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The almost native pig face: xDisphyllum ‘Sunburn’
Meet a new addition to the Australian native succulent family, well maybe more a half sibling or cousin, as technically this lovely green pig face is half south African 😳 shock horror! However there are so few Australian succulents I am calling this a native! xDisphyllum ‘Sunburn’ is a cross between two plant genera, one…
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Bee Friendly Gardening
Bees play an important role in our ecosystem and we rely heavily on them to pollinate our food crops and our native bushland, not to mention supply us with delicious honey. There are over 1,500 native bee species in Australia with a whole host of interesting shapes and forms. Bees feed on nectar nestled within…
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The small tree Emu Bush: Eremophila longifolia
This is another Emu Bush to add to my database, Eremophila longifolia is classically not so bushy in habit but more upright and weeping. I think it makes a lovely small feature tree with its long, droopy leaves and clusters of pink bell flowers. It can be pruned into other shapes if needed but the…
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Drought Hardy Emu Bush
In this post I am adding to my Eremophila database and also trying to increase awareness of native plants which I believe have proven to be reasonably drought hardy. As a genus Eremophilas are very tough native shrubs, they will grow in a well drained soil in full sun to part shade and although they mainly come…
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Happy little rambler: Goodenia ovata ‘Goldcover’
I am a huge fan of Goodenia ovata, it is an extremely useful shrub, hardy and floriferous and now I am also going to sing the praise of its off shoot Goodenia ovata prostrate ‘Goldcover’. This little ground cover has the same leaves and flowers as its parent shrub but possesses the skill of rambling…
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There’s nothing quite like Maireana oppositifolia
There truly is nothing quite like Maireana oppositifolia, the strange and intriguing habit of this silver foliaged beauty is unique. It has a strong upright habit with its branchlets compact and forming points giving it a sculptural affect. In the image above you can see standing strong behind the Eremophila ‘Kalbarri Carpet’. Because of its unusual …
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One for that difficult damp spot: Bauera rubioides
This is Dog Rose one of the few native plants with a likeable common name 😉 Bauera rubioides grows happily in those moist positions in sun or shade where other native plants rot or succumb to fungal diseases. It makes a wonderful low hedge or border plant if pruned, other wise it likes to scramble all…
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The resurgence of the Bottlebrush: Callistemon pachyphyllus Green
I feel like there needs to be a a resurgence in the planting of Callistemon species in home gardens, they have been given a bad name through thoughtless street planting and gardeners overlooking their pruning needs. There are a handful of Callistemons that I think are worthy of pride of place in a native garden,…
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Sweet: Grevillea ‘Blood Orange’
I am generally not a massive fan of the large flowering Grevilleas, mainly because they encourage the wrong birds, well not the wrong birds but birds who already have a plentiful source of food. However when someone asks for a native plant that flowers year round, they are generally the first thing that springs to…
Tag: year round flowering