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Low Shrubbery: Acacia howittii ‘Honey Bun’
I have had my eye on this little dwarf form of Acacia for a few years now, it isn’t as common as some of the Acacia cognata dwarfs, which is one of the reasons it appeals to me. This is Acacia howittii ‘Honey Bun’ and it is an incredibly pretty and useful low shrub, suitable for…
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Wattle Glen: Sam Cox Landscape
When I realised I would be in Victoria at the beginning of the year one of the first things I did was contact some of my favourite Landscape and Garden Designers to see if they had any open gardens that coincided with my visit. Sam Cox was top of my list and although he didn’t…
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Eucalyptus ‘Silver Princess’ at Heide
I accidentally visited the Heide Museum of Modern Art last month, WOW it was a pretty wonderful accident! They have the most beautiful sculpture gardens, which are expansive and great for kids. The art Gallery itself is also an impressive building surrounded in native gardens with a bit of an edge. I saw this wonderful…
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WBG: Towrie Centre Gardens
Last week I went to a fantastic seed collection workshop held at Wollongong Botanic Gardens in their Towrie Centre, I had never really been to this part of the gardens before and was really envious of the great job they have done. There is a large part of the garden that was bush tucker but…
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Lovers of Hot and Dry: Alyogyne hakeifolia ‘Melissa Anne’ and ‘Elle Maree’
I went to look at a garden yesterday which was hot and dry, it had lots of hard surfaces that were heating up with the western sun, that got me thinking about this plant Alyogyne hakeifolia ‘Melissa Anne’ or native hibiscus. There are many Alyogyne mainly coming from WA and south Australia and this one is…
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Silver Tea Tree: Leptospermum brachyandrum ‘Silver’
This has been my favourite Tea tree for a few years now, it is Leptospermum brachyandrum ‘Silver’ and for the first time I saw some more mature specimens when I visited Cranbourne Botanic Gardens in January. I was overjoyed as I have two in my garden that are only head height so far and three…
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Portfolio: Bundeena Garden Design
A steep bush block backing onto the National Park with 180 degree stunning views of the water, how inspiring! When I saw this garden I was pretty much blown away, what a dream to be able to work on this property, the house was newly built and nearly finished, the path and boulders were in…
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Inverawe Native Gardens
On my recent trip to Tasmania I was lucky enough to be able to co-ordinate myself and my family to visit this reasonably new open garden in Margate. Inverawe Native Gardens are Tasmania’s largest Landscaped Native Gardens which is quite a feat considering it has been created by just two people, devoted gardeners Margaret and…
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Horizontal Contrast: Homoranthus flavescens
Homoranthus flavescens is a striking plant, the foliage appears succulent and conifer like and the branches grow almost horizontally and appear to layer on top of each other, plus it has a beautiful grey green leaf, making it a wonderful feature shrub in a planting.
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Wonderful Street Trees: Backhousia citriodora
I was driving through Huntershill and onto Ryde yesterday and I was overjoyed to see the most wonderful sight, rows upon rows of Lemon Myrtle in full bloom, planted out in the streets. Finally! a council using its head when it comes to street trees! I know it is not the only one, I have…
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More Native Christmas Trees
Whilst I am feeling slightly Christmassy I thought I’d sing the praise of one of our most recognisable native plants, the NSW Christmas Bush Horah! don’t they look amazing at the moment? something in the strange spring we had must be setting them off. I love these trees whether they are in their white spring…
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Red and White: Angophora hispida
Reds and whites are out at the moment on two native trees, this photo is of the dwarf Angophora, Angophora hispida. This is a beautiful small tree that buds up in furry red clusters for a month before the cream flowers come out, I love the rusty reds this tree produces and even better when…
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Portfolio: Memorial Garden
This is a garden that was a quick consultation a month back for a Pre-school in Sydney. It is a memorial garden for a well loved teacher that passed away, and it was such a pleasure to be involved in this gardens becoming.
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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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CAD and a clean slate
This is a very large garden that is an ongoing project at the moment, yesterday was the first plant out day. I would say about 85% of the plants went in yesterday and today, Phew! it was a beautiful day for it too. The main site is on a large slope with a winding pathway…
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Delicate Tea Trees: Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’
I love tea trees or Leptospermums, I’m not sure what it is about them that appeals to me so much. Perhaps their soft weeping foliage or the way they can get absolutely covered in flowers so much so that you can hardly see their leaves from a distance. And the flowers are showy, individually they…
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Australian Plants Society Open Gardens: Hogue Garden Jannali
This was such a diverse garden, diverse in style with lots of different areas and plantings. When I saw the garden it was full of sun, enabling the owner to grow almost anything! The different areas were almost like little “rooms” and I can imagine moving about the garden during a day letting the sun…
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Screening with Grevillea ‘Bonfire’
This is one of my favourite Grevilleas’ of the moment. I tend to steer towards Grevilleas without the typical heavily divided thick leaf. ‘Bonfire’ is G. johnsonii x G. willsonii, so you get the lovely fern like leaf in a dark green contrasting beautifully with the deep red flowers, which attract honeyeaters and lorikeets.
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Winter Reds
I have been away a little bit lately, well more away from my garden than anywhere else. So I haven’t been noticing all the details, just madly rushing about planting, watering and spending more time in other peoples gardens than my own. So when I returned home on the weekend I was greeted by the…
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Grevillea Park pipes
I went to the Grevillea Park in Bulli on the weekend, I haven’t been for over a year and was delighted to find something new and exciting as always! They have created a big impact planting with a dozen or so concrete pipes, which are overflowing with a beautiful selection of natives. In the centre…
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Black Stump
This is a native garden I visited when it was open in April 2012, it shows you what can be done when someone with a lot of drive and passion finds a blank canvas. It truly amazes me that so many beautiful garden are created by one or two people. Black Stump Natives is located on the…
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Some Favourite Late Winter Flowering Natives
The end of a very dismal grey wet period has come finally! and the sun is appearing ever so bright and dazzling, I have been to the beach 4 times in the last three days, rejoicing! So I thought I would focus on those wonderful winter flowering natives that always amaze me in the colder…
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White flowering Grevillea ‘Ivory Whip’
There is something pure and classic about white flowers, and I am one for a riot of colour most of the time, however I do think this white flowering Grevilleas is one of my favourites. It is a grafted specimen and one of the hardier species to withstand our humid east coast conditions.
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Enticing Suburban Native Garden
This is David’s wonderful garden, it has been made with a passionate eye and a dedicated hand and is simply beautiful. The garden is well laid out and incorporates several different areas that are all planted out with natives, can you believe it is only five years old?
Category: Bird attracting