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Crazy Carpeting Grevillea ground-covers
OK so these two Grevilleas are a bit famous for going wild in the best way possible of course! They are fast growing and will cover a really large area, plus they are hardy and flower a lot. What more could you ask for?
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Stunning Arid Plant: Ptilotus exaltatus
This is Ptilotus exaltatus, Lambs tail or Pink Mulla, in full bloom at Mt Annan Botanic gardens. Here it has been mass planted for full effect, to replicate what you would see in the desert, a field of soft pink flower heads it is most impressive.
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Prostrate Woolly Bush
This is the Albany Woolly Bush or Adenanthos x cunninghamii, it is a most apt name for it as everyone is drawn to the soft feathery looking foliage to feel it and see if it feels as fluffy as it looks.
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I don’t normally like Hibiscus but…Alyogyne huegelii
I don’t normally like hibiscus, native OR exotic BUT Alyogyne huegelii is an exception, plus probably some other hybrids of it…. Check out that colour, you don’t often see that shade of purple on a native plant. The other equally important factor that draws me to this plant is it is super hardy and drought tolerant and…
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Portfolio: Engadine Garden Design
I designed this garden in Sydney’s southern suburbs in the spring of 2010, it was built and planted shortly after and has flourished. Every time I visit I am amazed at how quickly the plants are becoming established. I love the garden, it is exactly what I wanted, I am so happy with it …
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Westringia spheres
This is a rather striking entrance garden planted in front of a picket fence, right next to the footpath. There is a row of Westringia spheres followed by the contrasting soft weeping habit of Leptospermum ‘Pink Cascade’, it works so well. It give the more private garden behind the fence a sense of intrigue and…
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Groundcover grass: Themeda ‘Mingo’
I am slowly discovering all the different forms of Kangaroo grass, trust me there are more than you think! This is a blue form which is so weeping it is basically like a ground cover. Native ornamental grasses can fulfil so many rolls in the garden, they can be borders, edging, provide habitat, food for…
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Green Bottlebrush: Callistemon pinifolius
I know many people don’t like bottlebrush and consider them totally out of fashion and scraggly, but for me they are so useful within a garden design. This is Callistemon pinifolius, and it is a special in my eyes for the amazing flower colour, which is a subtle lime green (most of the time, sometimes…
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The double flowers of the Swamp Banksia: Banksia robur
Whenever there is decent rain Banksia robur puts on a wonderful show of growing new leaves that emerge like the buds of red flowers, deep and furry.
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Low growing shrub: Correa ‘Dusky Bells’
There are not too many low growing shrubs that look lush and green, yet grow in dry shade and flower their heads off regardless the weather, these are the reasons for loving Correas especially this one Correa ‘Dusky Bells’.
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Tree on fire: Stenocarpus sinuatus
The Firewheel trees are flowering their heads off this year, I’m not sure what it is, maybe the searing heat? maybe the deluge of rains, whatever, my tree has never had so many flowers on it and its not the only one.
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Indigenous Eclectic Garden
This is a very, very special garden that I visited last year, from the moment I walked in, the space spoke to me. It is private and secluded and quite small, but jam packed with Illawarra indigenous species.
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Dwarf Dwarf Dwarf Banksia: Banksia ‘Coastal Cushions’
Dwarf, low growing, ground cover, shrub or little Banksias are showing up everywhere, and there isn’t a plant I’m more happy to see coming into ‘fashion’.
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Grass tree spheres
Xanthorrhoea species or Grass Trees are a pretty standard ‘feature plant’ in a native garden, with their showy black trunk and perfect grass head on top they are almost a signature plant for a lot of Australian gardens.
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Acacia cardiophylla
I am always on the look out for small “feature trees”, something that can be planted in front of a hedge and still be walked under. Or to be placed in a garden bed and have enough space to have some underplanting beneath the canopy.
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Native ginger: Alpinia caerulea ‘Red Back’
This is native ginger, Alpinia caerulea ‘Red Back’, planted in an internal courtyard, doesn’t it look beautiful? It had been recently cleaned out and cut back as it was a bit too happy. It has naturally arching canes that form a vase like habit and can get a little burnt and ratty if left unaltered.
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Banksia as small trees: Banksia marginata
Every Australian Native garden should have at least one Banksia, even if it is a ground cover or low spreading shrub, they are a signature plant. Banksia marginata grows to be a beautiful small tree with a thick canopy and often very low lying branches, therefore they can make an excellent large screening plant. The…
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Themeda grasses
Themeda australis or triandra or any of the Themeda species have highly decorative seed heads and a soft weeping habit.
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Spear Lily: Doryanthes palmeri
This is Doryanthes palmeri or the Spear Lily, a striking feature plant similar to the Gymea Lily except that it has a flower spike that leans over and isn’t spherical and the foliage is less clumping and more linear.
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Over Planting
I love the combination of native plants in this tiny front garden and if my front garden was tiny i too would probably try to cram as many of my favourite plants in as possible. However this garden is over-planted, there is a WA grafted flowering gum, a tall Leptospermum scoparium, Westringia fruticosa, Melaleuca ‘Revolution Gold’…
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Grafted Eucalyptus ficifolia
This is Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’ one of the best grafted Eucalyptus ficifolia, it has the largest leaf which is long and falcate to lanceolate shaped looking like a very traditional Eucalypt shape, but is also lush looking.
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Super hardy Grevillea ‘Winpara Gem’
Grevillea ‘Winpara Gem’ is one of my favourite Grevilleas, I love the colour grey green leaves that are deeply deivided which look soft and feathery from a distance.
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A Persoonia…
Persoonia pinifolia naturally grows in areas of sandstone, in sheltered positions with part sun.
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Unusual foliage
Of course this Grevillea intricata is from WA! these amazing needle like leaves form a dense tangle with the stems remaining a deep red, it is beautiful even when not in flower.
Category: Bird attracting