wind tolerant – Mallee Design

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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 ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants

bee attracting, clay soils, dense habit, fast growing, foliage contrast, full sun, grey green leaves, Leptospermum lanigerum Seclusion, part shade, pink flowers, pollinating insects, Pollinator Plants, spring flowering, summer flowering, temporary inundation, wet weather, wind tolerant

Pittosporum revolutum and its eye catching fruit

This is Pittosporum revolutum, a medium shrub with jasmine-scented blossoms which flowers profusley in Spring and then is covered in decorative fruit in Autumn. When flowering the scent permeates the whole garden and is often commented on by visitors. In… Read more ›

Hedge, Illawarra natives, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small garden, Small tree, Uncategorized

clay soils, decorative fruit, dense habit, figbird, foliage contrast, fragrant flowers, grey green leaves, Illawarra natives, narrow habit, perfume, Satin Bowerbird, spring flowering, understory planting, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Light it up: Grevillea lanigera ‘Mellow Yellow’

I have mass planted Grevillea ‘Mellow Yellow in a semi shaded position in my garden and have been surprised at its tenacity and ability to cover its self in blooms for an extended period of time. The small striking spider… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Groundcover, Natives for containers, Naturalistic garden, Winter flowering

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, clay soils, drought tolerant, frost tolerant, full sun, grey green leaves, ground cover, long flowering period, well drained soil, wind tolerant, winter flowering

Who can resist ? Melaleuca ‘Candy Sparkles’

Some plants are blessed with fantastic common or cultivar names, this is one such species which I would almost buy for the label alone. ‘Candy Sparkles’ promised to be vibrant, attractive and showy without me even seeing it in the… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, clay soils, coastal garden, decorative bark, foliage contrast, heavy soils, interesting bark, large flower, Melaleuca 'Candy Sparkles', pink flowers, small tree, water logged soils, wind tolerant

Happy 10th Eucalyptus Day: Eucalyptus paniculata

I live among the gum trees, literally … as John Williams sang “Give me a home among the gum trees” this is the best I could hope for in suburbia to be living under the canopy of three magnificent indigenous… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Illawarra natives, Medium Tree, Winter flowering

bee attracting, clay soils, Eucalyptus Day, Eucalyptus paniculata, grey green leaves, Grey Ironbark, heavy soils, interesting bark, weeping habit, wind tolerant, Wollongong Native Trees

Emu Bush Challenge No. 10: Eremophila ‘Meringur Crimson’

And so it continues … documenting my Eremophila discoveries, I will get to 12 one day! As we approach the end of another La Niña Summer, where heavy downpours are common and the humidity is high, it is a great chance… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Naturalistic garden

bee attracting, Eremophila 'Meringur Crimson', foliage contrast, grey green leaves, understory planting, wind tolerant

A true carpeting ground cover: Pratia pedunculata

This is a native ground cover which sometimes gets classed as a steppable (not a real word ;)), meaning it works well between steppers and pavers and can be walked on occasionally without too much fuss. I like to use… Read more ›

08/11/2022 3 Comments

Coastal, Frost tolerant, Groundcover, Shade tolerant, Small garden

carpeting ground cover, clay soils, full sun, lawn pavers, lawn substitute, moist soil, native lawn, part shade, Pratia pedunculata, spring flowering, steppers, summer flowering, understory planting, well drained soil, white flower, wind tolerant

Try not to dismiss Callistemon ‘White Anzac’

I have often included this hardy little shrub as one of my least favourite native plants, it can be spotted unkempt in the gardens of petrol stations or nature strips, languishing leggy and forgotten. But if given a little attention… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Hedge

clay soils, large flower, low mounding shrub, prolific flowers, wet weather, wind tolerant

A tough and useful Bushfood: Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia, or Common Mat Rush, is abundant along the NSW coast growing and in SA, Victoria and Tasmania in a range of environments from coastal dunes to dry Sclerophyll forest. It can also be seen growing in median strips and… Read more ›

29/09/2022 2 Comments

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Illawarra natives, Ornamental grass

Bushfood, clay soils, Common Mat Rush, Edible native plant, first nations knowledge, front line coastal, Indigenous to the Illawarra, Lomandra longifolia, sandy soil, small bird attracting, spring flowering, understory planting, weaving fibre, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Happy National Wattle Day!

We hope your gardens are in full bloom and continue to bring you and the native wildlife joy throughout the month of Spring. This years Wattle is Acacia linifolia or Flax Wattle, it flowers from Summer through to Winter. Changes… Read more ›

Naturalistic garden, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree, Winter flowering

Acacia linifolia, bee attracting, fragrant flowers, large shrub, National Wattle Day, perfume, Quick growing, understory planting, weeping habit, well drained soil, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Gardening for Wellbeing

Stress Relief, Connection to Nature, Community involvement, Mood lifting, Physical Health, Personal Growth ….just to name a few! Words by Kath Gadd and Hannah Preston at Mallee Design In times of great social and economic upheaval gardening can offer multiple… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Uncategorized, Winter flowering

bee attracting, clay soils, mental health, sit spot, understory planting, weeping habit, wellbeing, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Happy Eucalyptus Day! Eucalyptus risdonii

