STEPHEN'S BLOG
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Atropa belladonna
Yes this is the feared deadly nightshade but you have to eat it!!!!! If we only knew how many poisonous plants we have in the garden and let it worry us we would probably stop gardening. If the kiddies are a worry then train them to eat things that come in punnets. This plant is
Stephen Ryan
Dysosma pleianthum
This handsome perennial comes from the cool forests of central and south eastern China and is a great addition to a shaded aspect in the garden or as a tub specimen. It is mainly about leaves which come up in spring and can still be telling in the autumn. They are huge plate like affairs
Stephen Ryan
Vitis coignetiae
Of all the plants in the grape vine family this Asian species with the appropriate common name of Glory Vine has to take the cake. It can grow huge if allowed to have its own way but can be trained and pruned like the domestic grapevine making it ideal to cover senses or grow over
Stephen Ryan
Greyia sutherlandii
This hardy South African shrub grows to about 3metres over time, is deciduous in colder climates and has its spikes of brilliant red flowers for months during the spring. The leaves are large and bright green looking very like those of a zonal pelargonium, what some would still call a geranium. The shrub itself has
Stephen Ryan
Hamamelis intermedia ‘Pallida’
This amazing Genus of deciduous and mainly winter flowering shrubs are a joy in any sheltered garden in the cooler climates. I have a specimen of ‘Pallida’ in my nursery display garden that was planted in 1986 and it is now about 4metres tall and with its spreading horizontal branches at least 6metres across. I
Stephen Ryan
Polylepis pauta
The evergreen small tree is native to the Andes mountains and is the highest altitude woody plant in the world! It is also in the Rosaceae family and its leaves look remarkably like large glossy versions of our native burr Acaena. It will eventually grow into a small knarled specimen 4 or 5metres tall and
Stephen Ryan
Cyclamen cilicium
This charming little species is rarely grown in Australia and for no god reason as it is hardy, showy and self seeds well in a semi-shaded aspect in Southern Australia. Perhaps as it is autumnal in flower it is overlooked for the more common species of C. hederifolium which is better known and also worth
Stephen Ryan
Halimium ocymoides
This may or may not stay as a Halimium as I have heard that it may be dumped into Cistus which does seem logical. What ever it is it is a great evergreen (or perhaps evergrey) ground cover shrub for a sunny well drained site. It will grow to about 60cms. tall by up to
Stephen Ryan
Phymosia umbellata
This Hibiscus relative from Mexico is commonly called a Bush Mallow and has turned out to be a complete winner in my cool climate garden at Macedon. It has proven to be cold resistant and certainly drought and heat tolerant as one might expect and has grown to an upright shrub of 4metres in only
Stephen Ryan
Callicarpa japonica
The Genus is a smallish one and usually this species is missing from gardens and I think it is a shame. It is a fairly hardy quick growing deciduous shrub to about 2metres and as the name suggests comes from Japan as well as Korea and China. In summer it produces clusters of tiny fluffy
Stephen Ryan