I have a love hate relationship with Lilacs I love the flowers but in general hate the bush. They are one week wonders and scruffy for most of the time. Sorry if I have offended anyone! What I would like is to have friends with lots of well established bushes that would kindly give me …
If you want a truly rare and exquisite plant it would be hard to find a better one. This species hails from a small area in Libya and is actually easier to grow than most of the books would have you believe. Its flowers are produced in autumn and are the only ones in the …
I love Liquidambars for all sorts of reasons. They are tough and have not only done remarkably well through the long years of drought but also came up with flying colours (quite literally!) after the very wet summer we had a couple of years back when Cherries and Smoke bushes drowned. They will colour in …
This stunning large tree from Japan and China is rarely seen or planted in Australia and I guess that it would be all but impossible to grow in most districts due to heat but anyone who lives in the cooler hill station parts of Australia should consider getting one (or several for a copse or …
They can’t get much daintier than the autumn snowflake! Once included in Leucojum this tiny bulb will suddenly erupt out of the ground as the days shorten and if in large enough clumps will be quite telling in a rock garden or ornamental pot. A small clump will soon become a good sized one and …
Winter is just round the corner and what better time to consider and plant something that will give colour and joy in the late winter? This tall arching shrub exudes elegance with its soft green hazel nut like leaves that turn yellow in autumn and it is even better in late winter when its drooping …
This climbing relative of the humble grape vine has it all in my humble opinion so why haven’t you planted it yet? Its summer foliage is a rich green with a burgundy reverse (you always see the back through the window so it is important). If it is growing in semi to full shade the …
Yes I know I’ve done this Genus twice before but I promise this will be the last time unless I find some more cold hardy species! This one is a suckering shrub up to 1.5metres tall in my climate and it will wander quite a distance (you have now been warned!) but it wouldn’t stop …
The autumn is on the way and before long the leaves will start to turn so don’t be left out make sure you have some lovely Japanese maples in you garden. Even a tiny plot or a cool balcony would be enough for this restrained cultivar so there are no excuses! It will slowly make …
It is a shame that the Australian weed assessment people decided to ban almost the whole willow Genus instead of doing the assessments one at a time as many benign species are now banned. Was it expediency or worse “the more you ban the more important your job is seen to be!” One willow that has …