This is a Eucalypt species very close to my heart, you can see it in my banner at the top of the website. Yes, I took photos of it almost 10 years ago and have recently revisited the vegetation community… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Medium Tree, Small tree

bee attracting, Eucalyptus risdonii, Eucalyptus viminalis, foliage contrast, grey green leaves, silver foliage, Tasmanian species, threatened species, well drained soil, white flowers, wind tolerant

My Favourite Poa: Poa ‘Suggan Buggan’

Since discovering this super blue grey form of Poa labillardieri I have been throwing it around with gay abandon ? my love for native grasses and Poas in particular is something which is pretty obvious when you see some of… Read more ›

28/11/2021 2 Comments

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Ornamental grass

foliage contrast, grey green leaves, low spreading habit, mass planting, Poa 'Suggan Buggan, Poa labillardieri 'Suggan Buggan', Quick growing, small bird attracting, understory planting, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Powerful Pollinators: Leptospermums

We are mid the Australian Annual Pollinator Week and I have been admiring our our native tea trees all Spring so I thought I would bring them to your attention this week as they are wonderful plants to grow for… Read more ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree

2nd line coastal, bee attracting, clay soils, coastal garden, drought hardy, grey green leaves, Leptospermum 'Lavender Queen', Leptospermum lanigerum, Leptospermum rotundifolium ‘Lavender Queen’, Leptospermum scoparium 'Seclusion', pollination, Pollinator Plants, Quick growing, silver foliage, spring flowering, weeping habit, wind tolerant

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 ›

25/10/2021 2 Comments

Coastal, Drought hardy, Groundcover, Natives for containers

bee attracting, carpeting ground cover, drought hardy, drought resistant, drought tolerant, fast growing, frost tolerant, full sun, large flower, well drained soil, wind tolerant, xDisphyllum Sunburn, year round flowering, yellow flowers

Happy National Wattle Day: Acacia binervia ‘Sterling Silver’

Spring! if ever there is a seasonal change to bring hope and excitement for the future surely Spring is it? I have been watching the Wattles all Winter long, they have been lovely this year and very appreciated during extended… Read more ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub

Acacia binervia Stirling Silver, bee attracting, foliage contrast, fragrant, large flower, low spreading shrub, National Wattle Day, perfume, Quick growing, silver foliage, well drained soil, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Portfolio: Gardening in Wind

This is my sisters garden on ‘Windy Hill’ as we like to call it, it gets so windy here the rubbish bins get blown down the street, gates are blown off their hinges and plants find it tough! Her front… Read more ›

27/08/2021 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Groundcover, Hedge, Ornamental grass, Portfolio, Screening plants, Small tree

Acacia baileyana prostrate, Acacia binervia Stirling Silver, Acacia cardiophylla, Baeckea linifolia, Banksia 'Sentinel', Banksia integrifolia 'Roller Coaster', Calothamnus quadrifidus grey form, Casuarina 'Green Wave', clay soils, Eucalyptus 'Euky Dwarf', Eucalyptus pulverulenta 'Baby Blue', foliage contrast, Grevillea 'Amber Blaze', Grevillea 'Red Hooks', Grevillea banksii prostrate White, grey green leaves, Poa 'Kingsdale', weeping habit, wind tolerant

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 ›

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Small garden, Small tree

bee attracting, bird-attracting, Bush Foods, fast growing, fragrant, Leptospermum petersonii, privacy screen, Quick growing, shade tree, spring flowering, summer flowering, weeping habit, white flower, wind tolerant

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 ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Groundcover, Winter flowering

bee attracting, carpeting ground cover, coastal garden, dense habit, fast growing, frost tolerant, native insect attracting, pink flowers, wind tolerant

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 ›

10/09/2020 5 Comments

Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Shade tolerant, Small garden, Winter flowering

bee attracting, fast growing, fragrant, long flowering period, low spreading habit, Micromyrtus ciliata, part shade, sandy soil, understory planting, weeping habit, white flower, wind tolerant

Trialling Banksia ‘Sentinel’

This is a favourite coastal hedging plant of mine which I have been including in my planting designs for the past 7 years or so….sorry, I’m finding it difficult to keep track of time ? I say it is on… Read more ›

17/07/2020 10 Comments

Coastal, Drought hardy, Formal gardens, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree

Banksia 'Sentinel', coastal garden, dense habit, front line coastal, silver foliage, wind tolerant

Luscious green screen: Myoporum acuminatum

Some native plants are just so useful and practical I really don’t understand why we don’t see them being utilised everywhere…. and Myoporum acuminatum is one of them. It is a mystery to me why this very fast growing ,… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Illawarra natives, Screening plants, Small tree

2nd line coastal, bee attracting, bird-attracting, Myoporum acuminatum, privacy screen, Quick growing, sandy soil, shade tree, Street Trees, summer flowering, white flower, wind tolerant

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 ›

13/04/2020 14 Comments

Bird attracting, Illawarra natives, Medium Tree

butterfly attracting, fast growing, Glochidion ferdinandi, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Olive-backed Oriole, privacy screen, semi-deciduous, shade tree, Street Trees, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant

The small tree Emu Bush: Eremophila longifolia

This is another Emu Bush to add to my database, Eremophila longifolia is classically not so bushy in habit but more upright and weeping. I think it makes a lovely small feature tree with its long, droopy leaves and clusters… Read more ›

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

drought hardy, drought tolerant, Eremophila longifolia, frost tolerant, insectivorous birds, long flowering period, pink flowers, small birds, weeping habit, well drained soil, wind tolerant, year round flowering