Evergreen foliage plants are wonderful in the garden, because they give you stunning colour all year round. Many plants with brilliantly coloured leaves belong to the family Amaranthaceae. They include the popular bloodleaf (Iresine herbstii) with its bright red...
Coordinating the colours in your garden can sometimes be difficult. Don looked at a soft blue and apricot colour combination that works beautifully: the small perennial wallflower ‘Apricot Twist’ planted with a plumbago called ‘Royal Cape’....
Lawn is very difficult to grow in a damp, shady, position. One solution is to do away with the lawn and pave the area. An even better idea is to plant a groundcover such as the Australian native violet (Viola hederacea), which thrives in moist areas and will still...
Bedding or fibrous rooted begonias are trusty old timers which deserve greater recognition, particularly as useful elements in garden design. They are among the most hardy and dependable of plants, and they will flourish despite almost total neglect. Plant details...
There are over 400 species of clerodendrums, including climbers, shrubs, herbaceous plants and trees, and they are mostly from warm climates. Many, like the Bleeding Heart Vine, have very showy flowers. Plant details Common name: Bleeding Heart Vine Botanic name:...
Don looked at one of the best of the bougainvilleas, a spectacular red flowering variety called ‘Scarlett O’Hara’. This particular plant was growing in a dry, narrow garden bed. Bougainvilleas are very hardy and will survive without much water or...
These fascinating tropical American natives come in a wonderful variety of sizes, shapes and foliage colours. They seem very strange and exotic, but one of our most common fruits, the pineapple, is actually a bromeliad. Many bromeliads are epiphytes (ie they live on...
A landscaping trend over the past few years is for happy, strong colours in gardens. After years of a vogue for soft pastel tones in garden plants, the mood is now more adventurous so you can enjoy vibrant, strong colours and be fashionable. Camellias are often...
Rose Geraniums Surprisingly, one of the most wonderful rose scents in the garden comes not from roses, but from rose geraniums – and not from flowers but from leaves. Jackie French uses the leaves of rose geranium to make a rose-scented room deodoriser that is...
Sasanqua Camellia ‘Classique’ is a compact, low-growing sasanqua camellia. Plant details Common name: Sasanqua camellia Botanic name: Camellia sasanqua ‘Classique’ Description A prostrate sasanqua camellia which grows slowly to around...