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What to Plant for Poorly Drained Soils and temporary inundation
I am adding to this post as here on the East coast of NSW we continue to have flooding, heavy downpours and associated erosion. It has been over 3 years of this tumultuous weather and this particular blog post has been getting quite a lot of visits. The past few years have also given me…
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A flower within a flower within a flower … Hoya australis
This is Hoya australis or Wax flower and I have taken some close up photos which demonstrate perfectly why this umbel has been given its common name. I find this one of the most curious flowers from our native vine species, it is a large highly perfumed umbel of tiny wax like flowers which is…
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The perfect concealer: Aphanopetalum resinosum
Aphanopetalum resinosum is the answer to many difficult positions in the garden, from dark shady dry corners of the garden to ugly fences or buildings which need to be greened up, Gum Vine may be the solution. This robust native vine has bright green shiny leaves and reddish stems and when it is in flower…
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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…
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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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The Bronze Highlights of Gymnostoma australianum
This almost Christmas like tree is part of the Casuarina family, at first glance can look like a conifer or pine tree, but fuller in habit. Its overall texture and colour is very similar to She Oaks when they are flowering, which is probably why this specimen caught me eye. The male and female flowers…
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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…
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Lucious, Shade-loving: Trochocarpa laurina
Note: The photos on this post were originally misidentified as Decaspermum humile. Thanks to @nightjarnatives who corrected the id on instagram! Trochocarpa laurina or ‘Tree Heath’ is a large shrub to small tree which loves the shade. I have recently spotted it growing under large Eucalyptus in full shade, it also enjoys dappled light. It…
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Summer Scents: Hymenosporum flavum
The scent of a frangipani marks Summer for many people, when I used to live in Sydney the frangipanis and jasmine filled the inner city streets in Summer giving off a potent scent in the warm weather. What many people don’t know is that there is a native equivalent, yes a native Frangipani! The native…
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Try something exotic! Tecomanthe hillii
How non native does this spectacular flower look?! It is the flower of the Fraser Island Vine or Tecomanthe hillii a gentle climber which is endemic to North Eastern Queensland. Tecomanthe hillii enjoys fun sun to part shade in a warm sheltered position. The specimen in these photos is growing on a post underneath a…
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I need to remember this fern: Blechnum cartilagineum
I am not very good with my native ground cover ferns, I have a handful which I use over and over again which I know to be hardy and pretty. I was walking in the Blue Mountains this weekend and exploring the rainforest and waterfall walks, these plants are not my favourites, I usually am…
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The Versatile Spider Lily: Crinum pedunculatum
I have only just realised how very adaptable this plant is after seeing it growing on the beach in Murramarang National Park last week, I had no idea it would grow on sand in a front line coastal position and look so beautiful. In the image below you can see how symmetrical the clumps of the…
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Kendall Community Pre-School: One inspiring place
I was lucky enough be part of a Horticulturl Speakers Day in Kendall on the NSW Central coast last month And seeing as it was going to be quite a drive I decided to make the most of the opportunity and took the family for a little adventure. It was a great 3 days for…
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Portfolio: Gordon Courtyard Garden Design
This small courtyard garden is part 2 of a 3 stage garden design for clients on the upper north shore. This was a middle garden that services a flat/studio attached to the main house, to say it was fairly un-loved is an understatement. See the before image below. It is a shady garden, dominated…
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Extremely fast growing screen: Homalanthus populifolius
You have to love a species that can pop up by itself, grow a couple of metres in a year and will do so in full shade. Well I do anyway, although it may appear uninvited in your garden (it is easy to pull out) I have had the experience of it growing in just…
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One of the Best Street Trees: Buckinghamia celsissima
This is Buckinghamia celsissima or the Ivory Curl tree, it is another small to medium tree that is in flower over the summer months, chances are you have seen it around, it is VERY hard to miss. I saw this one on a street in Mosman, I think it was planted by a resident as there…
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Blue Tongue: Melastoma affine
This showy little shrub is Melastoma affine or Native Lasiandra, it really does look like a dwarf form of the incredibly popular south American Tibouchina, which lights up the streets of many inner western Sydney suburbs. However, this is not only an Australian native Lasiandra but is also a bush food. After the flowers finish…
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Super Showy Waratah: Alloxylon flammeum
This is the QLD Tree Waratah, I have mixed feelings about this plant, there is something a little too showy about its blooms and whenever I see it growing in NSW it is always strangely devoid of bird life…why is that? However, now I have seen it growing in its home state I can appreciate…
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Exotic looking native: Rhododendron lochiae
There are several native plants that I like to use when either designing a planting that already has some exotic species established or when trying to convince people that not all native plants are straggly, open and dry looking. This is one of them Rhododendron lochiae, isn’t it beautiful? It has dark glossy green leaves and…
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4 Reliable Shadies
I have been visiting many shady gardens lately, where there hasn’t really been much scope for planting anything besides ferns and their relatives. This has made me stop and think about tough, reliable shade plants, natives for ground cover, lower layer and upper layer, that can co-exist underneath the canopy of large rainforest trees such…
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Shady Lilly Pilly: Syzygium wilsonii
There are so many Lilly Pillys around, different cultivars, that apparently grow faster, thicker, thinner, redder and so on, they are used for hedging everywhere (which is great, far better than Murraya) and can be a little over done. This one is Syzygium wilsonii and it is amazing for a few reasons, firstly it has…
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Plum Bush Tucker: Davidsonia pruiens
This is the Davidsons Plum (Davidsonia pruiens) sending out its flower spikes, getting ready to cover itself in juicy, tart plums YUM. I saw this one in a clients rainforest garden and it was very striking, each of those like pinky and yellow flowers will turn into one of the most famous bushtucker fruits. However…
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Australian Plants Society Open Gardens: Aitkin Garden Bonnet Bay
So over the weekend some of the members of the Australian Plant Society Sutherland Group opened their gardens to the general public, for me this is like a dream come true, theres nothing I like more than having a sticky beak in someon-elses garden especially if it is a native garden! Unfortunately I could only…
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Soft Feathery Grass: Baloskion tetraphyllum
I tend to use a lot of grasses in my gardens, I am not totally reliant on them and can manage without, however I mostly use plants with a weeping, soft appearance, and grasses are valuable in creating texture and contrast in a garden. This is Baloskion tetraphyllum, one of my favourites for its vibrant…
Category: Tropical garden