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Privacy with punch: Leptospermum lanigerum ‘Seclusion’

Please meet Leptospermum ‘Seclusion’ which I am finding to be an outstanding native screening plant, originally I admit to buying it for its intriguing cultivar name ‘Seclusion’, who doesn’t want that in their garden right? It also has a classic Read more ›

The almost native pig face: xDisphyllum ‘Sunburn’

Meet a new addition to the Australian native succulent family, well maybe more a half sibling or cousin, as technically this lovely green pig face is half south African ? shock horror! However there are so few Australian succulents I Read more ›

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 Read more ›

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 Read more ›

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 Read more ›

An under-utilised native tree: Glochidion ferdinandi

This is the ever adaptable Cheese tree Glochidion ferdinandi, I would love to see these used more widely in our streetscape as street trees but also as shade trees in gardens or parks. They have the same glossy luscious look Read more ›

Drought Hardy Emu Bush

In this post I am adding to my Eremophila database and also trying to increase awareness of native plants which I believe have proven to be reasonably drought hardy. As a genus Eremophilas are very tough native shrubs, they will grow in Read more ›

Level 2 Water Restriction friendly plants: Calothamnus quadrifidus

Yesterday NSW moved into level 2 water restrictions, it has been a long time coming, with bushfires still burning up and down the east coast and dam levels at an all time low. The hardest hit are out west where Read more ›

The Greatest Geebung: Persoonia pinifolia

Geebungs are a wonderful Genus of native plant, they below in the Proteaceae family like Banksias and possess a variety of flowers, leaves and habits. In fact I have already written about Persoonia pinifolia a couple of years ago, see here.  Read more ›

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 Read more ›

The Grevillea screen that could: Grevillea ‘Dorothy Gordon’

This is a Grevillea that can…screen out neighbours, fill an empty hole quickly, attract nectar feeding birds, give privacy, flowers profusely and is quite unusual looking. I would say its closest cousin is Grevillea ‘Strawberry Blonde’ another favourite of mine Read more ›

Portfolio: Gladesville Front Garden Design

This sweet front garden was built earlier this year after a quite extensive house renovation in Gladesville, it is somewhat of a “treat” for the client and the house to have a fresh start after a year of messing building Read more ›

Portfolio: Northmead Garden Design

I was lucky enough to be asked back for some follow up advice for this charming native habitat garden in the outer suburbs of Sydney today. The renovations are finally over and the garden hasn’t faired too badly with all Read more ›

A multi-purpose favourite : Acacia baileyana Prostrate

What can this wattle not do?! it can be a dense ground cover, a spillover for a retaining wall or garden edge, a low mounding feature shrub and a lovely soft border plant. On top of all that it flowers Read more ›

Yum Yum: Acacia cardiophylla

This is a wattle close to my heart, it is one of the most strongly perfumed Australian native flowers I have come across, but not in a over-powering sweet, honey-nectar way, it is more of a Boronia type scent…yum, yum… Read more ›

Wonderful Winter Wattles: Acacia iteaphylla

I love wattles, they are so useful for quick screens, winter flowers and perfume, they grow quickly and can act as a coloniser for a new garden giving it almost immediate structure. The older I get the longer lived Acacia Read more ›

The weepiest of them all: Acacia cognata

Ahhh the river wattle, flopping about just like a willow 😉 Acacia cognata surely must be the weepiest and most cultivated of wattles, it is being remade and re branded everywhere! and for good reason too. Acacia cognata has a Read more ›

The flexible Pennisetum alopecuroides

Pennisetum alopecuroides is a striking native grass that makes a bold statement planted independently, as a border, backdrop or en masse. This is commonly know as Foxtail grass not to be confused with the South African Pennesetum which has become a Read more ›

Pretty in Pink: Callistemon ‘Pink Champagne’

There are so many varying coloured Callistemons available now, there isn’t really any reason to only associate them with the traditional red anymore. I am a big fan of the softer coloured bottlebrushes, the greens pale yellows and pinks, the Read more ›

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 Read more ›

Prune me! I am Eucalyptus pulverulenta!

This is without a doubt one of my favourite small Mallee Eucalypts, it is a very malleable mallee 😉 it responds so well to pruning that if you don’t prune it you are almost doing the plant a disservice. These Read more ›

A must have in your habitat garden: Bursaria spinosa

All hail sweet Bursaria! this native plant is a superstar performer in a native habitat garden fulfilling so many critters requirements and needs. I have been collecting images of Bursaria spinosa for about 10 years now, always looking for a Read more ›

Happy National Eucalypt Day! Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Euky Dwarf’

Happy National Eucalypt Day everyone! I really hope you were able to appreciate a Eucalpytus tree today at the very least, or possibly able to plant one? “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second Read more ›

Another Callistmon for the resurgence: Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’

I have written before about my love of bottlebrush and how I wish for a resurgence in their use in garden design and the general landscape. There are many new interesting forms and cultivars that are a far shot from Read more ›