If you want to grow a hedge that flowers, it is important to choose plants that flower on old wood. That way, you can prune and shape the new growth without cutting off all the flower buds. The port wine magnolia, as seen in our segment, is an excellent choice for a...
Red Banana The ornamental red banana has interesting flowers and foliage, and the colourful bananas produce lots of seeds, unlike most edible bananas which are sterile. Plant details Common name: Red banana, self-peeling banana Botanic name: Musa velutina Description...
Red Passionfruit Rosemary Galatis of Adelaide wrote to Burke’s Backyard to say that she loved the red passionfruit plant, but that she hadn’t been able to buy one in her local area. On a recent trip to South Australia, Don visited Rosemary and presented...
Rondeletia Once a common garden plant, Rondeletia amoena is rarely seen nowadays. Peter Valder thinks that is a pity, because this hardy, Central American native produces a wonderful display of salmon-pink flowers every spring. Plant details Common name: Rondeletia...
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...
Shade Plants Many gardeners have difficulty growing plants in moist, shady spots. Don visited Bronte House in Sydney, and looked at a group of plants that have been used very effectively in a semi-shaded part of the garden (see list below). They include some indoor...
Cacti and other succulents are water-storing plants, so they are ideal for busy people who don’t have much time to spend in the garden watering. Succulents have a number of features, or modifications, which enable them to survive in deserts, on rocks and in the...
Succulent Garden Suzie Forge is an interior decorator who loves colour and texture. She has put her decorating skills to good use in her small Melbourne courtyard, which has been ‘furnished’ with a variety of colourful succulents and cacti. Suzie has used...
New Seedlings & Bloomers Large-sized seedling punnets are now available at your local nursery. You’ll pay more per plant than buying a standard punnet (which normally sell for around $3.50-$4.50 and have six, eight or more plants), but a lot less than the...