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.

Landscape Panorama

Coastline in North Wales

I came across this slide amongst my photos
"Life is beautiful. All that is dark and ignominious will disappear. All that is beautiful will triumph"
Dimitri Shostakovitch. (1906-1975)

Leucanthemum x superbum, Shasta Daisy

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Mount Everest'

The Shasta Daisy is a robust spreading perennial of garden origin which is hardy from Tasmania to Queensland and can be grown in both coastal and inland gardens. There are many notable cultivars including the diminutive 'Snow Lady and equally small 'Little Silver Princess' as well as fringed petal varieties such as 'Shaggy Gem' and 'Crazy Daisy'.
In warm climates a clump can be divided up at any time of the year and roots will often form on above ground stems making it a very easy plant to propagate. The flowers are good for cutting and removal of old flower stems will ensure a long flowering period well into Summer. Pests to watch out for are snails and slugs which can hide amongst the lance shaped leaves and occasionally the leaves are susceptible to fungal spotting especially during humid weather . Generally however they are trouble free and easy to grow in sun or semi shade in average garden soil.
2017 update: After growing them for years I have let my collection go.

L X s 'Esther Read'

L x s 'Shaggy Gem'

 

Bougainvillea 'Magnifica Trailii'

Bougainvillea glabra 'Magnifica Trailii'

This Bougainvillea is a vigorous old variety which has very long thorns. Here it  has been trained here as a hedge along a driveway and allowed to grow up and over the garage roof. It is in a local garden and I admire it whenever I drive past it.
2017 update: I currently don't have any stock available.

Spartium junceum, Spanish Broom

Spartium junceum 
 Spanish Broom

The rich yellow flowers of this leafless shrub are hard to miss and make a wonderful display for many weeks in October and November. The flowers are sweetly perfumed which is an added bonus. Sadly this shrub is no longer available commercially and has been added to the weed list of some districts mainly those with a Mediterranean climate . It is a close relative of the prickly Gorse (Ulex europaeus) which is a serious weed of temperate Australia.

Lonicera japonica, Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica ,Honeysuckle

Driving around at the moment, the sweetly scented Honeysuckle is in flower in so many places its spread seems to be almost unstoppable. This native of Japan and China has become a serious and noxious weed not only here but in many other parts of the world as well. In history, it has romantic and sentimental associations. The most charming story is from China in the book Two Years in the Forbidden City (1911) by Princess Der Ling when she describes the Dowager Empress placing honeysuckle flowers in her tea using her gold chopsticks, with the resulting beverage acquiring a delicious flavour. Something to try perhaps as there is no shortage of flowers.

I always associate honeysuckle with the song Honeysuckle Rose by the 1930's jazz great Fats Waller (1904-1943) His sense of humour is something special.

Fats Waller at the piano

Basil 'Genovese'

Ocimum basilicum 'Genovese'

The first Basil leaves are ready for harvest from an August planting. This variety has fine flavoured shiny green leaves and originates from Genoa in Italy where the famous pesto sauce was first made.
I like Basil best during November before the really hot weather arrives which can alter the flavour and make it taste a bit rank. In the middle of Summer it prefers some shade and plenty of water to keep it happy. I don't bother to grow it during February but start off a new crop in mid March when the days start to return to as they are now.
Here is the basic Pesto recipe for those not familiar with it.
1 cup firmly packed Basil leaves......... 2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil..................sea salt
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts...................... 60g grated Parmesan cheese
Blend in a food processor all ingredients except Parmesan
Place blended green paste in a bowl and stir in Parmesan
Transfer to a jar and seal with a thin film of olive oil. Store in refrigerator....too easy.