Category: Evergreen
RECENT POSTS
BROWSE CATEGORIES
Haloragis erecta ‘Wellington Bronze’
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
Stephen Ryan
Colletia paradoxa
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.
Stephen Ryan
x Mahoberberis aquisargentii
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
Stephen Ryan
Viburnum henryi
The Genus Viburnum is a remarkable one with a huge diversity of uses and features. In fact you could have a whole garden made up of nothing but and it would be interesting and exciting, with evergreen and deciduous, some with scent,some with berries, some with autumn colour, some with tiered branches or round ground
Stephen Ryan
Rubus rugosus
There are blackberries and there are blackberries! I spend a lot of time destroying the weedy ones and almost no time tending this handsome beastie. It has long arching canes so needs a fence or other support to tie it back to and the oldest canes need removing every couple of years otherwise it couldn’t
Stephen Ryan
Himanobambusa tranquillans ‘Shiroshima’
I truly love bamboos and this one would have to be close to the top of my admittedly long list of favourites! It grows to about 4metres tall and although classed as a runner my plant in the garden has made a largish clump with after 10 years in the ground no real attempt to
Stephen Ryan
Tetrapanax papyrifer
The Rice paper plant is hardly one of the rarest things in my nursery or my garden but I wouldn’t be without it in either place as a stunning giant foliage plant that for all its tropical look is surprisingly hardy to the cold. It can grow to 4metres tall but I usually cut it
Stephen Ryan
Beesia calthifolia
This stunning Asian woodlander is only just making its presence felt in Australia. It was first named in 1915 after Bees Nursery in England but didn’t make it into cultivation in any real way until Bleddyn Wynn-Jones and Dan Hinkley reintroduced it into Western horticulture in 1996 and am I glad they did. It has
Stephen Ryan
Hydrangea seemannii
How many self clinging evergreen cold hardy flowering climbers do you know? There aren’t that many but this Hydrangea has all of those features and is obviously something that we should all considering for our gardens, particularly as it will grow to the height of its support and more or less stop there. If you
Stephen Ryan
Chelidonium majus ‘Flore Plena’
The double flowered form of Greater Celandine is an easy going short lived perennial that will lightly self seed in any sun or semi-shaded spot with enough moisture so once you have it you will probably always have it and like me I doubt that you will be upset. Excess plants are easily pulled out.
Stephen Ryan