Salvia 'Hot Lips'

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'

What a great name for a plant, though there is also a chilli variety called 'Hot Lips' which is also aptly named. This is another Mexican shrub which was introduced to horticulture by Richard Turner of the Strybing Arboretum of San Francisco. It forms a well rounded bush to about 1 metre high and wide and seems to have flowers for at least 8 months of the year. The flowers are often bi-coloured or some are pure white and some red. The leaves and flowers are only small but it is an ideal shrub for a small garden where it can be viewed up close. It is frost hardy and tolerates dry conditions well. For maintenance, it just needs the occasional once over with hedge shears to keep it looking good.
2017 update: Currently out of stock but available again soon.

Achillea 'The Beacon'

Achillea millefolium x ' The Beacon' syn 'Fanal'

One of the easiest perennials to grow in temperate or sub tropical climates, Achillea or Yarrow, puts on a great display of flowers at this time of year. The flat plate like flowers are born on tall stems to 30 cm arising from soft ferny foliage There are many different cultivars available in a range of colours. This is one of the Galaxy Hybrids. The flowers are good for picking and can even be dried. I like to grow them amongst roses which provide some support for the flowering stems . Propagation is simply a matter of digging up a clump and dividing the plant with roots attached and replanting where desired . Autumn is a good time for this.
As a herb, Achillea has a long history of many uses. In France it was known as carpenter's grass, herbe aux charpentier, as leaves pressed to a cut stopped the flow of blood and acted as an antiseptic. As a remedy for a cold, a few leaves can be combined with some sprigs of thyme in a herb tea for some soothing relief.The leaves of Achillea added to a compost heap are said to act as an activator, accelerating the breakdown of organic matter .
Above all else however, its fame is as the plant of which Chiron, the centaur, taught Achilles the virtues so that he might heal his wounds in the Siege of Troy. Below are some examples of his story in the history of art.

Achilles 1884 by German sculptor Ernst Herter (1846-1917)
in the garden of the Achilleion Palace, Corfu, Greece.
The Education of Achilles by Eugene Delacroix(1798-1863)
Bibliothek des Palais, Bourbon

The Wrath of Achilles 1847 Leon Benouville (1821-1859)
Musee Fabre, Montpellier

The Education of Achilles 1772, James Barry (1741-1806)
Yale Center for British Art

Banksia serrata

Banksia serrata,Old Man Banksia as a bonsai

This is one of the first plants collected by Joseph Banks in April 1770 at Botany Bay in New South Wales. It occurs naturally along the coast and in the mountains from Queensland to Tasmania. As a garden tree it is long lived and develops a wonderful textured trunk and decorative "fruit"or "cones" from the old flowers which led to the common name of 'old man Banksia'. In the books written for children by Sydney author May Gibbs these cones were given a sinister edge and featured as 'big bad banksia men'. May Gibbs' garden and house is preserved and open to the public in the Sydney suburb of Neutral Bay.
Banksia serrata is very slow growing in the home garden and impatient gardeners may give up waiting for it to reach a reasonable size. It makes a great bonsai however and the attractive bark and gnarled form can be viewed in miniature.

Rosa 'Oklahoma'

Rose Hybrid Tea 'Oklahoma'

This is a big rose with a rich velvety dark red colour and a delicious fragrance. It grows into a tall vigorous and healthy bush, so it comes highly recommended.
The radio station I listen to when driving to work is featuring songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical Oklahoma this week. I like the (DVD) version with Hugh Jackman in the male lead role. It is a real classic and timeless......'Oh what a beautiful mornin'...

Lilium longiflorum, November Lily

Lilium longiflorum

Common names for white lilies vary depending on where you live. This species which is from Japan and Taiwan is also called the Christmas Lily in cooler climates and Easter Lily in the Northern Hemisphere. The Madonna Lily which is also white and trumpet shaped is a different species entirely, Lilium candidum. It is native to south east Europe and the Mediterranean and is often depicted in Christian religious art works connected with The Annunciation as a symbol of purity. It also has significance in the Jewish faith as well.
A third white lily, Lilium formosanum from Taiwan, flowers later in February or March and is a common roadside 'weed' along the east coast. The flowers of this species are on tall stems up to 1.5 metres and have a slight flushing of purple on the back of the petals.
The November lily requires no special treatment as far as garden conditions are concerned. In poor soils it will still flower but only on short stems. It seems to thrive in both sun or semi shade. The flowers below were photographed this morning and were growing amongst roses and other mixed flowers.

The Annunciation ,(1608-09) Caravaggio
Museum of Fine Arts, Nancy, France

Convent Thoughts,(1850-51)
Charles Alston Collins,(1828-1873) British Painter
The Annunciation 1850Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)
Tate Gallery ,London

Rosa 'Gemini'

Rose Hybrid Tea 'Gemini'

This modern rose has delightful shading and is a mixture of pink ,cream and coral colours.

Other famous 'Gemini' are....

The Holden Gemini 1983-85 TG

Gemini VI in orbit 257km above the earth

Tom Tom Club

The organic tomatoes are blushing

In a couple of weeks I will be able to start picking the first ripe tomatoes of the season. In the meantime it is tempting to use some of the still green ones in a few recipes . Cooking with green tomatoes may have evolved in cool climates where the last of the unripened summer crop had to be used up before the first frost killed the vines. Some interesting recipes for 'greenies' are included in the Lee Bailey book from 1992 Tomatoes (Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York) He includes a green tomato and apple pie which uses equal quantities of both fruit, with added lemon zest for what he describes as a very distinctive flavoured pie.I have not tried making this but I like his cornmeal coated pan-fried green tomatoes which are delicious with sausages and eggs for a big Sunday breakfast. In Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion there is a similar breakfast treat of 'green tomatoes and red onion with thyme and wine vinegar' (page 661) in the chapter on the herb thyme.
Green tomatoes are also traditionally used in the making of pickles,chutneys and relish which according to Richard Beckett in his book Convicted Tastes 'have long been used in Australia to relieve the tedium of cold meats such as corned beef and lamb'. Jars of green tomato pickle or chutney can still be bought at school or church fetes though it is sometimes wanting of an appealing colour. Most early Australian cookbooks such as The Golden Wattle Cookery Book and Homestead Fare include recipes which work well today. A more recent book, only 30 years old, A Beside Cookbook by the late Sheila Scotter , former Vogue Editor-in-Chief, includes a fantastic Chutney recipe and one which is guaranteed to retain 'a lovely green colour even after years in storage. What I like about the ingredients is that it includes 12 chillies.