THE BLANK SLATE GARDEN
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO STARTING A PERTH GARDEN FROM NOTHING
A$19 - instant pdf download
A practical guide to starting a Perth garden from nothing.
Starting a Perth garden from nothing is both exciting and completely paralysing. Where do the beds go? How do you get rid of the lawn? What goes in first?
This practical guide walks you through how to sketch your layout, decide where to place garden beds, trees and paths, deal with whatever lawn you're starting with, and get your irrigation right from the beginning.
If you have zero time to think, let alone garden, it also gives realistic guidance and options for a ‘bare minimum’ approach, so you can get your garden underway even with young kids/a hectic job/general life chaos.
There’s no complicated design theory, this is just a clear, step-by-step process for turning an empty block into a garden that grows with you.
Instant PDF download. Perth-specific.
Important note:
After your purchase, you will receive a secure link to download the ebook. The link is valid for 24 hours, so be sure to download it directly following your purchase. If you do not receive the download link, check your junk mail.
You've got a blank block. Maybe it's builder's rubble and dead couch grass. Maybe it's just… nothing.
Every time you walk outside and look at it, you feel a mixture of excitement and complete paralysis.
You know it could be wonderful, if only you knew where to start.
This guide is the where-to-start.
“Designing a garden doesn’t have to be intense or overwhelming. It really can look like wandering quietly around the space, listening to the birds, and daydreaming a little”
why is starting a garden so damn hard??
Starting a garden from scratch looks simple from the outside - you plant things, they grow…but it gets surprisingly complicated once you're standing in your empty yard trying to figure out which direction is north and why all the hydrangeas you bought a week ago are already dead.
Where do the beds go?
Should you keep your lawn, rip it up or kill it slowly with black plastic?
Do you need irrigation, or can you get away without it?
What style of garden do you even want?
Most people spend months doing nothing because they don't know where to begin. Meanwhile the dead lawn gets deader and the garden dream slips further away.
The truth is, you don’t have to build a complete garden all at once. You just need to know the right first moves - the ones that have the biggest payoff and that you won’t regret in five years’ time. That’s exactly what this guide is about.
(and in case you’re wondering, here is a photo of my garden now…)
What's inside:
🌿 The ten minute garden plan Designing a garden doesn't have to be intense or overwhelming. I'll show you how to start shaping your garden in a single afternoon (no experience required).
🌿 How to audit your irrigation Perth gardens need water. I'll walk you through what to check, what to upgrade, and what to do if you have no irrigation at all.
🌿 Where to place your beds Why perimeter beds are the foundation of almost every good garden, how deep to make them, and the two mistakes most people make when starting to landscape their gardens.
🌿 How to deal with your lawn How to identify whether you have couch or buffalo grass, why it matters, and the most effective ways to remove each. Also: why you should never, ever use weed mat.
🌿 Edging: the most overlooked design hack The single thing that makes a garden look structured and intentional, and the edging materials that get more beautiful as they age.
🌿 If you're short on time: just plant trees Why trees transform a garden faster and more profoundly than anything else (and my top ten trees for Perth gardens).
🌿 Three ways to shape your layout How to add paths, place beds in obvious spots, and divide your garden into rooms, without needing a landscape designer or a complete plan.
🌿 How to fill your beds Layering plants for structure and lower maintenance, how to avoid a chaotic garden, and why choosing plants that actually want to be in Perth changes everything.
🌿 A note on Perth soil Why wetting agents and liquid fertilisers don't fix sandy soil, and what does. Plus a pointer to my soil guide for those who want to go deeper.
A practical guide to starting a Perth garden from nothing.
Starting a Perth garden from nothing is both exciting and completely paralysing. Where do the beds go? How do you get rid of the lawn? What goes in first?
This practical guide walks you through how to sketch your layout, decide where to place garden beds, trees and paths, deal with whatever lawn you're starting with, and get your irrigation right from the beginning.
If you have zero time to think, let alone garden, it also gives realistic guidance and options for a ‘bare minimum’ approach, so you can get your garden underway even with young kids/a hectic job/general life chaos.
There’s no complicated design theory, this is just a clear, step-by-step process for turning an empty block into a garden that grows with you.
Instant PDF download. Perth-specific.
Important note:
After your purchase, you will receive a secure link to download the ebook. The link is valid for 24 hours, so be sure to download it directly following your purchase. If you do not receive the download link, check your junk mail.
