This has to be one of the best foliage plants that I grow. It is a Raspberry (or Blackberries) relative which makes suckering clumps of bamboo like stems up to 3metres tall. Its compound palmate leaves are beautifully pleated with a silvery reverse and evergreen. It likes moist semi-shade and can make large colonies if …
Apparently the name of this plant at least for now. I brought it in to Australia without the nigra bit in its name. What ever you call it it is a great hardy suckering deciduous shrub to 3metres with heads of tiny white scented flowers in late spring and early summer that can be over …
There are some plants out there that will always attract attention and this has to be one! It is a member of the same Genus as those furry little Kiwi fruit that have become indispensable on a pavlova. But it is for its amazing variegated leaves that you grow this plant. The variegation rarely presents …
One of the highlights of spring has to be the Pearl Bush (Exochorda) with its pearl like flower buds opening to a mass of pure white blossom. It is a hardy deciduous shrub to 3 or 4 metres that is cold hardy and sun tolerant and will in fact grow well in almost any sunny …
The flowering Quinces or as they are often known “Japonicas” are a group of extremely hardy more or less deciduous shrubs with late winter flowers that are elegant as free standing shrubs or fantastic as hedges. The flowers in a vase can make you look like an expert flower arranger! Any aspect that isn’t soggy …
This amazing perennial comes from the Canary Islands and is one of the tallest of the Genus that in flower can reach 3 to 4metres tall. Its foliage comes up in winter and looks like Fennel on steroides and in fact they are commonly called Giant Fennel and where the botanical name comes from. The …
Flowering Currants are usually hardy shrubs and perhaps a little old fashioned in the eyes of some although the Honeyeaters seem to still love them. The above species from California is however something quite different with its spiny arching stems and pendant scarlet tubular flowers in late winter and early spring. It is drought tolerant …
The Crazy Filbert has to be one of the best conversation piece plants you could have in your garden especially for its winter effect. It will eventually become a large shrub and its main claim to fame are the twisted contorted branches which in late winter are festooned with pale yellow catkins. No one can …
The Japanese Paper Daphne as it is commonly called is a deciduous shrub to a couple of metres with clusters of scented yellow flowers with white furry outsides to the trumpet. It is a dome shaped shrub for light shade or morning sun in well drained soil and looks a treat with dark Hellebores, Trilliums …
Weeping maples of all sorts add beauty and an oriental look to any garden without the need to install a Japanese lantern or a statue of Buddha! Most are grafted onto standards of various heights and don’t usually grow much taller. Usually ending up like a large open umbrella. They make great tub specimens, look …