Tag: fast growing

  • A must have in your habitat garden: Bursaria spinosa

    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 flattering angle and light, it is not a particularly showy plant if not in flower,…

  • Happy National Eucalypt Day! Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Euky Dwarf’

    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 best time is now” ― Traditional Chinese proverbs, one of my favourite quotes. If you weren’t…

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

    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 the ratty, sparse unloved street trees we all know. They come in soft pinks, deep…

  • Why the name Mallee?

    Why the name Mallee?

    I am often asked if I come from Mallee country in Victoria and sadly the answer is no, Mallee Design my business name was not chosen for geographical reasons it was chosen for aesthetic reasons. I am in love with Mallee Eucalypts. A Eucalyptus becomes classed as a Mallee if it has the following attributes…

  • Remember daisies make you happy! Xerochrysum ‘Dargan Hill Monarch’

    Remember daisies make you happy! Xerochrysum ‘Dargan Hill Monarch’

    I need a little cheering up today, and although I have hundreds of interesting plant and landscape design photos from my recent Victorian trip I just need to share some sunny happiness in the form of yellow native daisies, bear with me … The paper daisy in the above photos is Xerochrysum ‘Dargan Hill Monarch’…

  • The exploding Leptospermum ‘Starry Night’

    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…

  • Two toned toughie: Eremophila racemosa ‘Peaches and Cream’

    Two toned toughie: Eremophila racemosa ‘Peaches and Cream’

    This hardy little shrub is aptly named for its two toned flowers, this Emu bush has yellow flower buds which once open change colour to white…get it peaches and cream … boom ching! Anyway cliche plant breeder names aside this is number seven in my memorable Eremophila line up. Eremophila racemosa ‘Peaches and Cream’ is…

  • The most weeping of the weeping: Myoporum floribundum

    The most weeping of the weeping: Myoporum floribundum

    I am obsessed with plants with a weeping habit or drooping foliage, some people find them sad and depressing looking but they are my favourite. There are many native plants with soft long leaves or gently falling branches, they can create dense screens, focal points or backdrops. Weeping foliage in a garden gives a relaxed informal…

  • The silver cascading Banksia ‘Roller Coaster’

    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.…

  • A job done well: Pandorea pandorana ‘Snowbells’

    A job done well: Pandorea pandorana ‘Snowbells’

    If you need a reliable, quick growing climber to screen or cover an area, that attracts birds and bees and generally looks healthy and flowers profusely… well then what do you think of Pandorea pandorana ‘Snowbells’? This is form of Pandora produces masses of snowy white trumpet-like flowers in late winter and early spring, attracting…

  • The multifaceted Eremophila oppositifolia

    The multifaceted Eremophila oppositifolia

    I am returning to a challenge I set myself over a year ago to increase my knowledge of the many beautiful and useful Eremophila species, I am quite behind the time line I set myself, but better late than never! This stunning Emu bush is Eremophila oppositifolia, I have been on the look out for one…

  • Eye catching Kennedia nigricans

    Eye catching Kennedia nigricans

    There is a lack of black in our national floral range, I can think of only three off the top of my head and this striking Kennedia is one of them, this is Kennedia nigricans! the others are Macropedia and a Gastrolobium, if you know of more please let me know. Kennedia nigricans is a…

  • Something different: Allocasuarina crassa and monilifera

    Something different: Allocasuarina crassa and monilifera

    Casuarinas and Allocasuarinas can be a funny bunch, I love them dearly: trees, cultivars and dwarf species alike. I use the groundcover form of Casuarina glauca often and Casuarina ‘Green Wave’ is one of my all time favourite shrubs. But there are so many more once you begin exploring especially in the southern states and…

  • Happy Wattle Day! Acacia ‘Little Nugget’: Foliage before flowers

    Happy Wattle Day! Acacia ‘Little Nugget’: Foliage before flowers

    It’s the first of August again and so Happy Wattle Day! along with all the historic connotations of this wonderful day I do truly rejoice in the wonderful genus that is the Acacia, and not only for its flower but the foliage of the Acacias are equally diverse and interesting. The wattle in these images…

  • The distinctive Pin Cushion Flower of Hakea laurina

    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…

  • Hot Tea-trees: Leptospermum ‘Pageant’ and ‘Outrageous’

    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…

  • Portfolio: Garden Design Lilyfield

    Portfolio: Garden Design Lilyfield

    This is the tiny front garden of a small cottage in Lilyfield that was planted out about about 2 years ago, during that time it has flourished! Providing well needed privacy from the street and adding a lovely sense of arrival as you step off the pavement. The feature screening tree is a grafted Dwarf…

  • Rambling bank covering Grevillea banksii prostrate

    Rambling bank covering Grevillea banksii prostrate

    There are many, many Grevillea ground covers, and most of them cover a large area and have either a toothbrush or spider flower. Not this one! this is Grevillea banksii prostrate and it not only has a large showy flower spike it also has the large leaves associated with the northern sub tropical Grevilleas and it…

  • My obsession with Breynia ‘Ironstone’

    My obsession with Breynia ‘Ironstone’

    Technically this is Breynia cernua ‘Ironstone Range’ 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 😉 I have written about Breynia ‘Ironstone’ before and have been patiently waiting to photograph a fine specimen like…

  • Another top Paperbark: Melaleuca viridiflora ‘Burgundy Weeper’

    Another top Paperbark: Melaleuca viridiflora ‘Burgundy Weeper’

    This October has been  paperbark appreciation month for me, I love melaleucas as they will grow so easily in difficult heavy soils and their flowers are rich in nectar for birds and bees alike. Melaleuca viridiflora ‘Burgundy Weeper’ is no exception, it covers itself in deep reddish purple flowers attracting honey eaters and bees. Melaleuca viridiflora…

  • Purple Shades: Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Violet’

    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…

  • Happy Wattle Day! Acacia fimbriata Dwarf ‘Crimson Blush’

    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…

  • Outstanding: Grevillea arenaria

    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…

  • Sooooo many Emu Bush: Eremophila maculata

    Sooooo many Emu Bush: Eremophila maculata

    There are soooo many Eremophilas and I only know of and use a handful, I would like to rectify this situation, I am going to set myself a challenge to be able to recognise and utilise at least a dozen Eremophila species in the next 12 months. These images are of Eremophila maculata ssp. maculata, which…