Plectranthus cremnus

                Plectranthus cremnus

I call this the Byron Bay Plectranthus as it is from that part of northern New South Wales. Like a lot of native plants it has failed to cross over into the general garden scene despite having these extraordinary deep marine blue flowers and lovely velvet soft heart shaped leaves. The problem is that it is an untidy plant and a bit of a sprawler. Along the way it sheds its stem leaves so you are left looking at a mass of bare stems with leaves and flowers at the terminal. I have tried tip pruning in the hope of making it more compact but this has not made a difference to the overall appearance. Nevertheless it is a hardy plant and does not have any special water or fertilizer requirements.

 

Hibiscus heterophyllus Variegatus

      Hibiscus heterophyllus 'Variegatus'

The bonus of having a shrub with variegated foliage is that you get year round interest when the flowering time has finished. Variegation is sometimes not a very stable trait however and the appearance of green branches can sometimes indicate that the plant is fighting to caste off its gaudy party frock and return to being a 'plain Jane'. Such is the case here though the variegation is remaining on the uppermost stems and leaves which are vividly marked with white and cream; with this style of variegation being easier on the eye than yellow or gold which can look quite harsh in our Australian sun.

The flowers are produced from a very early stage as the top photo attests and are the typical Hibiscus big one day pale pink to white ones. 

This is a good quick growing screen shrub with a long summer blooming time. The only downside to the native Hibiscus is that the stems may be prickly and the slightly hairy stems and leaves may be a bit irritating to the skin. Given a position in sun or semi shade it may reach a height of three to five metres.

I currently have stock of this in 140 mm pots.

Duo

Planted side by side and flowering together at the moment are Grevillea 'Flamingo' and Viburnum burkwoodii. The Flamingo Grevillea produces so many flowers that the branches become lax under the weight and reach almost down to the ground. 'Burkwoods' Viburnum is a deciduous shrub and produces masses of sweetly scented flowers in spring before the first flush of leaves appear. The tiny buds are bright pink before opening to white flowers. Both these shrubs are hardy and are able to withstand drought conditions.

Grevillea 'Royal Mantle'

Grevillea 'Royal Mantle'

Planted as a grafted standard, this Grevillea has exceptional vigor and produces masses of flowers throughout winter and spring.

Hakea bucculenta

Hakea bucculenta

I came across this spectacular shrub at the Illawarra Grevillea Park on the weekend.The park was having one of their open days and every time I go there I always see native plants which I have never come across before or ones which are not well known in cultivation. This red flowering Hakea is from the Geraldton region of Western Australia. The Latin name bucca refers to the seed pods which resemble fat cheeks. If you have a garden with very well drained sandy soil or a site with sloping ground where water can rapidly drain away, it would be worth trying to grow this beauty in a home garden situation.Flowering normally occurs during the winter months

Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite'

Grevillea rosmarinifolia 'Scarlet Sprite'

This compact metre high Grevillea has been a favourite of mine for many years. It is just starting to flower and I probably should have waited a couple of weeks before taking a photo of it . The only down side to this sharp leafed Grevillea is that it can cause some skin irritation or rash if you come in contact with the foliage. I give this one a light pruning constantly, as it is growing, so as to enhance the shape. If mass planted it would make an excellent retreat for small nectar feeding birds which would be protected from predators put off by the prickly leaves.Trouble free to grow and not really requiring special treatment one established other than a light prune from time to time and a handful of fertilizer in summer.

Grevillea 'Fireworks'

Grevillea 'Fireworks' 

This is a terrific small growing (1metre) Grevillea which I planted about eight months ago and it is just coming into flower. It is one bred by Bywong Nursery which is situated about 30 km north east of Canberra in the settlement of Bywong. It is a hybrid between Gevillea rosmarinifolia 'Scarlet Sprite' and Grevillea alpina. What I like about it is the compact growth habit making it an ideal low hedge plant as well as the brightness and quantity of flowers which explode in all direction from the top of the bush.The leaves are also soft with no spines or prickles. This Grevillea is protected by plant breeders rights PBR.

