Top ten list of garden plants

  • Abutilons of all kinds
  • Buddlejas old and new
  • Epiphytic orchids and ferns
  • Gordonia species
  • Heliotrope, Lemon verbena, Fennel and herbs
  • Michelias of all sorts
  • Perennial Salvias large and small
  • Species Camellias
  • Tea and China Roses
  • Weigela of all types

Montville Rose

Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Shambles New Plantings for Spring


Heliotrope arborens or Cherry Pie
The Shambles Montville Facebook page is loaded with attacractive photographs,, and website www.montvillegarden.com
Plants added to “The Shambles” august 2014

Dracaena godseffiana “Florida Beauty” Ovate pale green leaves strongly speckled with creamy white, bourne on weeping stems RainForest Corner

Draecena marginata “Colorama” long narrow leaves stiped in cream, red and orange bourne on woody stem Blue trellis garden

Alpinia zerumbet variegata Variegated shell ginger Rain Forest Corner

Philodendron “Xanadu” ZSrongly clumping Philodendron with wave edges leaves, popular with landscapers Rain Forest Corner

Luculia fragrantissima  A little specimen which had been hardeniong off in our propagation area South East Corner garden

Luculia grandiflora A tiny specimen planted from our propagation area into Rock Stone Circle Garden

Rosa mulitiflora “Allys Rose” resembling “Ballerina” planted into Front Path garden and South Rose Garden

Rosa ?chinensis “Weeping Pink” A cutting planted into South Rose garden

Eranthemum pulchellum “Dark Blue Blue Trellis Garden

Pachystachys lutea Blue Trellis garden

Plectranthus eckonii (white, pink and blue) Blue trellis garden

Azalea “Orange Delight” South Rose Garden

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Spring preparations and new arrivals at "The Shambles"


Our fifth gardening book "A Garden Forever", which is a colourful and complete essay on writing a domestic garden history is at the printers. Not sure when we will launch this book but it should have wide appeal.
It has been a long dry winter in fact. Winter in Queensland is never truly cold , but the weather has been such that many of our temperate plants have had a chance to rest and become truly deciduous.
The bare branches are quite pretty, but signs of spring are everywhere now.
Recent rain added to the prospect of a decent floral display from our relatively young Magnolias while mature Azaleas ad Pieris japonica are already in flower.
Our collection of Salvias has survived winter and the dry without any casualties.

New acquisitions which are awaited are a collection of Bouvardias, and a selection of Lilium lancifolium "Tiger Lilies"

Could resist planting a young Black Pine on western boundary  and a Lagunaria "Cow itch Plant" in the north eastern border garden . These are doing well.
Also planted out when thinning out our propagation material were many different Salvias including Salvia amarissisima and Leonotis leonuris in the North Rose gardens.

Our new border collie "Bear" is quite enjoying the garden and has no destructive tendencies except to pinch salty sea shells from the coral fountain while we are not watching.

Michael Simpson