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A landscaping trend over the past few years is for happy, strong colours in gardens. After years of a vogue for soft pastel tones in garden plants, the mood is now more adventurous so you can enjoy vibrant, strong colours and be fashionable. Camellias are often...
‘Gay Baby’ is a cross between the hybrid camellias ‘Ruby Bells’ and ‘Tiny Princess’. It flowers from around early June to about mid September. Plant details Common name: Gay Baby Botanic name: Camellia ‘Gay Baby’...
Abutilons (Abutilon x hybridum) are commonly known as Chinese lanterns, because they have pendulous, lantern-shaped flowers. These beautiful evergreen shrubs grow from 2-3 metres (6-10′) tall, and have attractive, maple-like leaves and a wispy, delicate form....
A horticultural survivor from Ancient Greek and Roman times, Acanthus mollis is one of the great garden plants. It was so highly regarded in the ancient world that a motif shaped like an acanthus leaf was used to decorate the tops of Corinthian columns. Plant details...
This showy climber from tropical America is very popular in warm climate gardens, where it is often seen growing on fences, walls and pergolas. It produces large, stunning yellow flowers over several months of the year. The genus name commemorates Dr. Frederic...
Evergreen foliage plants are wonderful in the garden, because they give you stunning colour all year round. Many plants with brilliantly coloured leaves belong to the family Amaranthaceae. They include the popular bloodleaf (Iresine herbstii) with its bright red...
Coordinating the colours in your garden can sometimes be difficult. Don looked at a soft blue and apricot colour combination that works beautifully: the small perennial wallflower ‘Apricot Twist’ planted with a plumbago called ‘Royal Cape’....
The sound of running water is wonderful to have in a garden. The downside is that water features are difficult to fit together, they sometimes leak and they can be a nightmare to maintain. The pillar fountain shown in our segment is a very attractive solution to the...
Water is wonderful in the garden, but many people simply don’t have the space for waterfalls, lakes or large water features. In our segment Don showed that where space is limited, it’s still possible to have a water garden in pots. Pot preparation Choose pots without...
If you want to make a difference to the environment it is critical to have some local native plants in your garden. Don planted she oaks in his garden to attract native birds. They have woody, barrel-shaped cones containing winged seeds, which birds like glossy black...