Callistemon 'Mary Mackillop'

Mary Mackillop will become Australia's first Saint at a ceremony at the Vatican in Rome tomorrow. This cardinal red bottlebrush was named in her honour and was introduced by Bill Molyneux of Austraflora Nursery in Victoria. It is a hybrid between Callistemon viminalis 'Hannah Ray' and Callistemon citrinus 'Splendens'. A percentage from the sale of this plant goes to continue the work of the Sisters of Saint Joseph which was founded by Mary to help disadvantaged people in the community. All the bottlebrush plants are just loving the excessive rainfall we have been experiencing.

Grevillea 'Flamingo'

Grevillea x Flamingo (G 'Superb' x G 'Moonlight')

Grevillea Flamingo is just starting to flower and as the bright pink buds open, the weight of the nectar in the blooms draws them down so they resemble a Flamingo feeding.
When I think of Flamingos, I associate them with the Kensington Roof Gardens in central London at the old Derry and Tom's Department store in Kensington High Street. After Derry and Tom's closed, the Art Deco inspired fashion store Biba opened there in the mid 1970's and the Flamingo image was part of that "Golden Age of Hollywood", 1920's and 30's revival. Sadly it has also long gone but four Chilean Flamingos still reside in the 1.5 acre garden that is now owned by Sir Richard Branson.

Kensington Roof Garden Flamingo (Photo: Bryce Edwards)

My metal Flamingo is now rusting away in a corner of the garden

My concrete Flamingo needs a coat of paint.

Another famous Flamingo from Alice in Wonderland, a drawing by John Tenniel

The infamous 'trailer trash' Flamingo as portrayed by Divine in the John Waters movie.

Grevillea 'Coochin Hills'

Magnificent Bougainvillea at Coochin Coochin homestead near Boonah in south east Queensland. It was planted to celebrate the homecoming of Aussie troops after World War1.
Coochin means red in the Jagera language of the Ugarapul people and is named for the red bill of the black swan

Coochin Run 1854
Conrad Martens (1801-1878)
Queensland Art Gallery
Grevillea 'Coochin Hills'indigenous to the area

Black Swan 1792
First Fleet Artwork Collection
Natural History Museum
London

Derwentia perfoliata, Digger's Speedwell

Derwentia perfoliata syn Parahebe perfoliata
  Digger's Speedwell

This small native shrub from the inland and highland regions of New South Wales and Victoria has pretty mauve flowers even though they are a little on the small side for my liking. It usually gets tagged with names such as lax and floppy to describe the way the stems sprawl about. At first I thought it was an exotic plant as the leaves looked very lush and bright green, atypical of most of our flora. It is a good shrub for front of border planting in a casual native or cottage garden especially in cool temperate regions. It is available from the Growing Friends' Nursery at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney but is not common in the commercial Nursery scene, probably because it doesn't look perky enough in a pot.
2017 update: I no longer grow this plant.

2 Native Hibiscus

Hibiscus heterophyllus

This local species of Hibiscus is most noticeable at this time of year as the white and faintly pink flowers are fairly large (about 10cm across) and they are produced in quantity and are clearly visible from a distance. Up close the flowers have the texture of a crepe bandage and from their crimson throat out tumbles various beetles and bugs which have taken refuge. It is often seen beside roads or growing in open paddocks but does not quite make the grade as a garden specimen as it forms a fairly ungainly shrub to about 5 metres and is covered in prickles .The seed pods which follow the flowers are also fairly unfriendly as well. They are densely packed with fibreglass-like hairs which can irritate the skin.

Pink and white dot flowers of a Hibiscus heterophyllus beside a local road.

Hibiscus geranioides
 Geranium leaf Hibiscus

This is a little charming species which only grows to about 70 cm. It is covered in musk pink flowers which seem to prefer to open on dull days.Native to the tropical north, it often acts more like an annual there, responding to the wet and dry seasons by shedding seed at the end of the wet and returning after the dry season. It does well further south and will even tolerate a light frost. Growing it in a cottage style garden with other small perennials is an ideal situation for it as long as it is given a well drained soil. It also makes a great container plant on a sunny balcony.
2017 update: Plant breeders have produced some spectacular new colour forms of native Hibiscus.

