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Verge Gardens
I am a big fan of a front garden that makes a statement in the street-scape or somehow breaks up the monotony of the suburban front garden ‘norm’. I often kick myself for not being able to stop or being without my camera when I spot a front garden that goes out of its way…
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One of the Best Street Trees: Buckinghamia celsissima
This is Buckinghamia celsissima or the Ivory Curl tree, it is another small to medium tree that is in flower over the summer months, chances are you have seen it around, it is VERY hard to miss. I saw this one on a street in Mosman, I think it was planted by a resident as there…
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My Favourite Grafted Dwarf Eucalyptus ficifolia
It is summer and we have had a lot of rain so the Grafted Eucalyptus ficifolias are in full swing, everywhere I look they are putting on a wonderful show. I have been slowly trying to collect decent photos of all the different colours and was planning to wait until I had them all covered,…
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The Very Loveable Parsley Bush: Lomatia silaifolia
This is Lomatia silaifolia or Parsley Bush, a very under-utilised plant in most native gardens, I include Lomatia in many of my gardens as it grows in shade or full sun, it is a reliable when it comes to flowering and grows very quickly. Many people look at Lomatia and think it is a Grevillea,…
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Blue Tongue: Melastoma affine
This showy little shrub is Melastoma affine or Native Lasiandra, it really does look like a dwarf form of the incredibly popular south American Tibouchina, which lights up the streets of many inner western Sydney suburbs. However, this is not only an Australian native Lasiandra but is also a bush food. After the flowers finish…
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Another Favourite Grafted Grevillea: Grevillea candelabra ‘Pink’
Grevillea candelabra Grafted is another grafted Grevillea that I am rather fond of, it is not as showy or unusual as some of the other grafted species, but it has proven to be an incredibly versatile and useful plant for me time and again. There are a Pink and a White form both of which…
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Great in the Ground: Alyogyne ‘Blue Heeler’
There is one problem with this plant and I have failed to use it in gardens even when my instincts told me it would be perfect. It looks terrible in a pot in the nursery….not something that can be helped and Alyogyne ‘Blue Heeler’ is not alone in this instance. Its only this year that…
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Super Showy Waratah: Alloxylon flammeum
This is the QLD Tree Waratah, I have mixed feelings about this plant, there is something a little too showy about its blooms and whenever I see it growing in NSW it is always strangely devoid of bird life…why is that? However, now I have seen it growing in its home state I can appreciate…
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Grafted Grevillea of the moment: Grevillea petrophiloides ‘Wild Beauty’
I am beginning to come around gradually to grafted Grevilleas, it has taken me about 5 years to slowly but surely start including them in my designs. I’m not really sure why I was so reluctant to begin with, maybe it was the local indigenous plant Nazi in me, maybe I just didn’t trust them….but…
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Exotic looking native: Rhododendron lochiae
There are several native plants that I like to use when either designing a planting that already has some exotic species established or when trying to convince people that not all native plants are straggly, open and dry looking. This is one of them Rhododendron lochiae, isn’t it beautiful? It has dark glossy green leaves and…
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Design and Build
This post is going to be hopefully helpful; I am writing it almost as much for my own sake as others as I try to get my head around the process of ‘building’ a new garden with a third party involved. Recently, I received a cry for help from a client whom I had done…
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Ode to Banksia spinulosa
Banksia’s may possibly be my favourite Genus of Native plants and this particular species could well be top of that list. I was at a clients garden this afternoon and we were lovingly looking at his Banksia spinulosa and stroking the new growth and commenting on what a wonderful plant it is. There is something…
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Eucalyptus ‘Silver Princess’ at Heide
I accidentally visited the Heide Museum of Modern Art last month, WOW it was a pretty wonderful accident! They have the most beautiful sculpture gardens, which are expansive and great for kids. The art Gallery itself is also an impressive building surrounded in native gardens with a bit of an edge. I saw this wonderful…
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Lovers of Hot and Dry: Alyogyne hakeifolia ‘Melissa Anne’ and ‘Elle Maree’
I went to look at a garden yesterday which was hot and dry, it had lots of hard surfaces that were heating up with the western sun, that got me thinking about this plant Alyogyne hakeifolia ‘Melissa Anne’ or native hibiscus. There are many Alyogyne mainly coming from WA and south Australia and this one is…
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How to Plant a Grass Tree
The grass tree is a very symbolic plant to have in a native garden. They can be a specimen plant, a feature plant or work well with a minimalist Japanese theme, and they look amazing in containers. Planting one can be a little daunting as there are many stories out there of them turning up…
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Red and White: Angophora hispida
Reds and whites are out at the moment on two native trees, this photo is of the dwarf Angophora, Angophora hispida. This is a beautiful small tree that buds up in furry red clusters for a month before the cream flowers come out, I love the rusty reds this tree produces and even better when…
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Try growing Actinotus helianthi, its not so hard…
Yes, it was only a matter of time before I finally sung the praise of Flannel Flowers, how could I resist? I have so many photos of them in my database, however mainly of them in the bush, these were in a domestic garden in southern sydney, growing happily under some large Grevilleas. These are…
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Australian Plant Society Open Gardens: Collins Garden Gymea
This garden was at the end of my garden visiting trail, the kids were getting grotty and I was beginning to think we should just head home. However persevering paid off, as soon as my son and I entered the garden we were welcomed by a small person announcing “Come in and see my granny’s…
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Yellow, Cream and White Orchids: Dendrobium speciosum
It is a most fabulous season for the Dendrobium speciosums this year, there is no other word for it, they are putting on a massive show whenever I see them, and they seem to be everywhere all of a sudden, many of them in non native gardens which is always great to see.
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Daisies make me happy
I went to the Blue Mountains over the long weekend and not only at Mt Tomah gardens, but also on the property I was staying, the paper daisies were popping up their sunny heads.
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Stunning Arid Plant: Ptilotus exaltatus
This is Ptilotus exaltatus, Lambs tail or Pink Mulla, in full bloom at Mt Annan Botanic gardens. Here it has been mass planted for full effect, to replicate what you would see in the desert, a field of soft pink flower heads it is most impressive.
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I don’t normally like Hibiscus but…Alyogyne huegelii
I don’t normally like hibiscus, native OR exotic BUT Alyogyne huegelii is an exception, plus probably some other hybrids of it…. Check out that colour, you don’t often see that shade of purple on a native plant. The other equally important factor that draws me to this plant is it is super hardy and drought tolerant and…
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The double flowers of the Swamp Banksia: Banksia robur
Whenever there is decent rain Banksia robur puts on a wonderful show of growing new leaves that emerge like the buds of red flowers, deep and furry.
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Tree on fire: Stenocarpus sinuatus
The Firewheel trees are flowering their heads off this year, I’m not sure what it is, maybe the searing heat? maybe the deluge of rains, whatever, my tree has never had so many flowers on it and its not the only one.
Tag: large flower