Two double Bougainvilleas

Bougainvillea ' Klong Fire'

Bougainvillea 'Pagoda Pink'

Ok so they look remarkably similar in the photos but 'Klong Fire' starts out as a rich dark red and ages to hot pink while 'Pagoda Pink starts out hot pink and fades to a softer pink. Both are just as vigorous as the single flowering varieties but the flower heads of 'bracts' are denser and there seems to be more of them. Both make good container grown specimens and they can be kept dwarf and compact with ease and flowering for most of the time as well. I must say I like to grow Bougainvilleas without stakes. Most are sold tied up like Joan of Arc in a stiff manner but if left untied and pruned as a compact shrub they are more versatile as to their ultimate use, either as a container or planter box specimen or to be espaliered against a wall or made to cascade over an embankment or grow up over a pergola. Leave off the stakes please growers.....

Verbena rigida, Lilac Vervain

Verbena rigida (Verbenaceae )

I have not grown this species of Verbena for a number of years. I like the ferny soft foliage and the fact that it flowers non stop for months. In cooler climates it is usually treated as a summer annual but in warmer climes it will keep on going and re-blooming especially if given the occasional "haircut" to keep it looking good. Pink and white forms are sometimes available and it makes a terrific hanging basket plant as a stand-alone or when mixed with other flowers or foliage. It will tolerate dry and this is an advantage if using in a basket which we all know can dry out at a fast rate.

I am not aware of this species having become weedy like Verbena bonariensis has along roadsides and paddocks . It originates from Argentina.

Dwarf Red Bougainvillea 'Temple Fire'

Bougainvillea 'Temple Fire' with Antignon 'Coral Creeper'

  "You little beauty" is all you can say about this plant. Only growing to about a metre it seems to be always in flower and needs minimal trimming ,water or fertilizer. It is a good "Boug" to grow in a planter box under the eaves of a dwelling, in full hot western sun or on a balcony where rain can't reach. Overall however growth can be slow to reach that maximum spread and very few Nurseries offer mature plants in a large size pot ,but it is worth the wait if planting a small one. I am combining the 'Temple Fire' with the climber Coral Creeper or Chain of Hearts (Antignon leptopus) which sends off long shoots which are amenable to being draped over other plants as flowers on it appear at the tips over summer.  More cultural notes can be found on this website:

Dwarf Red Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea 'Temple Fire') (Department of Natural Resources and Mines)

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Crown of Bohemia'

 Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Crown of Bohemia'

 This wonderful old Californian variety of Hibiscus dates form 1958. It was bred by Vavra from a pod parent of 'Rhonda D. Sport' and a pollen parent of 'Harvey' (Reference: Stanley Palmer)

 What a rich colour this flower is, a true old gold with just enough signal red showing around the base of the petals to enliven it more.

A 44 gallon drum

I have this old 44 gallon drum in the garden to use when washing the soil off the roots of plants and it is aging nicely with a wonderful blue surface.

Dianthus deltoides 'Arctic Fire'

Dianthus deltoides 'Arctic Fire' (Carophyllaceae)

The flower size on this mat forming perennial ground cover is only about that of a five cent piece (2cm across) but they pack quite a punch when displayed en mass, as each stem carries dozens of flowers at any one time. This 'Maiden Pink' has very dark green leaves and forms such a dense carpet, spreading to 30cm or more, that weeds are unable to make an appearance through its surface. Though given the term 'alpine plant' probably because it would be perfectly at home in a scree or rock garden, it is hardy across a range of climates and does not suffer the same fate in humid conditions of the grey leaved Dianthus by turning up its toes.

 Easily grown from seed sown at any time of year or propagated by division during autumn.

Datlily, Hemerocallis

 Hemerocallis cultivars, Daylily hybrids (Hemerocallidaceae)

It's Daylily week with lots coming into flower right now. I grow a very small selection of the hundreds available. They are reliable perennials and are fairly easy care. I like the fact that you can cut them off at ground level and they regrow with fresh leaves in a very short space of time. This is a useful tidy up thing to do if you are growing them in pots as the foliage can be susceptible to damage by thrips which causes it to develop silver markings and by rust which shows up as small rusty spots all along the leaves, both problems leaving the plant a bit tired looking. Cutting off spent flower stems and regular doses of liquid fertilizer ensure healthy plants overall.

Hemerocallis species are native to eastern Asia and have been grown in Chinese gardens for centuries where they are used as both a food and in traditional medicine. As a vegetable they are known as Huanghuacai or yellow flower vegetable or as Jinzhencai, golden needle vegetable. The orange daylily, H. fulva, is known as the Xuan Plant ,Xuancao, or 'forgetting sadness herb'. They are also favoured by women who are hoping for the conception of sons over daughters.