Japanese Apricot Prunus mume has several confusing common names, including Japanese apricot and flowering plum. Actually it is a native of China and it is an apricot, not a plum. This delicate plant has entered into the culture of China in a way that no plant has...
The word Acmena actually comes from the Greek, and it means bountiful or buxom, referring to the flowers and fruit produced by members of the genus. Commonly known as lillypillys, they are handsome rainforest trees native to Australia and south-east Asia. Acmena...
One of the most delightful things about life is the changing of the seasons. First the winter, with those hearty soups and the crackling and flaming of an open fire. In the spring life is renewed, with all the birds building their nests and fresh leaves appearing on...
Japonica camellias are the best known and most popular camellias grown in gardens today. Not only do they produce beautiful flowers in the depths of winter when everything else is bare, but they also have glossy evergreen foliage. With few pests or diseases to bother...
If you like Australian native plants, and particularly if you like attracting native birds to your backyard, then she oaks are plants well worth considering for your garden. She oaks come in a variety of sizes – from ground cover, through to shrub, small and...
Don’s Best Indoor Figs Indoor plants can add enormous beauty to your home, as well as giving it a natural, relaxed feel. One of the most fashionable plants in Australia at the moment is Ficus benjamina, the weeping fig. Although it is a rainforest giant in its...
Named after the 17th century Italian botanist Pietro Antonio Micheli, michelias are a small genus of trees and shrubs from southern Asia and the foothills of the Himalayas. They belong to the Magnoliaceae family along with their close relatives the magnolias, but...
A few weeks ago on Burke’s Backyard we featured a lovely ornamental variety of pomegranate called ‘Legrelliae’ (Punica granatum ‘Legrelliae’). It has very attractive double salmon/scarlet flowers with a white edge to each petal, and like...
Prunus ‘Okame’ Don looked at an attractive hybrid cherry. Prunus ‘Okame’ is a cross between P. campanulata and P. incisa. Plant details Common name: Okame cherry Botanic name: Prunus ‘Okame’ Description: A hardy deciduous tree,...
Prunus x blireana One of the best spring blossom trees, Prunus x blireana is a cross between the Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) and the purple-leaved plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’). Plant details Common name: Purple-leafed Plum Botanic name: Prunus x...