Rose HT Lorraine Lee

Australian bred Rose 'Lorraine Lee' (1924) in New Farm Park ,Brisbane

The Spring Racing Carnival and roses go hand in hand and this rose, bred by Alister Clark, is hardy and always in flower. Lorraine Lee was a distant relative of Clark from Frinton in Essex in England. and while she was visiting Australia he took her to the races and also invited her to choose a rose she would like to be given her name.The fragrance could be described as rich and fruity and it is remarkable in that it produces flowers almost continually ,even in the middle of winter.
.Alister Clark who died in 1949 was a great patron of the Moonee Valley Racecourse which is home of the famous W.S.Cox Plate held in late October.His name lives on at Moonee Valley with the running of the Alister Clark Stakes in February. Good luck to all punters this Spring!
2017 update: Highly recommended and readily available from specialist growers.

Some perennial Artemisias

The plant genus Artemisia was named after the Greek goddess Artemis

The perennial Artemisias spread by underground runners and make very useful ground cover plants .They are briefly dormant in Winter though there is obviously much activity below ground because when they reappear in Spring it is often a metre away from where you originally planted them.The foliage is soft and feathery and ,though usually silver, the cultivar 'Lemon and Lime' is cream ,green and gold and is very bright . It is very useful to lighten a shady corner of the garden.

Artemesia 'Lemon and Lime' with purple Tradescantia pallidaThis Artemisia also weaves it way around other plants without ever becoming invasive .Here it is growing around Aechmea recurvata aurea, a spiny sun hardy and frost hardy bromeliad.

It also looks good with Geranium 'Rozanne' PBR which produces large saucer shaped purple flowers for much of the year. Geranium 'Rozanne' is a hybrid between G.wallichianum and G.himaleyense and is a very tough plant performing well on the coast and in the mountains.

Geranium 'Rozanne' PBR

Artemisia in flower during Summer

When the Artemisias flower they produce tall feathery plumes which are quite decorative and useful as cut flowers. They also provide a bit of shade for some of the sun hardy Bromeliads , the blade shaped leaves of which may scorch on the very hottest of days.

Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis'

The one Artemisia which deserves special mention is A. dracunculus or French Tarragon . It is a favourite herb, as the use of just one leaf is sufficient to give flavour to a dish especially when used in the cooking of chicken. "Dracunculus" means dragon-tail alluding to the serpent coil of roots from this plant. The new shoots are just making an appearance now.

2017 update: I no longer grow the 'Lemon and Lime Artemisia but have a range of other species and cultivars. I also currently have stock of Geranium 'Rozanne'

Aloe lutescens

Aloe lutescens growing with Sanseviera trifasciata 'Silver Sheen'

This densely clustered Aloe is distinguished for its dark "army" green leaves and bi-coloured flowers.The foliage is a good contrast to the silvery leaves of the Sanseviera.The flowers are wonderful. Dark red buds open yellow and are quite striking. The clumps eventually grow to about 1 metre across on a plant to 60 cm tall. Birds always visit and the flowering time is about 6 weeks ,a bit longer than some other Aloes. It will flower in semi shade and is tolerant of full coastal exposure. In its native habitat of South Africa it is found in an area between Soutpansberg and the Limpopo River at an altitude of 20 to 1200m. Highly recommended for garden and commercial landscaping.

2017 update I have currently have limited stock available in 200mm and 300mm pots

Syzygium luehmannii,Riberry

Syzygium luehmannii, 
Riberry, in a formal garden setting

This native lillypilly is one of the best to grow because of its graceful weeping habit and eventual compact form. It initially grows as an untidy open shrub and can be quite slow but patience rewards those wait, for once it gets to about 2 metres it starts to develop into a beautiful small tree.Eventually it reaches about 5 metres but can get bigger in a "rainforest" style garden or in fertile rich soil.

New growth is flushed pale green to pink and is very attractive. The small pear shaped berries which are produced in huge quantities are pleasantly clove tasting and suitable for a range of recipes. The Vic Cherikoff cookbook called "Uniquely Australian" has recipes for both savoury and sweet dishes using the riberry. There are also a couple of dwarf forms of this lillypilly available including "Lulu" and "Royal Flush".

Le Jardin Exotique ,Monaco

Cactus Flower (coussin de belle-mere)

The Jardin Exotique in the Principality of Monaco is one of the must see gardens to visit for those who are interested in cactus and succulents.

The idea for the garden began in the late 19th century under Prince Albert 1 who was keen to establish a garden for succulent plants which he greatly admired. Work commenced on the garden in 1913 ,though originally the garden was planted on the Rocher de Monaco ,in the old town of Monaco-Ville ,it was finally established on a site to the west of the town on the Corniche Road facing due south and protected from damaging north and western winds.The slope of the garden is at a 45 degree angle so this meant a long and slow construction process under the guidance of Louis Notari , with Prince Albert overseeing every step of the work.

Pockets were created in the rock face for planting, paths cut into the rock to twist and turn in all directions and even bridges were built over clefts in the rock. It is a marvel of landscape construction. Work on the garden continued until 1933 when it was inaugurated by Albert's son, Prince Louis II.

Today the Jardin Exotique is involved in conservation projects and in particular on the island of Madagascar which has an extraordinary flora of succulent plants.On the occasion of the celebration to mark 700 years of the Grimaldi Dynasty of Monaco, Madagascar benefited with the construction of a Visitors Centre being undertaken at Fianarantsoa. In 2004,the Bureau de la Cooperation of the International of the Monegasque Government established a joint project between the two countries in the field of protecting the ecosystem and safe-guarding biodiversity.

For more information email jardin-exotique@mairie.mc

http://www.cactus-co.com/

Rondeletia amoena

Rondeletia amoena

This early Spring flowering shrub has the sweetest perfume and is always full of bees and honey eater birds. It is tough and hardy and can grow up to about 3 metres but needs to be pruned from when it is quite small to maintain a compact shape. The large heads of pink flowers often weigh down to the ground when it is in flower.
2017 update: I still grow this though I have sold out at present.

That's gold! A Geranium

A Gold leaf Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum)

About ten years ago ,I bought a lot of Geraniums from Marjorie Edward's Nursery Pelargonium Place at Golden Square in Victoria. This is one of them and it is a real star performer especially in the shade. It never gets any rust or disease problems and really brightens up the garden in dull spots. If grown in the sun it takes on bright red markings on the leaf as per photo below.

If it is grown with a bit of maroon foliage it makes a really loud combination!

 Growing with Iresine herbstii

2017 update: I still grow this golden geranium and offer it for sale on request.