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Garden Design: Leichhardt Front Garden
I happened to be in the inner west this afternoon and was very nearby one of my gardens, I thought I would do a drive by and see how a Eucalyptus caesia was going after I re-staked and pruned it 12 months ago. This is what I saw, a very happy Eucalyptus Silver Princess with…
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Good Old Native Daisy: Brachyscome multifida
Brachyscomes are one of those native plants that have multiple uses in a garden, they brighten up a dull corner, keep weeds at bay with their dense mounding habit and add interest and contrast to a layered mixed planting. They are easy to care for and will perform under many different conditions. They are…
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Bright climber or scrambler for dry shade: Hibbertia dentata
Hibbertia dentata is one of my favourite climbers or low growing scramblers to use in shady spots, unfortunately I find it quite difficult to source but it is definitely with using if you can get hold of it. One of the reasons I love this plant is the reddish new growth of the tendrils and…
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Sun loving Moss? Scleranthus biflorus
The common name for this species is ‘Canberra Grass’ even though it has a very un-grass-like appearance, it is commonly mistaken for a moss and makes a wonderful moss substitute in Japanese style gardens. It is happiest in a sunny position and contrasts well with broad-leaved plants. Scleranthus biflorus likes growing in areas with low humidity, it can…
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Portfolio: Bulli Garden Design
This garden is located in the costal northern Wollongong suburb of Wollongong, on a low ridge and midway down a slope. When I saw the garden for the first time it was directly after the new house had been built, lawn, new soil and mulch had been installed already. The garden was planted out on…
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The Mini Dish
Please welcome “The Mini” dish to my bird bath family, yes, they have been breeding and this is the result 😉 a small shallow bird bath that holds 2 litres of water and is 420mm wide x 25mm deep. In the image below you can see how they compare in size to the large dish.…
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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 then also though I’m told you can eat them. Eustrephus latifolius flowers in spring with…
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Bundeena Garden Design: Update
Last week I made a quick visit to one of my favourite gardens in Bundeena and snapped some photos before the sun went down. The first is of Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Lilac’. A few months ago I plant 12 each of Angus Stewarts new Kangaroo Paws ‘Landcape Lime’ and ‘Landscape Lilac’ in this garden and they…
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I went walking in the mountains…
I went walking in the mountains and what did I see?…..loads of amazing flowering natives hooray! I have been waiting for months for the summer so I could go to Mt Kosciuszko National Park and check out the wildflowers there. I have only been once before and it was for a very brief ski holiday.…
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Portfolio: Garden Design Ashfield
This garden was in the making for only a few days, the plants went in on a very hot day last week but overall it felt very streamlined and easy to build and I have surprised even myself with the transformation! In the image below you can see what it looked like in November… The…
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Why don’t Flame trees flower more often?
Brachychiton acerifolius is an amazing medium sized tree, when it flowers!!! Unfortunately I think I can safely put it in the same flowering category as Gymea Lilys, which is difficult… Doryanthes excelsa flowers on average after 7 years, Brachychiton acerifolius is often more like 8, thats a long time to wait for a tree to…
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Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve
Every spring the Sutherland Australian Plants Society Group hold a day of Spring walks in Sir Joseph Banks Native Gardens in Kareela. I have been meaning to visit this native garden for years t is fairly local to me and I had heard wonderful things about it. The gardens were started by Sutherland Shire…
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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 time after 5 hours of walking and with limited drinking water they were a very…
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My Favourite Frost Tolerant Grevillea: Grevillea victoriae
This winter has been a bit of a learning curve for me in the frost tolerant Grevillea department; for some reason I have been asked again and again which Grevilleas will withstand medium to heavy frosts. Many grevilleas with smaller needle like leaves such as Grevillea lanigera, alpina and rosmarinifolia are good at coping in heavy…
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Goodenia ovata and friends
This is one happy little scrambling native plant, with its sunny yellow flowers and buoyant bright green leaves it scrambles over anything in its path. Goodenia ovata is a low spreading shrub that grows as an under-storey plant in the bush around much of coastal Australia, it is tolerant of many different soil types and…
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Dodonaea Hedges
Dodonaea is a very useful shrub, it grows in heavy to dappled shade and also in full sun, it is a fast growing species that prunes and clips well and it is thick and therefore provides excellent privacy. Dodonaea viscosa purpurea is seen above with its striking red foliage, the leaves turn this colour when…
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Fast Growing, Weeping Screen: Acacia cognata ‘Burgundy Cascade’
It seems that there are endless forms of Acacia cognata all battling for attention, all beautiful with their soft weeping habit and mostly with a hardy nature. I personally will never tire of them and if the market continues to be flooded with choice I am quite happy. There are more than a dozen Acacia…
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My Favourite Banksia spinulosa Dwarfs
There are many dwarf forms of Banksia spinulosa, so many it can be quite confusing and seem a little ridiculous when it comes to choosing one. There are slight variances in the foliage, the flower colour, the flower size and in the size and shape of the shrub itself. For most people these difference would…
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Trialling Casuarina ‘Green Wave’
I love Casuarinas, all of them, from ground covers through to trees, their rusty red hue when they are in flower or lush green shaggy habit. They are tough, versatile and very varied in their shapes and forms. I discovered Casuarina glauca ‘Green Wave’ a couple of years ago, there wasn’t much information out about…
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Walcott Garden: Canberra
A few weeks back I was lucky enough to appeal to a very generous couple, Ros and Ben Walcott. I contacted them out of the blue and asked if I could visit their garden. We were travelling to Canberra to see an exhibition and I had just read an article about their garden in the…
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One for Brightening up Shady Hollows: Correa pulchella ‘Orange Glow’
I was at an open garden today and the Grevilleas were in full bloom everywhere you looked, along with many of the Banksias and even some of the Wattles, however my eye was drawn again and again to this plant. Correa pulchella ‘Orange Glow’ had been planted throughout the garden in hidden shady spots and…
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Bright, Thick and Floriferous: Banksia marginata ‘Bright’
Check out the flowers on this baby, it was absolutely covered, I have never seen anything like it before and was suitably impressed. This is Banksia marginata ‘Bright’. A compact of the Silver Banksia, it grows as a dense shrub to 2 metres high and 2 metres wide – this one looks like it has…
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Portfolio: Centennial Park Garden Design
Thankyou so much for my garden, I really enjoy pottering around everyday and watching things slowly change, there is always something happening! This is a garden that has been totally transformed in the space of 12 months, the owner wanted a formal native garden in keeping with her home and the suburb where she…
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One of the Best Street Trees: Buckinghamia celsissima
This is Buckinghamia celsissima or the Ivory Curl tree, it is another small to medium tree that is in flower over the summer months, chances are you have seen it around, it is VERY hard to miss. I saw this one on a street in Mosman, I think it was planted by a resident as there…
Category: Drought hardy