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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.
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Street address
This a grafted Grevillea and is planted on the lower side of a sandstone wall next to a Doryanthes excelsa and has been encouraged to spill over onto the street side.
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Lambertia formosa
I am constantly asked for plants that are bird attracting, which then leads to the question of what type of birds are you trying to attract?
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Favourite grass
Ficinia nodosa or as previously known Isolepsis is one of my favourite grasses, it grows anywhere from sand dunes to swamps.
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Banksia ground cover
This is Banksia blechnifolia, possibly one of the easiest WA banksia ground covers to grow on the east coast.
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Drum sticks
Isopogon anemonifolius is a local shrub that is found in many bushland areas around Sydney and also on top of Illawarra Escarpment.
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Pink Banksia
This is a beautiful specimen of Banksia occidentalis, that I saw growing in a private garden in south west Sydney.
Category: Bird attracting