The ghost bramble isn’t for every gardener but quite a few plants I grow would fit under the same title. After all not every body wants a prickly suckering shrub but having said that how many of your have a Rugosa Rose? This plant will make a cluster of arching stems to about 1.5metres tall …
This has to be one of the most desirable small trees for its bark and autumnal colour so why don’t we see it more? The answer could be that seedling raised plants take two years to germinate and the seed has about one percent viability! It is also only recently that a compatible understock has …
The name may not be familiar but it is a plant of great merit in the garden. It is evergreen with long leathery leaves. It is a self clinging climber that can grow to the top of almost any support and then stop. It has honey scented heads of fluffy flowers in summer and it …
This small winter growing tuberous perennial was until recently known as Ranunculus ficaria ‘Cupreus’ if you are wondering! It comes up with its green leaves that are marbled with grey and centrally blotched which bronze in mid winter and quite soon after it produces its soft orange buttercups that will continue to erupt until the first warm …
Of all the woodland plants that one could grow this Genus must be the creme del a creme with their stunning flowers and wonderful foliage and I guess the only down side is the remarkably slow growth rate of most of them!! This is the first time after about 15 years of having this particular …
At this time of year when the last autumn leaves are shedding I start to notice some of the more subtle plants around the garden and this is definitely one of them. It is an evergreen perennial or sub-shrub grown basically for its pretty chocolate foliage. The flowers are small and the same colour as …
This Genus has to be up there with the worlds best autumn colour and this form of Tupelo as they are commonly called (I hate it when common names are harder than botanical ones!) has to be one of the best. It was a seedling selected at Yamina Rare Plants at Monbulk many years ago …
We all know about the Maiden Hair tree, the Wollemi Pine of its time. Known only from fossils in coal and found throughout the world imagine the amazement when the real thing was found in China. What is often not known is that the Gingko is a conifer relative even though it hardly looks like …
If there was ever a plant that should be planted under the bedroom window this is it. I would certainly stop anyone from escaping that way! It is a large shrub with almost no foliage but with green winged and seriously spiny branches which have given it the names of Anchor Plant and Crucifix Plant. …
We can never have enough tough shade tolerant shrubs that can also take it dry and with this in mind I imported this bizarre cross between Mahonia aquifolia and Berberis sargentii in 2003, so I thought it about time I promoted it! It will grow to about 1.5metres each way with stems erupting from ground …