Combining the hardiness of Lomandra, the uniqueness of sky-inky-blue stems and beautiful blue-velvet weeping foliage, this plant is not just a visual spectacle but also a resilient and useful addition to your garden, landscape, or nursery.
Pacific Sky™ Lomandra’s striking appearance creates an immediate sense of intrigue, transforming landscapes into an artistic canvas.… Continue reading
Read More
Could the two best low-growing Lomandra of all time be Evergreen Baby™ and Pacific Sky™? These low-growing Lomandra are a perfect blend of aesthetic appeal and resilience. Evergreen Baby™ captivates with its year-round green allure, while Pacific Sky™ fascinates with its unique weeping blue foliage.… Continue reading
Read More
Immerse yourself in the beauty of Australia’s native flora with the Aussie Flat Bush™ Rhagodia spinescens, a low-growing, compact shrub with fine blue foliage.
Found throughout mainland Australia, Aussie Flat Bush™ Rhagodia has adapted to both inland and coastal situations, demonstrating its versatility.… Continue reading
Read More
Presenting the marvel of Blue Horizon™ Eremophila glabra prostrate, a game-changer in the world of gardening and landscaping. This plant isn’t just a pretty face; it’s a hardy, adaptable ground cover that transforms ordinary landscapes into extraordinary vistas.
Blue Horizon™ Eremophila, with its denser ground cover form and fewer gaps, offers a lush carpet of blue-grey foliage that adds a touch of serene beauty to gardens.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
On a recent trip to the central Mediterranean I observed some tough growing conditions. Most of the plants were non-native but one that stood out was Capparis spinosa – the Caper Bush. It is a tough plant that is able to establish itself in poor conditions with minimal water and virtually no soil.… Continue reading
Read More
Imagine a lawn that ripples and undulates, creating a serene, Zen-like atmosphere in your garden. Picture a low-maintenance, high-density turf that greatly reduces weeds and fills in quickly. Envision a versatile grass that can be manicured for a traditional lawn look, or left natural and mown every two to three years to create a wavy, flowing green carpet.… Continue reading
Read More
Visualise a garden where emerald green is gracefully punctuated by hues of summer rustic brown, where the sun’s rays illuminate the landscape creating a warm, vibrant glow that transforms your outdoor space into a stunning visual masterpiece.
Rustic™ Poa is a breed of ornamental grass that seasonally possesses an enchanting brown hue, a distinctive visual attribute obtained through a natural process called senescence which generally occurs in the dryer months.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
My wife Di and I and a good friend were invited to a birthday celebration for two friends. One was turning 50 and the other 40! The catch was the party was happening on the island of Vulcano of the coast of Sicily.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
Our modern world is made up of fruits from all parts of the world that have undergone a range of breeding from nil to full-blown commercialised and targeted selection. Western nations have the widest range due to their wealth and the resultant ability to transport fruit around the world and/or develop the complex growing conditions many of these fruits need.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
The world of botany is full of commonplace plants as well as some standout weirdos. Australia has its own Wollemi Pine which was ‘discovered’ in 1994 in a nature reserve just north of Sydney. It is not really known how old these wild plants are nor how old the species is.… Continue reading
Read More
Syzygium ‘Up and Away’ is the dream plant you have been searching for. With an unrivalled neat, columnar habit, and stunning foliage colour year-round, what more is there to be desired? White flowers are borne throughout the warmer months. Flowers are pollinator-friendly, attracting some of our beautiful native birds.… Continue reading
Read More
Sure to turn heads with its striking foliage and eye-catching narrow growth habit, Ginkgo ‘Lemonlime Spire’ is the perfect addition to any garden or landscape design.
Famous for its foliage colour throughout the year, ‘Lemonlime Spire’ won’t disappoint. Its light-green spring foliage deepens to darker shades of green as the season progresses.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
The Columbian Exchange is accepted as a generic term for the mass movement of food, culture and disease between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (Central and South America). A simple phrase that says so little but covers so much.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
When it comes to food and drink, like many other items in daily life, we are dictated by fashion and trends. Currently, we are in the middle of a boom in gin distillation. This has replaced the mass development of boutique, artisan or small batch breweries.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
As a plant for ornamental and medicinal use, lavender has a history as long as European settlement. Even with this history, there has been very little research and understanding of how to farm this tough little plant. There are numerous thoughts that the plant needs neither food nor water making it an interesting plant for the lazy farmer or those in poor countries with little rainfall.… Continue reading
Read More
Characteristics: The characteristics of these two banksias are very similar. Both are fairly dense, medium shrubs, with Banksia ‘Red Rover’ being perhaps slightly taller and reaching 2m x 1.5m. The flowers are terracotta/red in colour and the leaves are a bright mid-green.… Continue reading
Read More
Characteristics: A small-medium spreading shrub 1.5m x 3m. The flowers are orange and pink, individuals 54mm; conflorescence 114mm from August to June. It is distinguished from G. bipinnatifida by its deeply, twice-divided fine foliage and its larger spreading habit, and from G.… Continue reading
Read More
Characteristics: A groundcover that grows to 0.2m (h) x 1-2m (w) with orange flowers 35mm, Conflorescence 100mm, in bloom from July to November. It is distinguished from Grevillea nana ssp. nana by its smaller leaves with more numerous, closely aligned pinnae and its pink/orange flowers.… Continue reading
Read More
By Clive Larkman
Over the last few years I have written about as many herbs and edible plants as I can find. Many of these are part of the Columbian Exchange. This was a major shift in the food and culture of the entire world.… Continue reading
Read More
By Paul Carmen
Label Name: Banksia spinulosa
ACRA Registration: 1337
Family: Proteaceae
Origin: Collected from a coastal area in southern Victoria. Selected by Rod & Robyn Parsons for the strong honey fragrance of the flowers. Received in June 1999.
Characteristics: A moderately dense small shrub that grows to 1m(h) x 1.5m(w), The flowers are golden in colour with red styles, 50-200mm long x 40-80mm in diameter and bloom from March to August.… Continue reading
Read More