate more in gardening. Ferns and orchids were popular during the Victorian era They were brought from the bush house to decorate the house and verandahs.

The Edwardian garden style of the 1920's and 1930's enriched the garden for more outdoor pursuits, tennis, teas and garden parties, with structures such as trellises, screens, arbours and pavilions and the contrast of softer planting to structured paths. These garden styles have all continued in gardens today.

Indigenous plants were not common in gardens before the 1970's. Trees included Leichhardt trees, the black bean, Moreton Bay fig, silky oak, flame trees, and hoop and bunya pines.

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Recent Designs

The contemporary wish for shade in the garden and reduced lawn mowing has brought denser planting closer to the house. The traditional garden design was more open than this. Rather than screen the house, consider having the front garden in a traditional open semi shaded style, with fuller planting to the side and rear gardens.

Dense planting to garden areas serves to hide the house and may cut off breezes.	The old frangipani of the original garden has been retained. New plants - palms and ixoras do not fully screen the house.

Guidelines for Garden Restoration

The garden should be planned and laid out after assessment of:- any remaining paths and edges; trees, shrubs and features; any photographic records of yours or similar gardens; and the age and style of the house. In the typical front garden, shrub planting will generally edge the house and fences, a simple concrete or gravel path will divide a lawn, and one or two trees, such as a frangipani, black bean or calophyllum, will frame the view of the house and shade part of the garden and path.

The Front Fence

The entry path was often red concrete with a raised edge such as this. It should be retained in the garden restoration.

The front fence is an important part of the whole presentation of the house and garden to the street. Separate brochures in this series are available on the fence and verandah.

Paths

The traditional front path should be a simple design, clear to the visitor. For the typical workers cottage the path is frequently in a direct line from the front gate to the stairs. The path can be offset, curving or staggered where the slope of the land, trees, or a larger size garden lead to this option.

In the late 1800's and early this century, garden paths were frequently a compacted gravel. The plain, or occasionally coloured, concrete path has become the customary entry path. Paths through mass planted gardens along the side of the house or in the rear could be in compacted granite gravel. "Stepping stone" paths, in stone or simulated stone cement paving slabs, are suitable for less frequently used routes and within beds.

The bare bones of this garden remain in the frangipani tree at the entry and the terminalia over the rear yard. A new fence and front path and garden beds alongside the front and sides of the house are nearly all such a cottage requires.	Saw tooth brick edging and a few plants are a remnant of the old garden to be discovered and restored. Sword fern has crowded the Nandina and strap leaved plants - Hippeastrums or Belladonna lilies.

Edges

A constructed edge in the garden: defines spaces; - separates grass from the planting beds; and, - can add a decorative line. The edge can be concealed or expressed. Materials include concrete, which can be a raised edge along a path or garden, or flush with the grass; brick, laid on edge or tilted to form a "saw tooth" edge; and river stone raised above the lawn. Untreated timber is unsuitable, however, preservative treated timber may be used as a concealed edge. Extruded bricks or bricks with contemporary textures or colours and half or round log edges are not the traditional character.

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Furniture and Decorative Items

The furniture and decorative additions bring the garden alive and link it distinctly to the house and the owners.

Appropriate items include a seat, a bird bath, a small statue used to accent a planted garden; or a vine covered arbour at the garden entrance, the start of a side path, or as a destination at the rear. Large shells were sometimes paired at the side of the front stairs.

The Bush House

The bush house (fernery or shade house) should be constructed of timber (preservative treated) or metal (in fine sizes). Clear roofing, if desired in part, can be part concealed with battens to maintain a traditional character. Shade cloth, if used, should be black as it is less obtrusive than the green. The fernery may be painted white for a 1920's or 1930's Edwardian style house and garden.

Stone Garden Walls

On the foothills of Castle Hill, gardens generally had to be terraced with stairs and winding paths. The local pink granite was used extensively. These stone constructions should be retained, and the same stone used for renovations or new work.

Fruit Trees

The mango tree was the most successful fruit tree for early Townsville, as can be seen by a review of backyards today. Every effort should be made to retain the mangoes, not only for their traditional character, but for their shade and beauty.

A wide range of fruit trees were available late last century and any of the tropical fruits, including jack fruit, lychee, loquat, banana or pawpaw, would be appropriate.

Vegetable Garden

The vegetable garden was an important part of the Townsville garden from the 1880's to after World War II. A vegetable garden at the rear would be most appropriate even if it has more herbs than were grown in the past and fewer, or different vegetables.

The Flower Garden

Flowers popular in southern and English gardens were grown in Townsville's early days. Photos of gardens up to the 1950's or 60's illustrate this persistent tradition with the small, central bed of flowers, while the remainder of the traditional garden form was adapted with hardy tropical shrubs such as crotons and acalyphas. Colourful leaves were often used in vases instead of flowers.

Today, small shrubs can be substituted for annuals. Gardenia radicans, dwarf Ixora and Liriope will be a simpler display, yet not detract from the traditional character.

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Further Reading

The National Trust of Queensland, Conserving the Queensland House, 1996 Guide 11 - Understanding your Queensland garden
Guide 12 - Remaking your Queensland Garden.

Catherine Brouwer, The Garden in The Queensland House, R Fisher, Brian Crozier Eds, Queensland Museum, 1994.

Woods Bagot Pty Ltd and Dorothy Gibson-Wilde, Urban Conservation Study Volumes 1, 2 and 3, prepared for Townsville City Council, December 1993.

This brochure has been prepared for the Townsville City Council by Catherine Brouwer, Landscape Architects, in association with Ralph Power Associates Pty Ltd.

For more information, please phone 4727 9000 or contact the Special Projects Unit.

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