Monet's Nasturtiums at Giverny

"One had to pick one's way along the main walk to avoid treading on the freely trailing Nasturtiums" Jean-Marie Toulgouant

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers", said Monet in 1924 "My garden is slow work, pursued with love and I do not deny that I am proud of it. Forty years ago, when I established myself here, there was nothing but a farmhouse and a poor orchard.....I bought the house and little by little enlarged and organised it ....I dug, planted, weeded myself; and in the evenings the children watered."

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

Late for the Sky

The days are finally getting longer and warmer. On a late afternoon walk near the lake everything turns to blue just before it gets dark.

Bark like satin

Largerstroemia indica 
Crepe Myrtle

One of trees which really shines in the winter sunlight is the Crepe Myrtle. The satin smooth bark reflects light onto the surrounding garden and contrasts well with the sombre green clipped star jasmine planted underneath.

Carex testacea

c

Alstroemeria aurea dwarf cultivar

Carex testacea Orange Sedge
with Cape Daisy (Osteospermum ecklonis 'Nuanza' Copper Purple

The New Zealand native sedges/grasses which are shaded brown usually get politely called bronze, orange or tan coloured and can be an acquired taste if you are not used to seeing them planted as garden ornamentals. The reaction when first seeing them is that they must be dead and indeed can look so if planted in groups on bare ground or just surrounded by mulch. Perhaps they evolved this colour so as to appear unpalatable to grazing animals. When used in a garden they make a terrific foliage contrast with silver leaved or purple plants as well as with warm coloured flowers with orange tones. I like to use them with the bright Cape daisies or the richly coloured dwarf Alstroemeria aurea, pictured above, which is just coming into flower.
The other New Zealand Carex species to look out for in this colour range include Carex buchananii (Leatherleaf sedge), Carex comans 'Bronze" and Carex petriei. The latter takes on a wonderful soft pink tone at certain times of the year. All are frost hardy and suitable for container growing and deserve a place in both large and small gardens.

Doryanthes palmeri, Spear Lily

Sir Arthur Palmer 1819-1898
Queensland Premier 1870 -1874

Doryanthes palmeri named in his honour.

The giant spear lily is just starting to flower with its enormous flower spike (a panicle technically) snaking skywards up to 5 metres.This species is found on cliffs and rocky hillsides above 600 metres, from Mt Warning in northern New South Wales to Mt Mistake in Queensland. I prefer this species to the more common, especially around Sydney, Doryanthes excelsa , the Gymea Lily, with its more upright flower stem. Doryanthes palmeri has adapted well to cultivation and will grow as far south as Melbourne being tolerant of frost. It adds a lot of drama to a garden with its robust clump forming habit and long leaves even when not in flower. It needs a spot in rocky well drained soil preferable on a slope. Propagation is usually from seed but seed grown plants will take up to ten years to flower. If collecting seed you need to wait at least six months after flowering has finished for seed to be mature. I have never attempted to divide a clump which is another way of getting new plants but I imagine it would be a bit like trying to divide a clump of Strelitzia, Bird of Paradise. You could do all that work only to find it fails to flourish after planting.
2017 update: I have limited stock available in 200mm pots.

Doryanthes palmeri