Category: Feature shrub

  • the always blooming Grevillea × semperflorens

    the always blooming Grevillea × semperflorens

    This is a little known Grevillea Hybrid which has been around for a long time, I have never really understood why this Grevillea isn’t more widely used. It is highly ornamental and spends much of the year in flower. In fact semperflorens actually means always blooming. It is a hrybrid between G. thelemanniana and a yellow-flowered…

  • for lovers of purple:Melaleuca nesophila

    for lovers of purple:Melaleuca nesophila

    I must admit purple is not one of my favourite colours and when clients specify purple flowers I often come up a blank and can only think of Hardenbergia, which is completely ridiculous as there are Brachyscome, Scaevola, Patersonia and soooo many Melaleucas have purple flowers, silly me. This one is one of my favourites…

  • Two top Thomasias: Thomasia macrocarpa and Thomasia solanacea

    Two top Thomasias: Thomasia macrocarpa and Thomasia solanacea

    Thomasia is a native shrub species which can be found largely in the south of Western Australia, like many of the species located in that area of Australia it is quite adaptable. For some reason all of this genus is endowed with showy, textured foliage like few other native species, making them a wonderful edition…

  • Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’: the most floriferous of them all

    Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’: the most floriferous of them all

    Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’ becomes fully veiled in white flowers from late winter through to spring and early summer, it appears to be covered in white fluffy snow and is quite the show stopper. The weeping habit is a favourite of mine and it will happily grow in tropical, subtropical, and in cooler temperate climates. An elegant…

  • The glossy leafed Eupomatia laurina

    The glossy leafed Eupomatia laurina

    This ancient flowering plant has a fossil record of 120 million years, it’s primitive flowers are a legacy from Gondwana. Isn’t that mind blowing!? The perfumed, glossy screen tree with edible fruits is the perfect addition to a bush food garden. My Mum has a Eupomatia laurina in her garden that is flowering at the…

  • The elegant branches of Leptospermum brachyandrum ‘Silver’

    The elegant branches of Leptospermum brachyandrum ‘Silver’

    I have written about this favourite tea tree of mine before, however I think it deserves another post which is more dedicated to its elegant branches and decorative bark. I took these photos of Leptopsermum brachyandrum ‘Silver’ at Kuranga native nursery last year, where they have used the species extensively around their pond and throughout…

  • The adaptable possibilities of: Banksia plagiocarpa

    The adaptable possibilities of: Banksia plagiocarpa

    This Banksia not only has beautiful flowers but also eye-catching bright red new growth that is covered in tiny hairs giving it a velvety texture, similar to the new growth on Banksia robur. Banksia plagiocarpa has great ornamental potential in the garden, as it can be grown a a large shrub or can be shaped…

  • The constantly evolving beauty of Ozothamnus diosmifolius

    The constantly evolving beauty of Ozothamnus diosmifolius

    This small to medium native shrub is a hard one to capture both in an image and in words, I have been documenting these three specimens in my garden since they were planted a couple of years ago. It never seemed the right time to photograph them as the flowers are always changing colour and…

  • Emu Bush Challenge No. 10: Eremophila ‘Meringur Crimson’

    Emu Bush Challenge No. 10: Eremophila ‘Meringur Crimson’

    And so it continues … documenting my Eremophila discoveries, I will get to 12 one day! As we approach the end of another La Niña Summer, where heavy downpours are common and the humidity is high, it is a great chance to reflect on hardy, flexible native plants. Amongst the surprises are many species of Eremophilas…

  • Merry NSW Christmas Bush: Ceratopetalum gummiferum

    Merry NSW Christmas Bush: Ceratopetalum gummiferum

    I am a bit of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas and often one of the things which pulls me our of my un-festive slump is our Ceratopetalum gummiferum or native Christmas Bush. This year I was a little late, as many have finished thier show by the time Christmas actually arrives. However, I…

  • Kangaroo Paw Care – Get the Pruners Out!

    Kangaroo Paw Care – Get the Pruners Out!

