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Although not very well known in Australia, Spathoglottis plicata is the most common terrestrial (ground dwelling) orchid in Singapore, where it is often used for landscaping. There are two species of spathoglottis in Australia, and they belong to a group of over 40...
Spring flowers Many plants are starting to flower now that spring is in the air. Don looked at Grevillea ‘Little Miss Muffet’. It is a hybrid between G. sericea and G. speciosa, and has very pretty pink spider-like flower clusters. The native...
Standard Azaleas Azaleas are among the most popular flowering shrubs in the world, and are a feature of many spring gardens. There are thousands of varieties and most of them do well when grown in pots. However, when planted in the garden some azalea varieties are...
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...
Brunfelsias are evergreen shrubs from tropical America. There are about 30 species, all with tubular flowers which change colour over successive days. The most popular species in Australian gardens is Brunfelsia pauciflora, commonly called Yesterday, Today and...
Market Day Every month, wholesale nurserymen put together a selection of the most attractive and interesting plants they have for sale, and take them to market. The growers set to work displaying their plants at first light, ready to sell and take orders from retail...
Mexican sage Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha) is a cottage-style plant with beautiful silver green foliage, and furry white and purple flowers. It grows from creeping rhizomes under the ground, and forms a clump about 1m (3′) tall. Unlike other salvias, this one...
Monstera Up Tree Don came across a Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa) growing in a turpentine tree. Turpentines (Syncarpia glomulifera) are related to gum trees. Their timber has a high silica content making it resistant to marine borers, and so it has...
Equatorial Foliage Plants Don and the Burke’s Backyard team travelled to Cairns to meet Dr. Arden Dearden, who has one of the most wonderful collections of tropical plants anywhere in Australia. Arden’s interest in plants started years ago when he was at...
Murraya (Murraya paniculata) This evergreen shrub from south-east Asia grows to around 3m (10′) tall. Its genus name commemorates Dr. Johann Murray, an eighteenth-century Swedish botanist. Murrayas, along with such plants as choisya and citrus, belong to the...