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Pieris, also known as lily-of-the-valley shrub, is a charming and versatile plant for the cooler zones of Australia. One of the most popular varieties is ‘Christmas Cheer’, a shrub which grows 1-2m (3-6′) tall and has delicate, icing pink flowers. In...
Pink Trumpet Vine Surprisingly, the pink trumpet vine has been out of fashion in Australian gardens for a long time. As well as pink trumpet vine, this showy plant is also commonly known as Port St. John creeper, after its place of origin in South Africa. Its genus...
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...
About Orchids When people talk about orchids they usually mean the common cymbidium orchid, which is often used in corsages and flower arrangements. However, there are over 20,000 species of orchids, and they make up the largest of all the plant families. Many...
Gymea lilies are spectacular Australian native plants with large, compact heads of nectar filled red flowers atop tall, thick stems. Most Australian natives resent being transplanted, but Gymea lilies can be dug up, moved and planted bare rooted. Don looked at a...
Hebes Hebes are native to the Southern Hemisphere, principally New Zealand. They are mostly evergreen, low growing shrubs to around 1m (3′) tall. They have dense, handsome foliage (sometimes variegated) and attractive flower spikes in colours ranging from white...
Hibiscus Most people think of hibiscus as those lovely tropical looking flowers from the South Pacific that are tucked behind one ear or the other, depending on your availability! In fact several hibiscus species are native to China, and when it comes to...
Few plants equal hippeastrums when it comes to a cheerful, flamboyant display in the garden. They are big, bold and brassy, and they come in a dazzling range of colours. However, many gardeners make the mistake of planting just one hippie, or a few small clumps....
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...