According to legend, the Souvenir de la Malmaison rose was given to Napoleon by the Empress Josephine to bring him back safely from war. It was claimed to resemble Napoleon’s hat and was also carried by French soldiers in the Battle of Waterloo to protect them....
The native hibiscus is an Australian native plant which has a beautiful mauve purple hibiscus-like flower and forms a medium sized shrub. Plant Details Common Name: Native Hibiscus, Lilac Hibiscus Botanical name : Alyogyne huegelii Best Climate: It will grow...
A wonderful Australian native is the native iris which has beautiful, tiny flowers and soft foliage that would be suitable in a cottage garden. Plant details Common name: Native Iris, Purple Flag Botanic name: Patersonia occidentalis Climate: Will grow in all areas of...
Autumn colour is a wonderful sight, yet many associate this season’s colour with changes in tree foliage. Flowering plants do make an impact with autumn colour and Peter Valder recently looked at some autumn flowering bulbs which were named after Nereis, a sea...
Queensland grower Richard Tomkin has produced a spectacular new range of hybrid grevilleas. Although not available to the public for another two years, they promise to be the best grevillea varieties of the future. Grevillea ‘Billy Bonkers’, named after...
An ornamental grape is a great climber to go over a pergola or fence. It is the same species as the wine making grape but the ornamental variety aborts its fruit so that it doesn’t make a mess. Details Common name: Ornamental grape. Botanic name: Vitis vinifera....
Pansies are annuals which are generally planted in autumn for flowers through winter and spring. In cooler climates pansies can also be planted in late winter and spring for flowering into summer. Today we take pansies and violas for granted in our gardens but the...
Peonies with their large blowsy, rose-like, fragrant flowers are among the most romantic plants in the world. There are two forms, tree and herbaceous species. Peter Valder, who has a special interest in Chinese plants, recently looked at herbaceous peonies. At around...
When you first experience the heady scent of philadelphus you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve gone to heaven. The only mystery is why this wonderful shrub isn’t more popular, because it deserves to be. This super shrub really does deserve wider...