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Chorilaena quercifolia: Another WA toughie
I can’t help myself, I seem always to be drawn to the unique foliage and flowers of the native plants which grow naturally in Western Australia. Which then leads me to buy many grafted native plants or grow them in pots or try the ‘see how she goes’ test in my garden. This is Chorilaena…
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Try not to dismiss Callistemon ‘White Anzac’
I have often included this hardy little shrub as one of my least favourite native plants, it can be spotted unkempt in the gardens of petrol stations or nature strips, languishing leggy and forgotten. But if given a little attention it can become a stunning floriferous show stopper! Callistemon ‘White Anzac’ is a low mounding…
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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 petrol station garden beds 😉 Little do most people know it is also a tasty…
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Most Memorable Planting Combinations at the National Arboretum
Every time I visit our nations lovely Capital I seem to find myself at the National Arboretum, by default I manage to eke out at least half an hour to check in on some of my favourite plantings. I have posted previously about two of these species but when I was looking over my photos…
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Happy Eucalyptus Day! Eucalyptus risdonii
This is a Eucalypt species very close to my heart, you can see it in my banner at the top of the website. Yes, I took photos of it almost 10 years ago and have recently revisited the vegetation community where it can be found. Eucalyptus risdonii grows only on the eastern shore of Hobart…
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Native Nurseries Across Australia
This is a collection of nurseries I’ve visited, bought from and love. I’ve written about some of my favourite Native Nurseries in blogposts before but it’s handy to have one reference list to come back to isn’t it?! It’s by no means exhaustive and I encourage you to get in touch with local growers when…
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Inala Conservation Reserve: Bruny Island
Forty Spotted Pardalote Image above by Alfred-Schulte The Inala Reserve on Bruny Island was the highlight of my recent trip to Tasmania, we spent two nights staying in the cabins inside the reserve bird watching and exploring this natural wonderland. I had wanted to go to Inala for years after finding out that is is…
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My Favourite Poa: Poa ‘Suggan Buggan’
Since discovering this super blue grey form of Poa labillardieri I have been throwing it around with gay abandon 😉 my love for native grasses and Poas in particular is something which is pretty obvious when you see some of my designs. They are soft and weeping, quick growing and hardy and make a wonderful…
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Powerful Pollinators: Leptospermums
We are mid the Australian Annual Pollinator Week and I have been admiring our our native tea trees all Spring so I thought I would bring them to your attention this week as they are wonderful plants to grow for our native pollinators. “Australian Pollinator Week acknowledges our important and unique insect pollinators during our…
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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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Happy National Wattle Day: Acacia binervia ‘Sterling Silver’
Spring! if ever there is a seasonal change to bring hope and excitement for the future surely Spring is it? I have been watching the Wattles all Winter long, they have been lovely this year and very appreciated during extended lockdown wanders. But now we have made it to Spring (Hooray) a time for growth…
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Portfolio: Gardening in Wind
This is my sisters garden on ‘Windy Hill’ as we like to call it, it gets so windy here the rubbish bins get blown down the street, gates are blown off their hinges and plants find it tough! Her front garden bears the brunt of the Westerlies and southerlies and used to be bare lawn…
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A Portrait of a Flower: Hakea francisiana
Look at this thing! is it not one of the most spectacular flowers you have ever seen? I have been impatiently waiting for this moment in my Hakea francisiana Grafted life cycle since I planted it 6 months ago. It began flowering a couple of weeks ago, just as we went into COVID lockdown again,…
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To clip or not to clip …
Sometimes I find native gardens lack a little….structure. Its lovely to have a bush style garden with lots of flowing foliage and a naturalistic feel, however I am a big fan of breaking that up with some stronger forms which can often brighten up the planting and give an extra eye catching edge. In the…
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World Bee Day: Plant Three for the Bees!
Today is World Bee Day and the slogan of ‘Plant Three for the Bees’ is like a call to action! Anyone with an outdoor space can plant three bee friendly plants, even if they are in pots or containers. Calling all gardeners, please think of our important pollinators when selecting plants for your outdoor space.…
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The little purple pea that could: Indigofera australis
This is a common medium sized shrub that really can do anything…..it can fill a dark boring corner, it can flower profusely, it can provide lots pf nectar rich flowers for bees and butterflies, it can grow extremely quickly and it can look amazing! Indigofera australis or Native Indigo is a common 2 metre shrub…
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But what’s the difference? Banksia spinulosa Dwarfs
There are so many different cultivars now of Banksia spinulosa that it is difficult to know which to choose… although they all look similar independently when you see them next to each other whilst they are flowering they really do have different attributes. First up is Banksia spinulosa ‘Coastal Cushions’ this produces shorter golden flowers…
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Happy Eucalypt Day! Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’
National Eucalypt Day is an initiative of Eucalypt Australia that aims to raise awareness of Eucalypts and celebrate the important place that they hold in the hearts and lives of Australians. I have taken some photos of one of my favourite Mallee Eucalypts, flowering in my garden for the first time this month, luckily coninciding…
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Portfolio: Woolooware Rejuvenation
This native garden in Woolooware has a new owner, someone who is keen to be the new caretaker of the space and is looking forward to maintaining the native plants and learning more about them along the way. Someone who also recognised it was in dire need of renewal to bring it back to its…
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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 branches spread the canopy wide making it an excellent climbing tree! The soft, pendulous branches…
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Something a little different: Stenanthemum scortechinii
This little low growing native shrub has many common names Cotton Bush, Snow Balls, Corroboree, salt and pepper to name a few …. it is also known as Stenanthemum scortechinii or Cryptandra scortechinii or even Spyridium whatever the name it is a native plant which has a lot to offer. Stenanthemum scortechinii covers itself in…
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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 tell you about and add to this blog post list. These beautiful Poa ‘Suggan Buggan’…
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The densely layered Leptospermum rotundifolium ‘Julie Ann’
It’s no secret that I love tea trees, I forgive them for their short flowering periods and sometimes sporadic and un reliable floral displays, and this particular Tea Tree has really tested my patience. This is Leptospermum rotundifolium ‘Julie Ann’ a low growing spreading shrub form of Leptospermum rotundifolium from Jervis Bay. It grows to a…
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After a Fire …
This week I made my first trip down the south coast since the devastating bushfires earlier this year. The amount of wildlife really lost is incomprehensible when zooming down the highway cocooned in a modern bubble of distraction. The landscape is eerie, even as the trees begin to sprout new growth the middle layer of…
Category: Drought hardy