“If this guide achieves only one thing, and that one thing is stopping you from buying weed mat, it will be worth it”
By the time you finish this guide, you'll have a clear plan for your garden.
You'll know where your beds are going, how you're handling your lawn, and what needs to happen first.
That paralysed feeling you get every time you walk outside? poof! gone.
About casey
I'm a Perth gardener, writer and cookbook author who has spent the last ten years turning a sandy, empty patch of dead grass into a flower-filled, bug-filled, slightly wild garden that I love.
I've written a Sunday Times gardening column, published three cookbooks, and run sold-out garden workshops across Perth.
I know this city's soil, its climate and its particular gardening challenges. And I write about all of it without the jargon, without the pressure to be perfect, and without telling you to buy a single thing that won't actually help*
*always fully in support of you buying an excessive number of plants, though ;)
The Blank Slate Garden
A$19 — instant PDF download
No waiting, no postage. Download it, open it, and start planning your garden today.
A practical guide to starting a Perth garden from nothing.
Starting a Perth garden from nothing is both exciting and completely paralysing. Where do the beds go? How do you get rid of the lawn? What goes in first?
This practical guide walks you through how to sketch your layout, decide where to place garden beds, trees and paths, deal with whatever lawn you're starting with, and get your irrigation right from the beginning.
If you have zero time to think, let alone garden, it also gives realistic guidance and options for a ‘bare minimum’ approach, so you can get your garden underway even with young kids/a hectic job/general life chaos.
There’s no complicated design theory, this is just a clear, step-by-step process for turning an empty block into a garden that grows with you.
Instant PDF download. Perth-specific.
Important note:
After your purchase, you will receive a secure link to download the ebook. The link is valid for 24 hours, so be sure to download it directly following your purchase. If you do not receive the download link, check your junk mail.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Yes, completely. The advice is written for Perth's climate, Perth's soil and Perth's conditions. It won't tell you things that only apply in Melbourne or the UK.
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A PDF you can read on your phone, tablet or computer, or print out if you prefer something in your hands.
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Probably not, honestly. This guide is specifically for people starting from nothing. If you already have a garden underway, my soil guide or design course are likely a better fit.
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You'll get an automatic download link the moment you purchase, straight to your inbox.
A practical guide to starting a Perth garden from nothing.
Starting a Perth garden from nothing is both exciting and completely paralysing. Where do the beds go? How do you get rid of the lawn? What goes in first?
This practical guide walks you through how to sketch your layout, decide where to place garden beds, trees and paths, deal with whatever lawn you're starting with, and get your irrigation right from the beginning.
If you have zero time to think, let alone garden, it also gives realistic guidance and options for a ‘bare minimum’ approach, so you can get your garden underway even with young kids/a hectic job/general life chaos.
There’s no complicated design theory, this is just a clear, step-by-step process for turning an empty block into a garden that grows with you.
Instant PDF download. Perth-specific.
Important note:
After your purchase, you will receive a secure link to download the ebook. The link is valid for 24 hours, so be sure to download it directly following your purchase. If you do not receive the download link, check your junk mail.
RELATED PRODUCTS
If you've ever watched Gardening Australia and wondered what on earth you're doing wrong - why your plants grow spindly and pale, why water runs straight off your beds - the answer is almost always the same.
Soil. They just have good soil. And you just have bad soil.
Perth soil is sandy, hydrophobic and nutritionally poor. The products the garden industry sells you to fix it (liquid fertilisers, power feeds, soil wetters) are a bandaid. They don't fix anything.
This 30-page guide shows you what actually does work: clay, compost, animal manure and mulch, added in the right order. Written specifically for Perth's conditions, not the east coast or the UK.
Over 350 Perth gardeners have already used it to build healthier soil, stronger plants and more productive gardens.
What's included:
30-page PDF guide - instant download
12-minute video walkthrough of a real Perth garden bed being improved from scratch
You'll learn:
Why Perth soil behaves the way it does
What to add and in what order to build soil structure properly
How to maintain healthy soil through summer without constant intervention
Why wetting agents and liquid fertilisers don't move the needle (and what does)
After purchase you'll receive an automatic download link to your inbox. If it doesn't arrive, check your junk folder. Make sure to download your file within 24 hours.