Plant Palette

By Clive Larkman

Living in Melbourne means permanent access to great coffee and a culture of having this staple drink with every meal. However, many people seem to have little knowledge of the plant itself. Plants in the Coffea genus provide the source of the world’s most popular morning drink, as well as some very attractive shrubs.… Continue reading

By Caleb Roberts

Botanical name: Ginkgo biloba

Common names: Ginkgo, maidenhair tree

Family: Ginkgoaceae

Origin or native range: Ginkgo biloba is the sole surviving species within its entire division, class, order and family. This monotypic ‘living fossil’, so called because fossils nearly identical to the modern tree date back to the Jurassic period (around 170 million years ago), is now found virtually unchanged from its earlier iterations in small, woodland populations in temperate China.… Continue reading

By Caleb Roberts

Botanical name: Malpighia emarginata ‘Florida Sweet’

Common name(s): Acerola, Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry, wild crepe myrtle, Antilles cherry

Family: Malpighiaceae

Origin or native range: Hailing from Central America and Mexico, the highest production of Malpighia emarginata (Syn.… Continue reading

By Daniel Fuller

Ozbreed has analysed sales data on all grasses and other strappy monocot sales from the last financial year to shortlist the best-selling varieties based on number of units sold. This information can help wholesale and production nurseries add heavy-hitters to their stock lists.… Continue reading

By Caleb Roberts

Botanical name: Phyllanthus embilica

Common name(s): Amla, Indian gooseberry

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Origin or native range: There is a saying about some medicines, that a strong taste means they must be doing something right! That certainly rings true for amla, otherwise known as the Indian gooseberry.… Continue reading

By Clive Larkman

The genus Salvia is one of the largest plant genera with over 1,000 species. It is a member of the Lamiaceae, the mint family, which includes most of our aromatic and many of our medicinal herbs. Salvia is the largest genus in the Lamiaceae and consists of annuals, perennials and evergreen shrubs that grow in full desert sun to moist woodland environments.… Continue reading

By Caleb Roberts

Botanical name: Theobroma cacao

Common name: Cacao tree or cocoa tree

Family: Malvaceae

Origin: With a long history in the Amazon basin, cacao was traded as a currency well before chocolate coins hit supermarket shelves.… Continue reading

By Daniel Fuller

Mass planting beds are favourable from a nursery and plant breeder perspective because less diversity will often equate to larger profit margins, even though they can be risky by having “all your eggs in one basket.” They are also easy for specifiers to use in designs, because it takes less research to source a single variety of plant that tolerates site conditions and can be replicated throughout large beds.… Continue reading