Scented – Mallee Design

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The glossy leafed Eupomatia laurina

This ancient flowering plant has a fossil record of 120 million years, it’s primitive flowers are a legacy from Gondwana. Isn’t that mind blowing!? The perfumed, glossy screen tree with edible fruits is the perfect addition to a bush food… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Hedge, Illawarra natives, Natives for containers, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree, Tropical garden

bee attracting, bird-attracting, Bush Foods, clay soils, dense habit, edible fruit, Edible native plant, Illawarra natives, large leaves, moist shade, natives for pots, Scented, understory planting, white flower, wollongong local species

Phenomenal Phebaliums: the delicate blooms of Phebalium nottii and squamulosum

I am a long time fan of the Phebalium genus, these small to large shrubs which belong in the Rutaceae family can be found growing over much of the south and east coast of Australia. However Phebalium squamulosum is an extremely… Read more ›

Drought hardy, Hedge, Natives for containers, Naturalistic garden, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

bee attracting, dry shade, foliage contrast, fragrant flowers, frost tolerant, part shade, pink flowers, pollinating insects, Scented, understory planting, well drained soil, yellow flowers

The purple punch of Prostanthera ovalifolia

There is something about this particular shade of purple that is both eye catching and calming at the same time, it’s a lovely vibrant lilac which covers the entire shrub and lights up a shady corner. This native Mint Bush… Read more ›

09/10/2022 3 Comments

Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Hedge, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

bee attracting, fragrant, fragrant flowers, medium shrub, part shade, prolific flowers, purple flowers, Scented, spring flowering, understory planting, well drained soil

A flower within a flower within a flower … Hoya australis

I find this one of the most curious flowers from our native vine species, it is a large highly perfumed umbel of tiny wax like flowers which is almost fractal like, I could look at it for hours. The leaves… Read more ›

Drought hardy, Natives for containers, Shade tolerant, Tropical garden

climber, drought hardy, drought resistant, fragrant, Hoya australis, Indoor plant, Scented, twining plant, Waterwise native, white flower

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 ›

21/10/2019 1 Comment

Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Screening plants

bee attracting, cut flowers, fast growing, Grevillea flexuosa Grafted, long flowering period, perfume, Scented, spring flowering, weeping habit, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

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 ›

Bird attracting, Groundcover, Naturalistic garden, Portfolio, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small garden, Winter flowering

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 ›

18/08/2019 2 Comments

Drought hardy, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

Acacia cardiophylla, bee attracting, fast growing, fragrant, perfume, Quick growing, Scented, understory planting, weeping habit, well drained soil, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

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 ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

Acacia iteaphylla, bee attracting, bird-attracting, fast growing, grey green leaves, Honeyeater, insectivorous birds, native bees, Parrot, Scented, Silvereye, understory planting, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

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 ›

24/06/2019 26 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Small tree, Winter flowering

bee attracting, Eucalyptus pulverulenta 'Baby Blue', fast growing, feature tree, foliage contrast, grey green leaves, Mallee, Mallee Eucalyptus, Scented, silver foliage

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… Read more ›

Hedge, Screening plants, Small garden, Winter flowering

Acacia fimbriata Dwarf, Acacia fimbriata dwarf 'Crimson Blush', bee attracting, dense habit, fast growing, perfume, Scented, spring flowering, yellow flowers

Another Silver Leaved Beauty: Eucalyptus pulverulenta

This is Eucalyptus pulverulenta another of my favourite small silver foliaged feature trees, it rates highly on my list along with Leptospermum brachyandrum ‘Silver’, Calothamnus quadrifidus ‘Grey’ and Eucalyptus ceasia ‘Silver Princess’. Eucalyptus pulverulenta is known as Silver-leaved Mountain Gum, it grows to… Read more ›

19/06/2017 4 Comments

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Small tree

Eucalyptus pulverulenta, fast growing, foliage contrast, Scented, silver foliage, well drained soil

The Brightest of the Acacias? Acacia podalyriifolia

It has always seemed to me that Acacia podalyriifolia is one of the first wattles to flower every winter, and so profusely! or at least it is one of the most immediately noticeable 🙂 The native bees think so too… Read more ›

12/06/2017 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree, Winter flowering

Acacia podalyriifolia, bird-attracting, fast growing, foliage contrast, native bees, Pigeon, prolific flowers, Rosella, Scented, silver foliage, understory planting, yellow flowers

The spot flowering habits of Hymenosporum ‘Luscious’

It’s no secret that this is one of my all time favourite small shrubs, I love it for it ability to grow in dry shade and still look green and succulent, I love it for its wonderful shape, sometimes lumpy… Read more ›

28/11/2016 3 Comments

Butterfly attracting, Drought hardy, Formal gardens, Natives for containers, Shade tolerant, Small garden

bird-attracting, compact habit, fragrant, Hymenosporum 'Luscious', large leaves, Scented, spring flowering, understory planting, yellow flowers

Happy National Wattle Day: Acacia glaucoptera

How wonderful is the smell of Wattles flowering right now? I have an Acacia fimbriata Dwarf growing next to my driveway and at the moment wherever I go I seem to be leaving a trail of pale yellow wattle flowers… Read more ›

31/08/2016 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Small garden, Winter flowering

Acacia glaucoptera, grey green leaves, interesting foliage, Scented, understory planting, WA, yellow flowers

The Versatile Spider Lily: Crinum pedunculatum

I have only just realised how very adaptable this plant is after seeing it growing on the beach in Murramarang National Park last week, I had no idea it would grow on sand in a front line coastal position and look… Read more ›

Coastal, Frost tolerant, Shade tolerant, Tropical garden

boggy soils, clay soils, Crinum pedunculatum, fast growing, large flower, rainforest species, Scented, summer flowering, understory planting, white flower, wind tolerant

Soft, Luscious Screen: Acacia fimbriata Dwarf

Acacia fimbriata Dwarf has a puffy sort of look to it from a distance, it is a full bushy shrub with a cloud-like texture. One of the most useful plants that I use in a landscape, as it has enough… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Hedge, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

Acacia fimbriata Dwarf, clay soils, foliage contrast, Scented, yellow flowers

Favourites for Shady Planting: Leionema ‘Green Screen’

I collect a lot of favourites for shady planting, it has become somewhat of a hobby to find natives that will grow in difficult shady spots. Dry shade, moist shade, windy shade, winter shade and summer sun…..screening for shade, you… Read more ›

Butterfly attracting, Drought hardy, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

bee attracting, clay soils, Leionema 'Green Screen', native bees, Philotheca 'Top Cut', Prostanthera 'Minty', Scented, understory planting, white flower, wildlife habitat