Winter Flowering Plants
Don looked at some of the beautiful native plants that flower in winter.
Native hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii)
A fast growing, open shrub to about 2m (6′) tall, grown mainly for its mauve, hibiscus-like flowers. It is long flowering, hardy, and attractive to native birds. It makes a wonderful colour feature in the winter garden, particularly when teamed with wattles. It can be kept bushy in cultivation with an annual prune, and will grow in most parts of mainland Australia, except for tropical and mountainous areas.
Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana)
A hardy, fast growing Australian native tree to around 6m (20′) tall. It has feathery, silver-grey foliage and fragrant, golden yellow flowers in late winter. It is attractive to insects and seed eating birds, and also makes a good windbreak or flower and foliage contrast plant. There is a cultivar called ‘Purpurea’, which has reddish purple new growth. A prostrate form is also available.