Really good gardeners have one thing in common. They all love having that one plant that you can’t have. The Pride of China (Koelreuteria bipinnata) is a classic example of it and certainly a tree to be proud of. This deciduous tree from China and Taiwan is...
Cool Climate Palms and Ferns Palms and ferns are often associated with tropical climates but ‘Burke’s Backyard’ recently looked at some palms and ferns which can grow in colder areas. Palms for cool climates Dwarf sugar palm (Arenga engleri): A small...
Surprisingly, this beautiful Australian rainforest native is not as popular as it deserves to be. It is a member of the family Proteaceae, which includes grevilleas, banksias and waratahs. The tree is fairly slow growing and may not flower for seven or eight years,...
In spring this small native tree is almost smothered in creamy yellow, frangipani-like flowers with a strong heady fragrance. Plant details Common name: Native frangipani Botanical name: Hymenosporum flavum Description: Evergreen tree to about 10m (30′) tall in...
To many people a garden is an oasis, a place where they can escape the stress of busy lives, and just relax. If there’s one plant in particular which evokes memories of holidays, tropical beaches, and gives that calm, peaceful, rainforest sort of feel to the...
A wonderful plant for an architectural or a structural effect in the garden is the humble pencil pine, or Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. Sricta). It is an evergreen tree to around 20 metres (60′) tall, with an upright, columnar form and dense dark...
A native of the wet tropical rainforests between Townsville and Cooktown, the graceful roly poly satinash is an outstanding ornamental plant. It has glorious weeping foliage highlighted by flushes of red to pink new growth for most of the year. Like most lilly pillies...
Scribbly gums are spectacular Australian trees with smooth, whitish yellow bark. The bark has a prominent feature which puzzles many people – strange looking ‘scribbles’ resembling some form of mysterious, ancient writing. The zigzag tracks are...
Camellias are wonderful flowering shrubs for the garden, but they also have many other uses. They can be shaped into topiaries, standards or espaliers, and they can even be grown as ground covers. At the moment standardised camellias are very fashionable, but...
Until recently if you wanted a flowering gum tree you had to just go out and buy one and hope for the best. Sometimes the flowers turned out red and other times pink, but quite often it was an insipid white which you didn’t really want anyway. The good news is...