Ok, firstly, I have no idea when it comes to gardening. Have moved into a new house and in a moment of foolishness, tore out all the plants in the garden beds on either side of my driveway. I have no idea what they were but they were not particularly attractive or low maintenance.

Now I am going to redo the garden beds but I have no idea what sort of plants/shrubs to put in there. I live in Melbourne so they would need to be able to cope both with cold and heat. I am thinking something sort of shrub/hedgish rather than flowering plants. I would like something that looks quite neat and streamlined, preferably low maintenance. Also, should I put down tan bark or mulch or ??? I have quite a few weeds and I don't really want to have to do heaps of work to the soil, I just want to stick the plants in and keep them alive.

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Meganm. While you're waiting for an answer, Get Rid Of Those Weeds!
If nothing else, just chuck thick layers of newspaper/black plastic/carpet on them so that the light can't get to them and they will die.
Or pull them out by hand.
Or spray (Whoops! Did I say that?).
I mean spray with something organic. Don't know what though. Another member can probably help you there.Coming at ya from Sunny Kalbarri, WA.

It is, if it is Rounding up organic plants!!Ed Tropical Collector

Meganm, there is much to consider. Look at heaps of books, mags, talk to nurserymen. Watch garden shows on cable TV. As well think about what style suits the house / area. Look at what grows well in your area.

Boiling water kills weeds, depends on what area you need to cover.