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Bee Friendly Grevillea: Grevillea sericea
This is a local spider flower Grevillea which has huge ornamental potential and is a master at attracting native pollinator and honey bees to your garden. It is quite a common species on the east coast of NSW and can be found growing naturally from Toronto in the north to Heathcote in the South of…
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Tough as nails: Actinotus helianthi
I’ve learnt my lesson, plant them and leave them alone! I planted 5 potted Actinotus helianthi last year in my garden, 1 remains, the others were over loved and over watered I think, or there may have been some trampling going on courtesy of kids playing on the swing. Actinotus helianthi are wildflowers, it can…
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Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Lime’the underdog
In the next couple of months Kangaroo Paws all over Australia will be stretching their stems for the sun, flaunting their flower ladened spikes for the birds and the bees. But not just for the wildlife, Anigozanthos are undoubtedly one of our nations most iconic genus and with recent breeding in the taller range, they…
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The constantly evolving beauty of Ozothamnus diosmifolius
This small to medium native shrub is a hard one to capture both in an image and in words, I have been documenting these three specimens in my garden since they were planted a couple of years ago. It never seemed the right time to photograph them as the flowers are always changing colour and…
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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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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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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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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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A spikey, perfumed tangle of Grevillea flexuosa
This is a wonderfully messy Grevillea that likes to sprawl all over the place. Its stems literally get tangled in themselves and the leaves are stiff and spikey so they can almost grab onto other plants to hoist themselves towards the sunlight and as its name implies it is so very flexible 😉 Grevillea flexuosa…
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Winter brightener: Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’
I have already written about this striking low growing Hakea here however I think this is one of the many very special native plants that deserves a second (and possibly third) plug 😉 This is Hakea myrtoides-x-petiolaris ‘Burrendong Beauty’ a wonderful hybrid low spreading shrub that loves to tangle itself up and create a dense prickly mess…
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The exploding Leptospermum ‘Starry Night’
I have been monitoring these Leptospermum obovatum ‘Starry Night’ shrubs (that I planted in a neighbours garden) closely, waiting, waiting for them to flower and BOOM! last week they exploded! I love reddish or burgundy foliage and there are several species of Leptospermum with a red tinge to the leaf however ‘Starry Night’ is…
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Go Drumsticks! Go! Isopogon anemonifolius ‘Little Drumsticks’
Look at this shrub, can it fit anymore flowers on its tightly bunched stems? I think not… it is totally jam packed with intricate lemon yellow Drumstick flowers that last for a couple of months. This is a compact selected form of Isopogon anemonifolius, a dwarf shrub that will only reach half a metre tall and…
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The silver cascading Banksia ‘Roller Coaster’
This is one of the most useful native plants around, a prostrate form of the coast Banksia, Banksia integrifolia. I like to use it for covering embankments like the one in these images at the Bulli Grevillea Park. It also layers upon itself giving it some height and density and therefore creating a useful mounding shape.…
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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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Brilliant Banksia ‘Orange Glow’
I have written a lot about the dwarf varieties of Banksia spinulosa but virtually nothing about the dwarf forms of Banksia ericifolia, I must rectify this! They are also prolific flowerers and have a wonderful dense habit and are equally bird attracting. There are several varieties, however the one in these images is Banksia ericifolia ‘Orange…
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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 😉 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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Woolly Pomaderris should be seen more often: Pomaderris lanigera
This is a plant that whenever I see it in the bush or in a garden situation I wonder why I don’t use it more often, I love the soft fury leaves and large structured panicle heads that hold hundreds of tiny nectar rich flowers. The stems and new leaves are a deep bronze and…
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My Favourite Paper Daisy: Bracteantha ‘Diamond Head’
Bracteantha ‘Diamond Head’ is a hardy ground cover paper daisy, it is a natural form of Bracteantha bracteata which was found at Diamond Head on the NSW coast just south of Port Macquarie. I love it for its compact mounding habit, it doesn’t get sparse and leggy like some of the taller Bracteatas and it flowers profusely…
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The happiest Daisy: Pycnosorus globosus
Billy Buttons is a native daisy with an immense power to make anyone smile, there is something about its large bright yellow ball flowers standing to attention in a showy clump that is irresistable. To top it off it has lovely furry silver grass like leaves and flowers from early spring into late Summer. Billy…
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Purple Shades: Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Violet’
The subtle purple shades in Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Violet’ are quite striking when on mass, the flowers on purple stems open to reveal bright orange and yellows on the inside adding even more contrast. Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Violet’ is part of Angus Stewart’s tall and tough series of Kangaroo paws, he has bred up some great colours in…
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The Native Red Poker: Hakea bucculenta
OK, so its not really red, its hot pink but it is poker like…and very showy, this is Hakea bucculenta another wonderful WA species that has been successfully grafted to grow over here in the Eastern States. If you provide it with lots of sun, a well drained soil and not too much wind it will…
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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, 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…
Tag: cut flowers