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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...
This curious Mexican succulent makes an ideal hanging basket specimen for a hot, sunny balcony. It will thrive on neglect, even if you go on holidays or forget to water it for weeks at a time. Hanging baskets of Donkey’s Tails, each with a cover like a Chinese...
Dwarf Murraya Murrayas are evergreen shrubs from south-east Asia and Australia. They produce fragrant, creamy white flowers in abundance in spring then again in late summer or early autumn, and also after heavy rain. They have glossy green foliage and a dense,...
Dwarf Sacred Bamboo This plant is not a bamboo but a dwarf form of Nandina domestica, which grows naturally in Japan, China and south-east Asia through to eastern India. This little shrub is very tough and hardy – it almost seems to thrive on neglect! Plant...
Edgeworthia This unusual and interesting plant is closely related to the daphne, and has clusters of perfumed flowers which look similar except they’re yellow. Its tough bark is used in Japan for making Washi, a fine quality hand-made paper, and an insecticide...
Cymbidium orchids are grown for their flamboyant and colourful flowers. The climate in most capital cities is suited to growing cymbidium orchids in a sheltered, shady area. This sets them apart from many of the more tender, tropical orchids such as slipper orchids...
Peter Valder is particularly fond of the williamsii camellias. These are hybrids between Camellia japonica and a wild camellia from Western China, Camellia saluenensis. They are named after John Charles Williams, who planted seeds of C. saluenensis in his Cornwall...
Don looks at one of his all time favourite camellias, ‘Yuletide’. In Australia this plant produces stunning red flowers from March to July, but in the northern hemisphere its flower display coincides with the Christmas season. Plant details Common name:...
Abutilons or Chinese lanterns are closely related to hibiscus, and most of the hundred or so species have pendulous, hibiscus-like flowers. Cultivars produced by hybridising some of the South American abutilons have all been placed in one group known as Abutilon x...