Sasanqua Camellia Are you tired of plants that tend to drop dead on you, even though you seem to spend half your life mollycoddling them? If so, Don suggests you consider planting sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua). These wonderful plants are hardy, versatile, and...
Silver Nugget Leucophyta brownii ‘Silver Nugget’ or dwarf cushion bush is a small Australian native member of the daisy family. It has tiny hairs growing all over its leaves, giving the plant a silver appearance. The hairs reflect heat, reduce the rate of...
Spanish Moss This strange ‘air plant’ occurs naturally from Argentina to the southern United States, including the Louisiana bayous. It is not a moss at all, but a member of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae), which is often found hanging on the branches...
Although not very well known in Australia, Spathoglottis plicata is the most common terrestrial (ground dwelling) orchid in Singapore, where it is often used for landscaping. There are two species of spathoglottis in Australia, and they belong to a group of over 40...
Spring flowers Many plants are starting to flower now that spring is in the air. Don looked at Grevillea ‘Little Miss Muffet’. It is a hybrid between G. sericea and G. speciosa, and has very pretty pink spider-like flower clusters. The native...
Japanese Iris These beautiful irises are not as popular in Australia as they deserve to be, probably because they have very particular cultural requirements. However, if you grow them in an acid soil and give them the right amount of water you’ll be rewarded...
Japanese Windflowers Japanese windflowers (Anemone x hybrida) are hardy perennials which grow to about 1m (3′) tall. The flowers come as singles or doubles in a wide range of colours including white, pink and rosy red with golden centres. They die down in...
Brunfelsias are evergreen shrubs from tropical America. There are about 30 species, all with tubular flowers which change colour over successive days. The most popular species in Australian gardens is Brunfelsia pauciflora, commonly called Yesterday, Today and...
Market Day Every month, wholesale nurserymen put together a selection of the most attractive and interesting plants they have for sale, and take them to market. The growers set to work displaying their plants at first light, ready to sell and take orders from retail...
Mexican sage Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha) is a cottage-style plant with beautiful silver green foliage, and furry white and purple flowers. It grows from creeping rhizomes under the ground, and forms a clump about 1m (3′) tall. Unlike other salvias, this one...