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Eye catching Kennedia nigricans
This is am unusual climber which tends to draw in everyones attention. I use this Western Australian species whenever I need a quick growing cover to screen, suppress weeds or create shade. The large bright green leaves are broad for a Kennedia and the pea flowers hide a little amongst the foliage, but once those…
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Spillover for the pollinators: Leptospermum ‘vertical drop’
Most of us know how wonderful Tea trees are for our pollinators and honey bees, and Leptospermum polygalifolium is up there with some of the most floriferous. This gorgeous low growing and cascading form is Leptospermum polygalifolium ssp. cismontanum ‘Vertical Drop’. This sub species naturally grows on the east coast of Australia in sandy and…
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for lovers of purple:Melaleuca nesophila
I must admit purple is not one of my favourite colours and when clients specify purple flowers I often come up a blank and can only think of Hardenbergia, which is completely ridiculous as there are Brachyscome, Scaevola, Patersonia and soooo many Melaleucas have purple flowers, silly me. This one is one of my favourites…
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Another striking Australian Ornamental Grass: Austrostipa verticillata
I saw this species of Austrostipa growing in Canberra a few weeks back, and photographed it thinking it was Austrostipa ramosissima. However, on closer inspection I realised it was a native grass which I hadn’t come across before, how exciting! a newbie to add to my native ornamental grass planting palette. After much research I…
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What a Summer for Corymbia ficifolia!
This Summer of 2023 – 2024 has been extremely kind to out flowering gums, enabling them to put on a prolific show Australia wide. I’m not sure what has made them so happy, it could be adequate moisture whilst they are budding up or enough heat in the sun to make the blooms pop, whatever…
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Hide it with Hibbertia scandens
Hibbertia scandens or Guinea Flower is one of the most hardy and useful native plants I know of. It can be used as a ground cover, a low shrub, climber or it can even be pruned and shaped into lovely topiary shapes. In the images of this post I used it as a screening species…