    The Kangaroo Paws in this Bundeena garden are a rainbow of colour, they were planted three years ago in a swathe to test Angus Stewarts ‘Anigozanthos ‘Landscape series’ range. They have a striking effect mass planted and it was a delight to go back and visit them in full bloom a couple of weeks ago.…

  • The purple punch of Prostanthera ovalifolia

    The purple punch of Prostanthera ovalifolia

    There is something about this particular shade of purple that is both eye catching and calming at the same time, it’s a lovely vibrant lilac which covers the entire shrub and lights up a shady corner. This native Mint Bush also does well in full sun as well as part shade, making it quite a…

  • Most Memorable Planting Combinations at the National Arboretum

    Most Memorable Planting Combinations at the National Arboretum

    Every time I visit our nations lovely Capital I seem to find myself at the National Arboretum, by default I manage to eke out at least half an hour to check in on some of my favourite plantings. I have posted previously about two of these species but when I was looking over my photos…

  • What to Plant for Poorly Drained Soils

    What to Plant for Poorly Drained Soils

    Wet Weather Gardening After yet more rain on the east coast many plants in many gardens are suffering water-logging. Even in reasonably well drained soils the inundation has been too much for some plants. Physically, the force of rain, streams and puddles of water have caused their own damage and with the increased humidity comes…

  • Gardening for Wellbeing

    Gardening for Wellbeing

    Stress Relief, Connection to Nature, Community involvement, Mood lifting, Physical Health, Personal Growth ….just to name a few! Words by Kath Gadd and Hannah Preston at Mallee Design In times of great social and economic upheaval gardening can offer multiple benefits. As we are living through one of those times right now, where many of…

  • Luscious, Dense and Green: Xanthostemon chrysanthus

    Luscious, Dense and Green: Xanthostemon chrysanthus

    This showy small to medium tropical tree was flowering its head off on my recent trip to Brisbane and northern NSW. It was such a welcome sight after the damp, soggy Summer we have had, finally a species revelling in all the rain! Xanthostemon chrysanthus is also known as ‘Golden Penda’ and comes in a…

  • Native Nurseries Across Australia

    Native Nurseries Across Australia

    This is a collection of nurseries I’ve visited, bought from and love. I’ve written about some of my favourite Native Nurseries in blogposts before but it’s handy to have one reference list to come back to isn’t it?! It’s by no means exhaustive and I encourage you to get in touch with local growers when…

  • Inala Conservation Reserve: Bruny Island

    Inala Conservation Reserve: Bruny Island

    Forty Spotted Pardalote Image above by Alfred-Schulte The Inala Reserve on Bruny Island was the highlight of my recent trip to Tasmania, we spent two nights staying in the cabins inside the reserve bird watching and exploring this natural wonderland. I had wanted to go to Inala for years after finding out that is is…

  • Happy National Wattle Day: Acacia binervia ‘Sterling Silver’

    Happy National Wattle Day: Acacia binervia ‘Sterling Silver’

    Spring! if ever there is a seasonal change to bring hope and excitement for the future surely Spring is it? I have been watching the Wattles all Winter long, they have been lovely this year and very appreciated during extended lockdown wanders. But now we have made it to Spring (Hooray) a time for growth…

  • Portfolio: Gardening in Wind

    Portfolio: Gardening in Wind

    This is my sisters garden on ‘Windy Hill’ as we like to call it, it gets so windy here the rubbish bins get blown down the street, gates are blown off their hinges and plants find it tough! Her front garden bears the brunt of the Westerlies and southerlies and used to be bare lawn…

  • Instagram #INeedABirdbathHere Winner and Entries!

    Instagram #INeedABirdbathHere Winner and Entries!

    We’ve been simply blown away by the beautiful garden entries we received in our most recent birdbath competition #INeedABirdbathHere. We asked our followers to send us photos of their gardens for the chance to win a Freshly Spun Medium Copper Dish and couldn’t be happier with the result. It’s always inspiring to see wonderful native…

  • Portfolio: Haberfield Landscape Design

    Portfolio: Haberfield Landscape Design

    The brief for this front garden in Sydney’s inner west was to create a modern native garden which is sympathetic to the era of the house and show cases an Art Deco water feature passed down through the family. The front garden now addresses and interacts with the street and also provides a sense of…

  • A Portrait of a Flower: Hakea francisiana

    A Portrait of a Flower: Hakea francisiana

    Look at this thing! is it not one of the most spectacular flowers you have ever seen? I have been impatiently waiting for this moment in my Hakea francisiana Grafted life cycle since I planted it 6 months ago. It began flowering a couple of weeks ago, just as we went into COVID lockdown again,…

  • To clip or not to clip …

    To clip or not to clip …

    Sometimes I find native gardens lack a little….structure. Its lovely to have a bush style garden with lots of flowing foliage and a naturalistic feel, however I am a big fan of breaking that up with some stronger forms which can often brighten up the planting and give an extra eye catching edge. In the…