Gardening and growing great plants.

New Release Loropetalum Plum Gorgeous.

Loropetalum chinense 'Plum Gorgeous'        
Height: 1.5m           Spread: up to 2m

We have had a look at this plant for nearly six months now. The growers at PGA had told us that this is the deepest and darkest coloured foliage of any Loropetalum on the market, and retains its colour all year round. It's interesting that this fact is seen as a greater attribute than the hot pink tasseled flowers it has through the spring and summer. Maybe foliage is the new flower when it comes to colour.

 

Plum Georgeous is the one on the right, with an unnamed variety on the left. Note the different leaf shape. This was not a scientific comparison, and the plant on the left has been in the garden for nearly a year. It will be interesting to see Plum Gorgeous in the same situation.

Our test plant has been planted in a large square vanilla ceramic pot and its contrasting deep crimson leaf colour makes them a great combo. Obviously the plant will stay smaller in the pot, but it will be interesting in a couple of years to see how it does develop in size. It certainly appears naturally bushy and compact.

The Loropetalums can take some shade, are hardy, and may require a light trim occasionally. It can even be informally hedged or mass planted in large 'parks and gardens' type areas. You could splash one or two nicely through a contemporary garden, maybe part of an underplanting of a larger tree.

Once established, water requirements are minimal, but mulch well in summer and do not allow the plant to dry out. Fertilise occasionally including after flowering and try shaping it if you are so inclined.

All in all a flexible plant with some showy features. Available at the nursery right now.

 

New release flowering plants from PGA.

 

PGA known as Plant Growers Australia, have released two new plants for Spring 2010. As far as I know they will be available in Vic, NSW, ACT and SA. Of course check with your local nursery before going to one of those big box stores because you are much more likely to find plants from this grower in a proper retail nursery.

Problem Ivy has just got to be removed.

You know I don't think I have ever lived in a house where there hasn't been a little corner of the garden that this wretched ivy doesn't grow. It just seems to weasel its way in from the neighbours and is innocuous for a while. Its not until you walk around with that cup of tea in your hand that "hey there's a little bit of ivy growing over here". On closer inspection, that little bit of ivy is 'annus horribulously ' much more widespread than firt appeared. And look up - you bozo ! It has actually climbed this tree and is out of control. What the....... that cup of tea is immediately placed down and the gloves are put on as warrior gardener is about to cull this plant right now, although somehow I think it is already saying to me. "I'll be back".

July in a Melbourne garden.

It’s the very middle of winter. Naked trees and heavily clothed humans abound. There is crispness in the air that feels like someone has left a big fridge door open. The plants are at their most dormant and the birds and bees are just trying to survive. Frosty lawns sparkle and days turn to night well before the 6 o’clock news. Summer is but a dream away and singlets under shirts are a must for chilled businessman waiting at train stations. Yes it is the very middle of winter but there is lots happening underneath this dormant facade.

 

This magnolia shows an abundance of little signs of what are ahead. (25-07-2010)

Fruiting Fig Trees In Pots

By Dennis Ting

In the nursery a common question I am asked is what is a good fruit tree to grow in a pot that will also produce a useful yield.  While we have a good range of Dwarf Peaches and Nectarines (Trixzie), Apples (Ballerina) and Pinkabelle and Pear (Pipsqueak). I believe a forgotten fruit is the Fig Tree. 

Many people are afraid to plant fig trees in the ground due to the vigorous growth and massive size and a reputation for a vigorous root system.  Then at harvest time it is almost impossible to pick on a daily basis the ripening figs on the tall branches and beat the birds.

Hortivations at Ball Australia

by James Wall

 

Hortivations is an industry only event for businesses involved with and related to horticulture. It has been going for a few years now and is one of the premier events in the Australian horticultural calender. The thing people seem to like about it is that it is a fun event and a great place to catch up with whats going on. There is everything from new plants to new potting machines, but more than anything, it is a place of new ideas. Its a bit of fun, and we need that.

Red Hot Poker stokes my fire.

Kniphofia - Red Hot Poker - (Kniphofia Hybrid Cultivar)

There are nearly 70 species in this genus (Asphodelaceae). They are South African clump forming perennials that increase in size each year.

A July garden in Melbourne

The gleditsia tree is barren – there is not a leaf on it. The pruned roses are looking naked, and the unpruned roses are a dishevelled mess.  Deep into winter, the garden is at its most minimalist. It is a distinct season but beneath its bitter cold, there is beauty. The days may be shorter, but we are now past the shortest of them, and gradually they will get longer – and then the earth will wake, the birds will begin to sing and new growth will flood our eyes. This is the time to let your senses explore every corner of your winter garden.

Norfolk Island Pines on a wintery Elwood beach

 

Tassel Ferns - rare and coveted.

A couple of weeks ago we had a call from one of Jamie Durie's team members who had been ringing all over Melbourne trying to get a particular plant to use in their display at Design Expo. She had almost given up trying but apparently Jamie had insisted that he "had to have them" for the display. That's when we got the the call, and just by fluke, we had got our annual delivery in just 3 days before ! The plants are called Tassel Ferns and not only are they rare, they are extrordinarily beautiful.

Tassel ferns date back millions of years according to fossil records. They belong to the Family Lycopodiacae in which  there are only 200 species worldwide. Some of those belong to the genus Huperzia which comprises terrestrial species and a unique group of epiphytes that are known as Tassel Ferns. The exact number of Australian species is difficult to determine as little research has been carried out but there are about 17.

An epiphyte is a plant that grows above the ground, supported nonparasitically by another plant or object, and deriving its nutrients and water from rain, the air, dust, etc.

Universal Gardens

by Peter Green      

When I am asked by customers to give advice and suggestions regarding the choosing of drought tolerant plants, they are often surprised by the wide range on offer. Some are natives. Some are not. There is a good variety of native plants that do well in and around Melbourne. There is also a huge range of environmentally friendly exotics (non-natives) that do better than some natives. Usually because their place of origin is a lot more similar to Melbourne's climate than, say, a Sturt Desert Pea which although native, comes from a climate much different to ours, and does not grow well here.