Bush tucker – Mallee Design

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… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Hedge, Illawarra natives, Natives for containers, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree, Tropical garden

bee attracting, bird-attracting, Bush Foods, clay soils, dense habit, edible fruit, Edible native plant, Illawarra natives, large leaves, moist shade, natives for pots, Scented, understory planting, white flower, wollongong local species

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… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Butterfly attracting, Hedge, Illawarra natives, Medium Tree, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree, Tropical garden

bird-attracting, dense habit, heavy shade, moist shade, rainforest species, Reddish foliage, shade tolerant, subtropical species, Trochocarpa laurina, understory planting, weeping habit

The purple punch of Prostanthera ovalifolia

There is something about this particular shade of purple that is both eye catching and calming at the same time, it’s a lovely vibrant lilac which covers the entire shrub and lights up a shady corner. This native Mint Bush… Read more ›

09/10/2022 3 Comments

Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Hedge, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

bee attracting, fragrant, fragrant flowers, medium shrub, part shade, prolific flowers, purple flowers, Scented, spring flowering, understory planting, well drained soil

A tough and useful Bushfood: Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia, or Common Mat Rush, is abundant along the NSW coast growing and in SA, Victoria and Tasmania in a range of environments from coastal dunes to dry Sclerophyll forest. It can also be seen growing in median strips and… Read more ›

29/09/2022 2 Comments

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Illawarra natives, Ornamental grass

Bushfood, clay soils, Common Mat Rush, Edible native plant, first nations knowledge, front line coastal, Indigenous to the Illawarra, Lomandra longifolia, sandy soil, small bird attracting, spring flowering, understory planting, weaving fibre, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Bold Blue Tongue: Melastoma affine

The colour of this flower is contentious, is it purple or deep pink? it also looks different in the flesh as opposed to on screen and it comes in a white form. This is Melastoma affine, a medium shrub found… Read more ›

Bush tucker, Shade tolerant, Small garden

bee attracting, Bush Foods, clay soils, edible fruit, large flower, moist shade, moist soil, purple flower, spring flowering, subtropical species, tropical species, understory planting, well drained soil

Finger Limes loving the shade – Citrus australasica

My friend has the magic touch when it comes to growing all things edible and so of course her fingers limes are abundant in the Autumn ?. She has two varieties one is Citrus australasica ‘Rainforest Pearl’, a grafted form.… Read more ›

Bush tucker, Hedge, Natives for containers, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree

bee attracting, Bush Foods, Citrus australasica, Citrus australasica 'Rainforest Pearl', dense habit, edible fruit, fence screening, moist shade, part shade, shade tolerant, white flower

Small Scented Shade Tree: Leptospermum petersonii

I finally found a mature Lemon Scented Tea Tree to photograph which shows off its stunning weeping habit and shapely trunk and branches. Leptospermum petersonii really does make a wonderful small feature shade tree in the garden, the strong thick… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Small garden, Small tree

bee attracting, bird-attracting, Bush Foods, fast growing, fragrant, Leptospermum petersonii, privacy screen, Quick growing, shade tree, spring flowering, summer flowering, weeping habit, white flower, wind tolerant

As delicate as a rose: Archirhodomyrtus beckleri

This small feature tree really would fit in nicely in a garden full of roses, lavender and other English cottage style plants. The tiny flowers remind me of the blooms on climbing rose bushes and this pretty rainforest tree has… Read more ›

09/11/2020 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Butterfly attracting, Screening plants

Archirhodomyrtus beckleri, bee attracting, Bush Foods, feature tree, fence screening, fragrant, perfume, privacy screen, rainforest species, Rose myrtle, shade tolerant, small garden, understory planting

Trialling Online Native Nurseries

Well, we are in an extended lockdown again and it of course has resulted in more online shopping than I would normally do? For me this also includes buying plants online again so I have an extra online nursery to… Read more ›

19/10/2020 1 Comment

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Natives for containers

native plants, online e nurseries, online plants, tubestock

A Favourite Coastal Heathland Plant: Leucopogon parviflorus

This is a tough medium sized shrub which grows all along the NSW coastline and interstate to Victoria and South Australia. I love this plant for its dense habit, tasty fruit and grey green leaves. I occasionally use it in… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Hedge, Shade tolerant

Bush Foods, Crested Bellbird, dense habit, drought tolerant, edible fruit, fragrant, front line coastal, grey green leaves, Leucopogon parviflorus, native currant, Prickly, Rosella, sandy soil, Scrubwren, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Superb Fairy-wren, understory planting, white flower

Silver in the Shade: Plectranthus argentatus

If you are looking for a native understory plant to grow where no plant has succeeded before give Plectranthus argentatus a try. It will grow in the dry soil under large trees and ramble about filling in bare patches and… Read more ›

Bush tucker, Drought hardy, Groundcover, Naturalistic garden, Shade tolerant

Bush Foods, Dianella caerulea, dry shade, foliage contrast, large leaves, Plectranthus argentatus, rainforest species, silver foliage, understory planting, well drained soil

The Greatest Geebung: Persoonia pinifolia

Geebungs are a wonderful Genus of native plant, they below in the Proteaceae family like Banksias and possess a variety of flowers, leaves and habits. In fact I have already written about Persoonia pinifolia a couple of years ago, see here. … Read more ›

08/12/2019 10 Comments

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

bird-attracting, Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, fast growing, frost tolerant, Honeyeater, large flower, Persoonia pinifolia, small bird attracting, summer flowering, weeping habit, well drained soil, wildlife habitat, yellow flowers

Expert Grass Tree advice!

