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Portfolio: Garden Design Bulli
Yesterday I spent a sunny winter morning pruning and shaping in this coastal garden in Bulli, I love returning to one of my designs to do a little maintenance and tweaking, and this is one of my favourites đ This garden is roughly 4 years old you can see how it has filled out by…
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Another furry leaved beauty: Lasiopetalum baueri
This is commonly known as Slender Velvet Bush, which is a most apt description of this interesting under-storey shrub. Lasiopetalum baueri has rusty coloured , furry new growth and pretty delicate pink flowers in Winter. The dried flowers are long-lasting and have potential as a cut flower and the attractive foliage lasts for ages in…
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The distinctive Pin Cushion Flower of Hakea laurina
This must be one of the most recognisable Australian native flowers, its incredible two toned spherical flower pops out at you from quite a distance. I love Hakea laurina it is such an obvious Australian bloom, it lasts well cut in a vase and looks fascinating even in bud. These images are taken of a couple…
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Hot Tea-trees: Leptospermum ‘Pageant’ and ‘Outrageous’
I love tea trees but don’t often think of them as particularly showy when in flower, except for ‘Cardwell’ of course which almost flowers until on the verge of collapse đ Leptospermums for me are a super useful and beautiful screening plant, often with scented foliage and pretty bark. They can have leaves in colours…
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The resurgence of the Bottlebrush: Callistemon pachyphyllus Green
I feel like there needs to be a a resurgence in the planting of Callistemon species in home gardens, they have been given a bad name through thoughtless street planting and gardeners overlooking their pruning needs. There are a handful of Callistemons that I think are worthy of pride of place in a native garden,…
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My obsession with Breynia ‘Ironstone’
Technically this is Breynia cernua âIronstone Rangeâ and I absolutely adore it, these images are taken in a friends garden, he is a very talented “master” gardener and treats his Breynia ‘Ironstone’ mean….and it loves him for it đ I have written about Breynia ‘Ironstone’ before and have been patiently waiting to photograph a fine specimen like…
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Sweet: Grevillea ‘Blood Orange’
I am generally not a massive fan of the large flowering Grevilleas, mainly because they encourage the wrong birds, well not the wrong birds but birds who already have a plentiful source of food. However when someone asks for a native plant that flowers year round, they are generally the first thing that springs to…
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Portfolio: Garden Design West Wollongong
This front garden in West Wollongong was created to function as a place for peaceful relaxation and observation, it also needed to have careful consideration in regards to levels and access to the front gate and letterbox. Originally the front garden was an awkward, uninteresting space filled with easy to grow green plants, that was…
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Portfolio: Bundeena Garden Design Revisit
I visited one of my favourite gardens today and it did not disappoint, I haven’t seen this coastal Bundeena garden for 18 months and many of the trees and shrubs have really filled out in that time. I feel so lucky to be able to keep track of this gardens progress and check in when…
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Portfolio: Kogarah Garden Design
This garden was planted just over 12 months ago and has thrived in a very tough dry year, establishing quickly under harsh conditions. The soil in Kogarah is sand, dry and depleted, two metres under the sand is the saline water table, challenging to say the least. Add to the mix coastal winds and loads…
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The aptly named Grey Honey Myrtle: Melaleuca incana
I took so many photos of this Melaleuca incana in full bloom a few weeks ago but I didn’t manage to capture the multitude of bees feasting on its nectar đ The whole shrub was buzzing as they collected the nectar for their hives, I’m pretty sure it was going towards making some delicious honey myrtle…
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Quick Screen & Habitat: Hakea salicifolia
This is the Willow Leafed Hakea or Hakea salicifolia, friend to Hakea sericea, the reason I think they are friends is that they have a lot in common, plus they were growing so happily together when I took these photos đ as you can see in the image below. Hakea salicifolia is a fast growing…
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Hakea sericea: Pink or White?
Whenever I am asked what is a great small bird attracting shrub for native gardens Hakea sericea is often on the top of my recommended list. It is a medium to large shrub with a dense habit and sharp needle like leaves for the small birds to seek refuge in. Thornbills, finches and honeyeaters will…
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Tugarah Gunya’marri: Cold and Windy
During the Tugarah Gunya’marri the days are getting noticeably longer, but the weather is still cold. Then with the blooming of the Marrai’uo (Acacia floribunda) comes the cold, southwesterly winds; the children become cranky and the adults become bad-tempered. It is not a good time of year for anyone. Frances Bodkin ‘D’harawal: Climate and Natural…
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Happy Wattle Day! Acacia fimbriata Dwarf ‘Crimson Blush’
Yes! its the 1st of September again and the Acacias are out welcoming in Spring, a time of wonderful scents and happy yellows! In the image above you can see the soft yellow flowers and bright red new growth of Acacia fimbriata Dwarf ‘Crimson Blush’, its easy to see how it got its name. This…
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Outstanding: Grevillea arenaria
This is an outstanding plant for attracting birds, providing nesting habitat, shelter and nectar for honeyeaters and insectivorous birds. George Adams ‘Birdscaping Australian Gardens’ Thanks George I couldn’t have said it any better! I love my copy of the above book and use it all the time, I also love Grevillea arenaria or the Nepaean…
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Shade loving Leionema ‘Green Screen’
This is still one of my favourite native shrubs for growing in dry shade or part sun, Â Leionema ‘Green Screen’ is a hybrid of L. elatius and L. lamprophyllum, and is an extremely useful plant! In the image above you can see its mature habit, thick and bushy and dense with flowers in mid to…
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The Brightest of the Acacias? Acacia podalyriifolia
It has always seemed to me that Acacia podalyriifolia is one of the first wattles to flower every winter, and so profusely! or at least it is one of the most immediately noticeable đ The native bees think so too as you can see in the photo above. The combination of the silver foliage with…
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Grevillea ‘Billy Bonkers’ and his Big Sister
I used to  have a very small appreciation for Grevilleas, especially the larger flowering species but I have mellowed and now am finding more and more of them appealing. I tend to go for the rarer flower shapes  often  from WA or South Australia but  often now I am drawn towards a Grevillea with a…
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It’s a great Summer for the Grafted Eucalyptus!
The Western Australian Eucalytpus ficifolia have been wonderful this summer, actually they started off dramatically in Spring and are still going strong despite the hot, hot, hot weather. This blog post features two of the grafted species in an attempt to capture their vibrant contrasting colours. The bright red is the flowers from Eucalyptus ‘Dwarf…
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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 them, I have never tasted the fruit of Exocarpos cupressiformis before this week and it has…
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Portfolio: Bondi Consult
This garden was a simple consult and then a couple of weekends of intensive clearing out by the client, then I came in for the fun part đ Two large Frangipani trees shade the west facing front garden in Summer but let the well needed sun through in winter, it is practically illegal to remove…
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Year round flowering: Grevillea ‘Elegance’
This is Grevillea longistyla x johnsonii or better known as Grevillea ‘Elegance’, it is a star performer when it comes to speed of growth, constant flowers and attractive fine leaved foliage, plus the birds adore it! Grevillea ‘Elegance’ gets BIG that is my only warning, if the label says it grows to 2 metres it is…
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‘Red Iron Bark’ – Eucalyptus sideroxylon Rosea
I live in Iron Bark territory, on a clay soil, near the coast, the local Iron Barks stand up to the strong coastal winds and often boggy soil. One introduced Iron bark that does very well in my area is Eucalyptus sideroxylon Rosea, this is a stunning medium sized tree, that I giggly recommend for…
Category: Screening plants