Melaleuca nesophila

Melaleuca nesophila
 From the Greek nesos, an island and -philus, loving

This hardy and popular native shrub grows 5 metres by 5 metres, making it a useful screen or hedge plant. It was first found on Doubtful Island, near Bremer Bay, on the south coast of Western Australia growing in pure sand. Under garden cultivation it will grow in most soils and aspects from coastal to inland, tolerating dry and frost. From spring right through summer it is covered with small mauve bottle brush style flowers which attract honey eating birds.

Calothamnus quadrifidus

The one sided bottlebrush flowers of Calothamnus are often hidden or sometimes close to the ground.

Calothamnus quadrifidus
(From the Greek kalos, beauty, and thamnos, a shrub)

Race 5 on Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday of this week was for grey horses. The All Greys run over 1400m. was won this year by Outlandish Lad. Grey horses are beautiful and so are grey leaved shrubs.

The genus Calothamnus from Western Australia was first collected and described in 1806 by French explorer Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardiere in his Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen. His name is more remembered for the lovely native grey tussock grass Poa labillardieri (and his name really does slip off the tongue after you say it a few times.)
While many Western Australian plants can be difficult to grow in the eastern states ,this one is fairly reliable and will tolerate a wide range of soil types. It copes well with cold and frost and just requires some occasional tip pruning to keep it in shape .Under favorable conditions it forms a well rounded shrub to 2 metres.

Grevillea flowers

Grevillea flowers ( l to r) 'Honey Gem', 'Moonlight', 'Flamingo'

Philotheca shrubs

Philotheca syn Eriostemon cultivar

This delightful native shrub is looking fantastic at the moment .The various forms and species of this plant all bear masses of waxy white or pink flowers .Names such as 'Profusion', 'Cascade of Stars' and 'Flower Girl' have been registered to describe particular varieties. Most are compact growing shrubs up to a metre in height with the bonus of having aromatic foliage typical of members of the citrus family (Rutaceae). They prefer light well drained soils with a good covering of leaf litter mulch but adapt to heavier soils in positions of full sun or part shade.

Banksia 'Little Eric'

Banksia ericifolia 'Little Eric'

This is one of the choice compact native shrubs, growing to just over a metre high and spreading to about 1.5metres. The flowers are a rich mahogany colour and stand well above the foliage from late winter well into spring. It needs an open sunny position for best flowering with average well drained soil. It is tolerant of frost and sea wind.

Thryptomene saxicola

Thryptomene saxicola

This small, open pendulous (1metre) shrub from south Western Australia has been in garden cultivation for a long time and is noted for the dainty pink flowers which smother the bush at this time of year. It is a good cut flower and can be used to fill out an arrangement. In a garden, its miniature leaves and flowers work against it, as it merges into the surrounding vegetation and looks a bit like a pink blur. It would be useful as foreground planting in a raised planter box which allows the sprays of flowers to be held high to spill over the edge.

Thryptomene with mauve Swan River Daisy ,Grasses and Kangaroo Paw

Banksia 'Roller Coaster'

Banksia integrifolia 'Roller Coaster'

This is one of the prostrate ground cover forms of the tree Banksia integrifolia which probably came from a windy sea cliff where it had adapted to hug the ground as a means of survival. It needs a large space in a garden and is perfect for growing over embankments or rock walls. If given too much shade or multi planted, the growth may revert to a more upright form. The way to go is to plant one and give it lots of room to follow the contours of the land . The foliage is dense and good at suppressing weeds and flowers are produced for much of the year making it an ideal bird attracting shrub.

Grevillea speciosa

Grevillea speciosa, Red Spider Flower

This is one of the wildflowers of Sydney found growing around the Harbour at North Head and Dobroyd Point as well as in Ku-ring-gai Chase and the Brisbane Waters National Park. It is rather a straggly shrub in the wild growing to about 1.7 metres but the flowers are a vibrant red and are produced in abundance from now until September. In a garden situation it needs to be grown in a well drained sandy soil and kept well pruned to maintain a compact shape.