Category Archives: Collector Plants

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  Vitis coignetiae

  Posted on December 6, 2018 by stephenryan in autumn colour, Climbing plants, Collector Plants, Foliage plants, shade tolerant

  The Chinese Glory Vine has huge heavily viewed leaves that turn glorious colours in autumn and is a first rate climber to cover pergolas and fences. it gives an exuberant almost tropical meets the Mediterranean! Can grow to 20 metres long and do it fairly fast in a well drained but not too dry aspect. […]

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  ampelopsis aconitifolia

  Posted on December 1, 2018 by stephenryan in autumn colour, berries, Climbing plants, Collector Plants, Foliage plants

  A Chinese deciduous climber in the grapevine family that makes an ideal plant to grow on an obelisk or post as it isn’t too vigorous. It is grown principally for its lovely leaves that turn yellow in autumn although its clusters of multicoloured berries are lovely in autumn. any sunny to semi shaded aspect with […]

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  Clethra fargesii

  Posted on November 17, 2018 by stephenryan in autumn colour, beautiful bark, Collector Plants, Deciduous, Good for cutting, scented, shade tolerant, Shrubs, winter interest

  This large Chinese shrub can reach 4metres each way and if you have the right aspect and enough space it certainly pays its way! Its white lily of the valley style flowers are produced in midsummer and are beautifully fragrant with a musky scent. the dead flowers hang like copper bangles and the autumn foliage […]

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  Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’

  Posted on October 27, 2018 by stephenryan in autumn colour, Collector Plants, Deciduous, Good for cutting

  This pink flowered version of the Asian dogwood will slowly grow into a small deciduous tree to 4metres or so with flat tiers of branches on top of which sit the soft pink starry flowers in early summer. the Asian species don’t get the nasty Anthrachnose disease that attracts the North American forms and so […]

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  Rubus cockburnianus

  Posted on July 28, 2018 by stephenryan in beautiful bark, Collector Plants, Deciduous, Shrubs, winter interest

  It is not every nursery owner that would recommend a Blackberry to their clients, but I am not every nursery owner! The Ghost Bramble is a thicket making arching shrub with grey green leaves and small white flowers which really comes into its own in winter when the plant is bare and its white coated […]

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  Puya mirabilis

  Posted on July 18, 2018 by stephenryan in Collector Plants, drought tolerant, evergreen, Foliage plants, Good Pot Plant, Perennials, winter interest

  The Genus comes from Central and southern America and is in the pineapple family but unlike many of the Genera Puya is a cool to cold climate group and so are ideal in gardens in southern Australia. most are frighteningly spiny often with recurved spikes that will let you in but not let you out! […]

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  Oxalis flava

  Posted on July 6, 2018 by stephenryan in bulbs, Collector Plants, winter interest

  This complex species conglomerate consists of various coloured flower forms as well as different leaf types that are often so different from each other that it seems hard to reconcile them all as a single species when so many Galanthus as an example look so similar and yet are given species status. Be that as it may […]

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  Dendriopoterium menendezii

  Posted on April 4, 2018 by stephenryan in beautiful bark, Collector Plants, drought tolerant, evergreen, Foliage plants, self seeds, Shrubs, winter interest

  This mouthful of a name belongs to a very hardy evergreen shrub from the Canary Islands that grows to a couple of metres tall and wide. It has an open framework of branches with coppery bark and it produces spikes of tiny pink flowers with green sepals in spring. It is however for its attractive […]

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  Ampelopsis aconitifolia

  Posted on March 26, 2018 by stephenryan in autumn colour, berries, Climbing plants, Collector Plants, Deciduous, drought tolerant, Foliage plants

  This rarely used deciduous vine from China is one of my favourite foliage climbers with its deeply cut bright green leaves it always makes a statement. It flowers are tiny and of no consequence but the tiny orange berries are pretty. The leaves turn yellow before shedding. I grow it on a metal tripod that […]

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  Mahonia gracilipes

  Posted on February 19, 2018 by stephenryan in berries, Collector Plants, drought tolerant, evergreen, Foliage plants, Good Pot Plant, shade tolerant, Shrubs, winter interest

  This is definitely the exception to the rule when it comes to this Genus. It is summer flowering instead of autumn winter as with most others, and isn’t yellow! An extremely slow growing evergreen shrub from China that was described in 1887 but only got to Australia via me in 1998 or there about. This […]

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