Heliotrope or cherry pie (Heliotrope arborescens) is an evergreen shrub from tropical Peru. It grows to around 1m (3′) tall and 1.5m (5′) wide. The foliage is dark green and crinkled, with golden (‘Aurea’) or purple leaved (‘Lord...
The Hibiscus Although widely known as Hawaiian hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was probably native to Southern China and south-east Asia, then spread to the Pacific Islands long before Europeans reached that part of the world. Today it is very popular as an...
Don looked at holly, a native of Europe, north Africa and western Asia. In the Northern Hemisphere holly is associated with Christmas time, because it produces bright red berries around December. In the Southern Hemisphere the berries are produced between May and...
You may remember about two years ago on Burke’s Backyard we did a tremendously popular courtyard makeover using blue metal dust (also known as crusher dust or quarry sand), an inexpensive but very classy looking material. The stark white of the buildings was...
Blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) is not a true ginger, but it has ginger-like, arching stems and vibrant, purple/blue flowers in autumn. This exotic Brazilian perennial is the perfect plant for moist, shady spots in the garden and looks particularly good teamed...
Olive Trevor first started collecting bromeliads 20 years ago. Bromeliads were very hard to buy in those days, so Olive began to import and propagate them. Her hobby became a thriving business, and today she sells her bromeliads all over Australia. Olive goes to the...
If you want a bright, happy, tropical-style garden but you don’t live in the tropics, think about planting canna lilies. Cannas are undergoing a new wave of popularity now that warm colours and bold foliage are back in style. In our segment Don visited canna...
Camellias are amongst the world’s best flowering plants. They are hardy and disease resistant, most varieties have attractive, glossy green foliage, and they put on their fabulous flower display in the cooler months of the year when the rest of the garden often...
One of the best things about winter in Australia is the fragrance of daphne in flower. Winter daphne (Daphne odora) originally came from China. As well as the green-leafed variety with pink and white flowers, there is also one with a creamy yellow border to the leaf...
Don looked at some of the plants that produce their perfume through the summer months. Perfume adds atmosphere and a wonderful feeling of romance to any garden. The next time you visit your local nursery, think about buying some fragrant plants. Roses (Rosa sp.) Roses...