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Native plants in the Melbourne City Streetscape
This post is all about praising the plant selection used in the ‘Grey to Green’ project in the City of Melbourne. Much of the plant palate features native species, and on a recent tour I was so impressed with the combinations and utilisation of these species that I felt the need to share some photos…
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Emu Bush Challenge No. 10: Eremophila ‘Meringur Crimson’
And so it continues … documenting my Eremophila discoveries, I will get to 12 one day! As we approach the end of another La Niña Summer, where heavy downpours are common and the humidity is high, it is a great chance to reflect on hardy, flexible native plants. Amongst the surprises are many species of Eremophilas…
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A true carpeting ground cover: Pratia pedunculata
This is a native ground cover which sometimes gets classed as a steppable (not a real word ;)), meaning it works well between steppers and pavers and can be walked on occasionally without too much fuss. I like to use it mixed with other low growing ground covers like Dichondra and native violet to get…
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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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Bird Nerd-ing in a Mallee Birdbath
Our friend Angus Stewart in Tasmania (from Gardening with Angus) recently captured all these wonderful birds making use of his Mallee Dish – including a few that we’ve never seen before since they only occur in Tasmania. In this video you will see: Yellow-throated Honeyeaters (endemic to Tasmania) Eastern Spinebills New Holland Honeyeaters A Black…
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Gardening for Wellbeing
Stress Relief, Connection to Nature, Community involvement, Mood lifting, Physical Health, Personal Growth ….just to name a few! Words by Kath Gadd and Hannah Preston at Mallee Design In times of great social and economic upheaval gardening can offer multiple benefits. As we are living through one of those times right now, where many of…
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The Tallest Flowering Trees: Eucalyptus regnans
Whilst much of the east coast of Australia is assulted by incessant rain, floods and storms and the West Coast has received some of their highest Summer temperatures on record and are now battling bushfires, I am reminiscing about mild Tasmanian Summers….. I spent one mild Summer morning wandering through Mt Field National Park home…
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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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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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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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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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The very versatile Lomatia myricoides
I have been wanting to tell you all about the River Lomatia for some time but have been waiting to find some fully grown shrubs to photograph and I finally found them on my recent Summer trip to Mount Kosciuszko. And here it is! Lomatia myricoides is a large shrub which grows naturally on a…
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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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The pretty prickly Grevillea acanthifolia
There aren’t really enough spikey Grevilleas in my opinion, when it comes to planting for birds and to create habitat especially for small birds Grevilleas are a wonderful lure, if they are spikey they can also provide shelter as well as food. This is Grevillea acanthifolia a large shrub reaching upto to 3 metres high…
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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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Dainty and Delightful Fringe Myrtle: Micromyrtus ciliata
This sweet little native shrub is in full bloom at the moment, it started in late Winter and can continue until Summer in some cases. Micromyrtus ciliata is one of those species which gets so covered in flowers that you can barely see the leaves! The shrub only reaches half a metre high by upto…
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An oldie but a goodie: Thryptomene saxicola ‘FC Payne’
This is a classic 70’s native garden plant, a WA species which doesn’t need to be grafted to grow elsewhere in Australia and for good reason it has stood the test of time. Thryptomene saxicola ‘FC Payne’ is hardy and tough, growing and flowering through shade, frost, drought and a harsh prune. It enjoys a…
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Landscaping with Dwarf Kangaroo Paws: Anigozanthos ‘Bush Pearl’
I couldn’t help myself when I was in Canberra last month at the Botanic Gardens, before I even considered what I was doing I was snapping away at these Anigozanthos ‘Bush Pearl’. They just looked so stunning in the foggy morning light, dry out from the Winter frost but punchy as ever. Generally I am…
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Emu Bush No. 9: Eremophila bignoniiflora x polyclada
Three years ago I set myself a challenge to learn 12 Eremophila species in 12 months, it hasn’t been going very well …..yet again I have failed to meet my own deadline 🤣 However, my desire to learn more about the wonderful Eremophila genus has not diminished and I am slowly plodding along. You can…
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Trialling Banksia ‘Sentinel’
This is a favourite coastal hedging plant of mine which I have been including in my planting designs for the past 7 years or so….sorry, I’m finding it difficult to keep track of time 😉 I say it is on trial or has been on trial for a while as it does have a couple…
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The Grevillea that ticks all the boxes: Grevillea ‘Winter Delight’
This low growing shrub is one of my favourite Grevilleas, it covers itself in pinky red flowers all through winter to attract the birds and the bees. It has a naturally dense habit which can only be improved with a little tip pruning now and again and yes, it has grey leaves, my favourite! Grevillea…
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The small tree Emu Bush: Eremophila longifolia
This is another Emu Bush to add to my database, Eremophila longifolia is classically not so bushy in habit but more upright and weeping. I think it makes a lovely small feature tree with its long, droopy leaves and clusters of pink bell flowers. It can be pruned into other shapes if needed but the…
Category: Frost tolerant