I left the Gardens alone for 2 weeks over the christmas period. I didn't have anyone looking after it partly as an experiment on how it'd cope in hottest and driest time of the year.
Australian native and Mediterranean plants coped best. Of course.
So Mediterranean for initial setup and pioneer species. Then can get english cooler weather plants growing once have shelter.
I'm thinking South East facing walls could be an important landscape feature. Things still grow but don't get the hottest sun of summer or the hottest summer winds. But then summer sun is mainly overhead.
North east facing with a cover directly over, like a tree. sounds like I've just rediscovered food forest principals.
summer. laze around. swim. eat berries, tomatoes, harvest garlic. work 8-11 6-9
Autumn. Grow stuff! Enjoy flowers. eat apples
Winter. infrastructure. sleep, read. listen to rain. work 9-5
spring. Grow stuff! Enjoy flowers.
Some things to consider:
Summer is hot
Winter can flood
insect plagues
flies, mozzies, crickets
green house
extends growing season over potentially winter
seedlings
shade house
protect from the aussie sky furnace.
wind shelter
indoor and outdoor combined. transitional
not just sealed boxes. i have shipping containers for that, but veranda, sheltering walls, hedges, trees overhead. rabbit fences, insect screen
