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The most weeping of the weeping: Myoporum floribundum
I am obsessed with plants with a weeping habit or drooping foliage, some people find them sad and depressing looking but they are my favourite. There are many native plants with soft long leaves or gently falling branches, they can create dense screens, focal points or backdrops. Weeping foliage in a garden gives a relaxed informal…
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A spikey, perfumed tangle of Grevillea flexuosa
This is a wonderfully messy Grevillea that likes to sprawl all over the place. Its stems literally get tangled in themselves and the leaves are stiff and spikey so they can almost grab onto other plants to hoist themselves towards the sunlight and as its name implies it is so very flexible 😉 Grevillea flexuosa…
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Lovely shrub of many names: Veronica perfoliata
This is to my knowledge currently Veronica perfoliata, it has gone through several differing identities and name changes, I won’t go into all of that, it just seems a shame as I think it may have detracted people from knowing about this useful plant. Firstly I love it because it has a very Eucalypt like foliage…
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try growing the curious Drosera binata
I have been growing Australian carnivorous plants indoors for years, I find them fascinating with their reddish hairy leaves arranged in complex arrays designed to entice insects to land. So when I installed my pond last year I thought I would try emulating their native habitat and plant some around the edges of the water…
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Good morning Iris: Orthrosanthus multiflorus
The flower spikes on the morning Iris really do say good morning all through Spring, it is such a luminous shade of deep blue almost purple that is impossible not to notice. The flowers are displayed on upright stems rising almost a metre above the tufted foliage. Orthrosanthus multiflorus can be found growing naturally on…
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Bee Friendly Grevillea: Grevillea sericea
This is a local spider flower Grevillea which has huge ornamental potential and is a master at attracting native pollinator and honey bees to your garden. It is quite a common species on the east coast of NSW and can be found growing naturally from Toronto in the north to Heathcote in the South of…
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Dwarf Eucalyptus for small gardens: Eucalyptus citriodora DWARF
The lemon scented gum is one of my favourite fragrances, that pungent citronella smell released after the rain or at dusk on a summer evening makes me feel all sentimental about our incredible flora.Unfortunately Eucalyptus or Corymbia citriodora doesn’t mix so well with the urban landscape, firstly they get tall, very tall and secondly as…
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Wispy and Light: Grevillea linearifolia
As the name suggests this is a Grevillea with linear leaves, long skinny leaves which give it a gentle wispy habit. Combined with the pink new growth on the end of each stem, this is a showy species whether in flower or not. Grevillea linearifolia can be found naturally in the Greater Sydney Basin bushland…
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Another striking Australian Ornamental Grass: Austrostipa verticillata
I saw this species of Austrostipa growing in Canberra a few weeks back, and photographed it thinking it was Austrostipa ramosissima. However, on closer inspection I realised it was a native grass which I hadn’t come across before, how exciting! a newbie to add to my native ornamental grass planting palette. After much research I…
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Phenomenal Phebaliums: the delicate blooms of Phebalium nottii and squamulosum
I am a long time fan of the Phebalium genus, these small to large shrubs which belong in the Rutaceae family can be found growing over much of the south and east coast of Australia. However Phebalium squamulosum is an extremely variable species which means it contains a number of forms and subspecies. So I must…
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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…
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Light it up: Grevillea lanigera ‘Mellow Yellow’
I have mass planted Grevillea ‘Mellow Yellow in a semi shaded position in my garden and have been surprised at its tenacity and ability to cover its self in blooms for an extended period of time. The small striking spider like flowers appeared in Summer and are showing no sign of slowing down as we…
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Native plants in the Melbourne City Streetscape
This post is all about praising the plant selection used in the ‘Grey to Green’ project in the City of Melbourne. Much of the plant palate features native species, and on a recent tour I was so impressed with the combinations and utilisation of these species that I felt the need to share some photos…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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Two favourite floating water plants: Nymphiodes geminata & Marsilea drummondii
I love to include water in my Landscapes, whether in the form of a frog pond, fish pond, water bowl or fountain. One of the reasons for my love of water in the garden is it not only attracts wildlife but it can give you a chance to try growing aquatic plants. If you are…
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Happy National Wattle Day!
We hope your gardens are in full bloom and continue to bring you and the native wildlife joy throughout the month of Spring. This years Wattle is Acacia linifolia or Flax Wattle, it flowers from Summer through to Winter. Changes are afoot this month and we have some some exciting announcements which we thought worthwhile…
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Native flowers in the deepest dark of Winter
It has been a long cold, wet Winter here on the southern NSW coast, off and don’t forget windy! In fact my garden experienced a mini tornado a month ago, a micro weather event which sent someones garden shed and contents flying into my garden and uprooted apparently wind break natives. So a couple of…
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Bird Nerd-ing in a Mallee Birdbath
Our friend Angus Stewart in Tasmania (from Gardening with Angus) recently captured all these wonderful birds making use of his Mallee Dish – including a few that we’ve never seen before since they only occur in Tasmania. In this video you will see: Yellow-throated Honeyeaters (endemic to Tasmania) Eastern Spinebills New Holland Honeyeaters A Black…
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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…
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How to Regenerate Bushland in your Backyard
Does your garden look a little like the one in the image above? It has so much potential but you don’t know where to start? Regenerating your own patch of bushland is exciting and rewarding. You get to see first-hand the return of native birds, bees and other wildlife that follow when native vegetation re-establishes…
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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…
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My Favourite Poa: Poa ‘Suggan Buggan’
Since discovering this super blue grey form of Poa labillardieri I have been throwing it around with gay abandon 😉 my love for native grasses and Poas in particular is something which is pretty obvious when you see some of my designs. They are soft and weeping, quick growing and hardy and make a wonderful…
Category: Naturalistic garden