My favourite supplier for Grass Trees is located on the Northern NSW coast they are called Bruinsma Grass Trees and stock lovely healthy specimens, however that is not all they do… They also follow up and offer excellent advice through… Read more ›

01/03/2019 52 Comments

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Natives for containers, Ornamental grass

bee attracting, Bruinsma Grass Trees, large flower, Modern Australian Native Garden, street address, understory planting, well drained soil, Xanthorrhoea, Xanthorrhoea johnsonii

Another Callistmon for the resurgence: Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’

I have written before about my love of bottlebrush and how I wish for a resurgence in their use in garden design and the general landscape. There are many new interesting forms and cultivars that are a far shot from… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Butterfly attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Small garden

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’, clay soils, fast growing, large flower, Red flowers, spring flowering, understory planting, weeping habit, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant

Autumn Bush Foods

This is a little collection of bush foods collected in late May this year, isn’t it an amazing haul? oh how we did feast! My children and I seem to have a high tolerance for the sour and bitter flavours that… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Butterfly attracting, Shade tolerant

Australian Blood Lime, Bush Foods, Citrus australasica var. sanguinea, Davidsonia pruiens, edible fruit, Eustrephus latifolius, Glycosmis trifoliata, Macadamia integrifolia, Pink fruited lime berry

Native Cherry Tree : Exocarpos cupressiformis

I am spending sometime in Tasmania this month and trying to get out in the bush as much as possible and there are a local few plants that keep popping up wherever I go. The native cherry is one of… Read more ›

20/01/2017 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree

bird-attracting, butcherbird, Cuckooshrike, Exocarpos cupressiformis, Honeyeater, Mistletoe Bird, Satin Bowerbird, Silvereye, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Enjoying Pig Face: Carpobrotus glaucescens

Carpobrotus or ‘Pig Face’ is one of my favourite bush foods to eat, it tastes like an over-ripe Kiwi fruit with a salty edge, delicious! This morning as we were rambling through our local sand dune and beach my son… Read more ›

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Groundcover, Illawarra natives, Kids gardens

Bush Foods, Carpobrotus glaucescens, front line coastal, pink flowers, sandy soil, well drained soil

My favourite geebung: Persoonia pinifolia

The geebungs are a wonderful family, have you met them yet? it is hard to pick one to be my favourite, Persoonia levis comes in at a close second for its amazing peeling bark with bright red layers, but pinifolia… Read more ›

15/03/2016 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Shade tolerant

bird-attracting, Persoonia pinifolia, summer flowering, understory planting, weeping habit, well drained soil, yellow flowers

Wombat Berry: Pretty Bush Food

This is one of those wonderful plants where the fruits are more decorative and showy than the flower, Eustrephus latifolius produces deep golden berries that are edible but not particularly palatable, perhaps the fleshy roots are more tasty, but I haven’t tried… Read more ›

10/03/2016 3 Comments

Bush tucker, Drought hardy, Naturalistic garden, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

climber, Eustrephus latifolius, Indoor plant, twining plant, understory planting

Acid Drops: Leptomeria acida

This was a new discovery for me on a recent bush walk on the northern Illawarra escarpment, and even just looking at the images again now makes my mouth water…..yum sour berries, not everyones cup of tea but at the… Read more ›

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Illawarra natives, Shade tolerant

Bush Foods, edible fruit, Leptomeria acida, sandy soil, sour currant bush, Sydney Sandstone, understory planting, weeping habit

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… Read more ›

16/08/2015 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Kids gardens, Naturalistic garden, Shade tolerant, Tropical garden

understory planting

Portfolio: Leichhardt Garden Design

This garden was finished yesterday (Hoooray!) except for three plants I am still waiting for to complete the front, then it will be something else front and back. This small terrace was renovated a year ago and after a much… Read more ›

25/01/2015 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Portfolio, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small garden

Acacia 'Fettuccini', Alpinia arundelliana, Austromyrtus dulcis, Banksia 'Coastal Cushions', Citrus australasica 'Rainforest Pearl', Dianella 'Little Jess', Modern Australian Native Garden, rainforest species, Syzygium 'Resilience', understory planting

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… Read more ›

16/11/2014 6 Comments

Bush tucker, Shade tolerant, Small garden, Tropical garden

Ceratopetalum 'Johannas Xmas', clay soils, Indigofera australis, large flower, Melastoma affine, purple flower, understory planting

Bush Food Spheres: Citriobatus pauciflorus

I was quite taken when I saw these well clipped Orange Thorn a few weeks back in the edible section at Mount Anan Botanic Gardens, this section of the garden is kept quite manicured, bringing out the ornamental potential of… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Butterfly attracting, Formal gardens, Illawarra natives, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

Bush Foods, Citriobatus multiflorus, Citriobatus pauciflorus, edible fruit, Orange Thorn, Pittosporum multiflorum, Prickly, pruning, small bird attracting, understory planting, wildlife habitat