Grevillea wickhamii, Holly Grevillea

Grevillea wickhamii Holly Grevillea

This is a Grevillea I admired at the recent Illawarra Grevillea Park open day.

It is from north west WA.

If you were a truckie back in the 1950's or early 60's, making your living by plying a load of blue asbestos from the mine at Wittenoom to the port of Roebourne or if you were one the 20,000 residents of the now ghost town of Wittenoom, the brilliant red flowers of this Grevillea would be hard to miss. Plant one in memory of Bernie Banton, social justice campaigner,who died of an asbestos related disease in November 2007.

Shatoot Mulberry, Morus macroura

Today the first green buds and flowers appeared on the Shatoot Mulberry
I was admiring the bare elegant tracery of the branches against a clear blue sky when I spotted the first tinge of green. This is both a blessing and a curse. It means the days are getting warmer and longer, but there are still all those garden tasks to get done before the weather really warms up.
This Mulberry is a much loved tree of Pakistan where the sickly sweet fruit is dried as a sugar substitute. It is called a yard tree and often forms the centrepiece of a small courtyard garden. The tall arching branches provide generous shade in Summer. However, It really does need a lot of space to look at its best but will take heavy pruning ,poor soils and difficult sites. In other words ,it is a great tree for spots where winter sun is required and heavy summer shade is needed where you can set up a table and chairs.
The pale yellow fruit is produced in such quantities that I usually rake it up to give to the chooks.
It is probably the only fruit tree you won't mind sharing with birds.
A pair of Red-whiskered Bulbuls, much loved by novelist Patrick White where they were a familiar site around his Centennial Park home, usually take up residence .Described accurately by Graham Pizzey as having"jaunty pleasant liquid notes"
My favourite bird visitor to this tree is the Koel which is sometimes called the Cooee or Rainbird..
The male bird is glossy blue black and very amusing to watch because it is so clumsy . It is currently on holiday in New Guinea.
I would recommend this tree because it forms such a good shape. It does get quite tall but is unlikely to fall down in a storm as the branches are quite elastic and supple.

Potager

Vegetables,herbs and flowers in stainless steel planters 

The potager,which comes from the French word potage, or "soup" is a kitchen garden ,however small, which provides the daily seasonal produce for a family.

 It is is charming and decorative form of vegetable gardening is at its best in winter and spring for colourful lettuce,baby beets,leeks and peas. The peas rarely make it to the kitchen and are eaten straight off the bush.

Flowers such as Viola, Nasturtium and Calendula add a vibrancy to salads.

Viola tricolor ,Johnny Jump-Up

I also love the herb Chervil or French Parsley which adds a delicate flavour to a wide variety of dishes. It is impossible to grow in the warmer months.

And then there is Kale which turns "silky" when added to soup.

Kale Red Bor F1

Grevillea refracta

Grevillea refracta

On the coldest day for what seems like years, I am dreaming of Darwin and that is where this beauty comes from. It is a very open shrub with beautiful silvery bronze foliage and quite striking apricot coloured flowers. It would grow in the south only in a frost free location and in well drained soil. It is one of those native plants which needs to be planted in a group to make any impact as it is too slender to stand alone in a garden setting.

Landscaping with Aloes

Roof Garden with Aloes and other Succulents in Sydney

Having grown Aloe plants for more than ten years in the Nursery, it is always exciting to be able to use them in a landscaping project. On this exposed sun baked terrace with no irrigation they were the perfect plant to use for a low maintenance garden and to make a bold statement

More on individual Aloe species in future posts.

Melaleuca filifolia, Wiry honey-myrtle

Melaleuca filifolia, Wiry honey-myrtle

This spectacular flowering shrub which originates from those sandy gravelly soils north of Perth should be more widely grown.The mauve-purple flowers which appear like some many bright explosions over the thin foliage are at their best now. Many Melaleucas are "swamp" plants and tolerate quite wet soils but not this one .Along with Melaleuca fulgens ,the scarlet honey myrtle ,it prefers well drained soil and should be kept on the dry side The area where it comes from receives winter rainfall hence the winter flowers.

Because of its very fine ,almost needle like foliage, it tends to disappear in the landscape when not in flower so needs to be positioned in front of a more broad leaf plant for best effect. Something like a bold succulent would be ideal .The striking foliage of Furcraea foetida "Medio-picta', Mauritius Hemp, when teamed with Melaleuca filifolia would make for a bold statement.

Furcraea foetida "Medio-Picta', Mauritius Hemp

Cyclamen

Cyclamen hederifolium

Cyclamen is a wonderful bulbous plant to grow under deciduous trees and shrubs as they not only flower from winter to spring but their leaves are attractively marked in shades of pale green to grey and silver. The name Cyclamen is thought to derive from the Greek kyklos meaning circle, a reference to the shape of their tuber or "bulb" The modern florists Cyclamen were bred from C.persicum which has tall slender blooms in pink shades with marbled heart shaped leaves.

As this plant originates from Greece,Turkey and the Middle East it is often difficult to replicate their ideal growing conditions especially in Summer when they are dormant. They like a free draining soil with plenty of leaf mould or compost. They also like a hot dry Summer so any deluge of rain on the coast at this time may cause them to rot. It is worth mentioning that some are noted for their fragrance. Here are some species which I have tried and alas lost: C.coum. C cyperium,

C repandum ssp pelopponesiacum, C balaericum, and C intaminatum. So now I stick to the hardy C.hederifolium which is available in punnets from about March onwards.