Callistemon polandii, Gold-tipped Bottlebrush

Callistemon polandii, gold tipped bottlebrush

This bottlebrush was named after the Reverand Poland who was probably a keen eyed amateur botanist in his spare time. It occurs along that strip of coast between Rockhampton and Townsville but like most of its kind it is adaptable to frosty climates around the country. The flowers are a nice deep red and the gold tipped anthers really stand out against this colour.

An added bonus is that the new foliage is silvery pink and quite distinctive. It is in flower now and will probably continue to flower for the next few months. It is usually sold as a "shrub" but I think it is better treated as a small tree as it grows to about 5 metres ,a good size for a small garden. Better still in planting a group of 5 about a metre apart, and, as they mature, by removing the lower branches an interesting symmetry of trunks is revealed . This also allows for under-planting with either other native plants or tropical style foliage plants, The fibrous papery bark of the trees is also useful for attaching orchids or bromeliads to add another dimension to the planting scheme. Needless to say it is an excellent tree for attracting birds from the noisy lorikeets to tiny honeyeaters. The New Holland honeyeaters often hold a party in the tree with a gathering of up to ten or fifteen making a terrific racket with their machinegun like explosive chattering and darting about.
2017 update; I no longer have a plant of it in the garden but it still should be available from specialist native plant growers

A Bromeliad flower

Aechmea species flower

If you are sick of hearing every conversation opening with the words C'est dur pour tout le monde (It's tough for everybody) then this "Brom" is bound to put a smile on your face with its mini pineapple flowers. For the young at heart it might remind them of everyone's favourite "porous yella fella" SpongeBob SquarePants ,(the invertebrate sea sponge with square pants) who happens to live in a two-storey pineapple.

So this one is for SpongeBob....friendly adventurous, clumsy, disaster prone but always looking on the bright side

Kitchen Garden Foundation

The Kitchen Garden Foundation is an initiative of Australian cook and author Stephanie Alexander to encourage schools to establish productive vegetable and fruit gardens so that children are able to learn the complete process of growing ,harvesting and cooking fresh food.

 For more information go to http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/

A Winter flowering Rose

Rose Zephrine Drouhin (1868) growing through a hedge of the maroon foliaged Iresine herbstii

This hot pink flowering rose belongs to the group known as the Bourbon Roses which originated on the French island colony of Reunion (I'Lle Bourbon) now part of Mauritius.

Roses which flower in winter seem to retain their perfume throughout the day and this one has quite a strong scent. It grows as an untidy rambling shrub and is perfect for planting where it can rest on or grow over the top of a hedge.One of its best attributes is that it is thornless and apart from a getting a bit of mildew on the leaves in summer it is very hardy. I usually cut off the spent flowers and before you know it there is a fresh batch appearing .There is not set time for pruning it either as long as any dead wood or old stems are cut out it is rewarding and easy care. ,definitely a firm favourite. Spot flowering occurs throughout the year.

Aloe ciliaris,a climbing Aloe

Aloe ciliaris, a climbing Aloe

This climber from South Africa should be more widely grown in light of its low water requirements and tolerance of shade.The flowers occur throughout the year and are quite distinctive yellow tipped and bright orange-red. In its native habitat it grows in dense scrub and climbs through surrounding bushes sometimes to a height of 6 metres. Like any climber it needs to be trained on a support when young to give best results. This is not something I admit to having done but left to its on devices it has managed to grow up the side of a shed and flower well. It is not thorny ,the species name ciliaris refers to the soft hairs around the leaf sheaths.Tip pruning can be done to keep it as a shrub.
2017 update: I have limited stock available for sale.

Polyanthus (Primula x polyantha cv.)

Double flowering Polyanthus with the purple ground cover Tradescantia pallida

Polyanthus are one of the mainstays of the winter gardening scene. With their lurid colours they are the sort of flower you expect to find in a Jeff Koons artwork. Remember his Puppy outside The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney in 1995....a living sculpture of plants.

How to use these garish colours in a garden can be difficult .I am sure the plant breeders thought they might give a bright show in a window box on a gloomy dull day.

So how to use them here? I think they are the perfect plant for outside a cubby house to encourage children to take an interest in gardening.

Occasionally amongst the batch you will find some flowers which have more unusual colour such as this one with blue veins in the petals,

Oenanthe javanica 'Pink Flamingo'

Oenanthe javanica 'Pink Flamingo'

The plain green form of this plant is called water celery or water drop-wort. I grow this pink cultivar in a pot in shallow water but it is able to grow in heavy damp soil as well .In winter the colour becomes more intense and the leaves are quite feathery and delicate with a cream edge If you have one of those ponds where everything goes to sleep or looks half dead at this time of year this is the plant to grow but during summer it less appealing and needs to be cut back to control the vigorous growth.

It does have an "international passport" as it is native to tropical Queensland, India Japan and Malaysia.In Japan it is called seri and is added to salads.It is surprisingly cold tolerant and will withstand frosts.