The Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria, where it can be found in scattered stands at elevations of 1,000 to 2,500 metres. With a different growth habit to the parent plant, the blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica...
Flowers provide a temporary splash of colour in the garden, but foliage plants will give you colour all year round. There are many beautiful conifers which have blue foliage, including some dwarf varieties. They create a stunning and very classy look in the garden,...
Cornelian Cherry Although the flower display of Cornus mas, the cornelian cherry, is not as spectacular as some of its popular relatives, Peter Valder thinks this species is well worth planting. It’s one of the few trees which flower in a cold climate in the...
Crepe Myrtle Don received a letter from a viewer in Donnybrook, Western Australia, who has grown one of the biggest crepe myrtles ever. This huge tree is about 10m (35′) high! Normally crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) grow as shrubs from 1-3m (3-10′)...
Cycads Cycads are ancient seed plants dating back over 200 million years. In the Jurassic Period cycad-like plants dominated world vegetation, which is why this era is sometimes referred to as ‘The Age of Cycads’. However, through the centuries cycads have...
Autumn is perhaps the best time of the year. That’s when clear, gentle days are filled with the russets, golds, scarlets, crimsons and the purples of all those wonderful autumn leaves. The cooler areas of Australia are the best for autumn colour – Perth,...
Fiddlewood The fiddlewood is a lovely West Indian native tree grown for its attractive foliage and fragrant flowers. Both the genus name citharexylum (from the Greek – kithara, lyre, and xylon, wood) and the common name of fiddlewood refer to the use of the...
Flowering Gums In Don’s opinion, ‘Summer Beauty’ and ‘Summer Red’ are the best flowering gum trees ever released. These plants were specially bred for the home garden. They are hybrids between the West Australian red-flowering gum...
Flowering Peaches The flowering peach, Prunus persica, was thought to have originated in Persia, hence its species name ‘persica’. However, it has long been the subject of Chinese poetry, art and tradition, and may well have been brought into cultivation...
Fringed Wattle When wattles start to flower it’s a sure sign that spring is not too far away! Some of the wattles in Don’s garden are flowering now, including the fringed wattle (Acacia fimbriata). This is a bushy Australian native shrub or small...