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These beautiful plants have a botanical name that is difficult to pronounce: schlumbergera. They are named after Frédéric Schlumberger, a collector of cacti who lived in a château near Rouen in France in the mid-nineteenth century. Although they are cacti, they are...
There are hundreds of species of bauhinia, and they all have characteristic orchid-like flowers and 2-lobed leaves. Many of the commonly grown bauhinias come from China, where they are known as sheep’s foot trees, because each leaf looks just like the cloven...
The Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria, where it can be found in scattered stands at elevations of 1,000 to 2,500 metres. With a different growth habit to the parent plant, the blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica...
Flowers provide a temporary splash of colour in the garden, but foliage plants will give you colour all year round. There are many beautiful conifers which have blue foliage, including some dwarf varieties. They create a stunning and very classy look in the garden,...
Cornelian Cherry Although the flower display of Cornus mas, the cornelian cherry, is not as spectacular as some of its popular relatives, Peter Valder thinks this species is well worth planting. It’s one of the few trees which flower in a cold climate in the...
Crepe Myrtle Don received a letter from a viewer in Donnybrook, Western Australia, who has grown one of the biggest crepe myrtles ever. This huge tree is about 10m (35′) high! Normally crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) grow as shrubs from 1-3m (3-10′)...
Cycads Cycads are ancient seed plants dating back over 200 million years. In the Jurassic Period cycad-like plants dominated world vegetation, which is why this era is sometimes referred to as ‘The Age of Cycads’. However, through the centuries cycads have...
Autumn is perhaps the best time of the year. That’s when clear, gentle days are filled with the russets, golds, scarlets, crimsons and the purples of all those wonderful autumn leaves. The cooler areas of Australia are the best for autumn colour – Perth,...
Fiddlewood The fiddlewood is a lovely West Indian native tree grown for its attractive foliage and fragrant flowers. Both the genus name citharexylum (from the Greek – kithara, lyre, and xylon, wood) and the common name of fiddlewood refer to the use of the...
Standard Roses Roses are probably the world’s most popular plants, which is not surprising when you consider that they come in a fantastic range of colours, shapes and forms, and many have beautiful perfumes. The way roses are being used in gardens has changed...