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

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Gardening into lost Corners at "The Shambles"

The "Araucaria Walk" before replanting and regeneration.

The neglected North East Corner of “The Shambles” shaded by the “Araucaria walk” seemed a wasted space. Bordering Abelia grandiflora and Murraya panniculata shrubs were liberated and the few subshrubs cleared to allow walking with ease under the trees.
These plants were among those added to the area
Philodendron calloum compactum
Ctenanthe spp
Calathea makoyana
Draecaena godseffiana “Florida Beauty”
Dieffenbachia spp
Justicia nodosum x 2 transplanted from elsewhere in the garden.
The planting of the unfinished north west corner of the garden under the “Rainforest Walk” continued. Many plants raised from cutting or new plants had already been added along the north facing edge looking into the light. The following were planted into the corner. There is much to do to continue the cleanup of this area.
Chamaedora elegans (Parlour palm) x 5
Codiaeum variegatum “Picassos Paintbrush”

Cordylline fruticosa x 5 including “Wilis Gold” and red varieties.

Thankfully rain and intermittent showers have supported our new plantings, as there is no irrigation in the garden and especially into these distant corners.
Michael Simpson

Monday, February 2, 2015

Plant Collection, Risky Business and Helpful Rain.

Rose "Mrs Dudley Cross" at our Book Launch 24/1/15

After our Successful book launch of "A Garden Forever" we followed up on contacts with gardening friends. In exchange for plant material from "The Shambles" some generous new acquisitions have been made. 

Buddleia 'Spring Promise' is a smaller noninvasive hybrid. It has masses of long slender stems of white delicately scented flowers from the middle of winter through to spring. This species can be grown in full-sun or part-shade. It grows quickly and will tolerate relatively dry conditions when established. North Facing into light , our North East Corner garden. From John Birbeck

Hibiscus radiatus is native to southern and southeast Asia. It has 15 cm yellow flowers that have a purple center. Leaves are dentate, with upper leaves lobed into three or five parts. It is frequently grown as a vegetable or medicinal herb, Facing North into the Light , our North East Corner Garden. From John Birbeck.

Pavonia hastata is the only member of the genus to occur in Australia and it is also native to parts of South America. It occurs in woodland and open forest in both damp and dry situations. Pavonia differs from Hibiscus in having a 10-lobed style (5-lobed in Hibiscus). The name          Pavonia....after José Antonio Pavón, a spanish botanist. The species usually forms a spreading shrub to about 1 metre in height. Leaves are slightly or deeply lobed and about 150 mm. Yet to decide the best location for these. From John Birbeck.

Begonias, Rhizomatous, Rex and Cane type from John Birbeck and Rowena Cavanagh. All safely tucked into successful collection spots for Begonias, to enhance our growing collection.

Cuttings and borrowings: GOD WE HOPE THAT THESE WILL SURVIVE. 
Stachyurus is the only genus in the flowering plant family Stachyuraceae, native to the Himalayas and eastern Asia. They are deciduous shrubs or small trees with pendent racemes of 4-petalled flowers which appear on the bare branches before the leaves.[1] The plants have leaves with serrate margins. Pendunculagin, casuarictin, strictinin, casuarinin and casuariin are ellagitannins found in the species within the genus.[2]  Stachyurus praecox, from Japan, is a spreading shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall by 3 m (10 ft) wide. Pendent, bell-shaped, primrose yellow flowers are borne in winter and spring. The Latin specific epithet praecox means "early", referring to the exceptionally early flowering season. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3] S. chinensis, from China, is also found in cultivation. (cuttings from Rowena)

Watsonia,  apricot small flowering  Bulb , of Sword lily.

Thunbergia erecta (White)    Cuttings

Selaginella uncinata, (Blue or Peacock Spikemoss), is a very attractive form of Selaginella native to China. It is semi-evergreen in nature and has straw colored rambling stems with dimorphic metallic blue leaves. Plants will reach about 6 inches (15 cm) in height and will spread to 2 feet (60 cm) wide. They produce root-like rhizophores along the weak stems and are easily fragmented.  Like other members of the genus Selaginella, common names with the word 'moss' and 'fern' are misleading; they are part of a quite distant ancestral line belonging to Phylum Lycophyta also called Fern allies.

Impatiens niamniamensis ( Congo cockatoo) grows about 60–90 centimetres (24–35 in) long. This evergreen, perennial species has an erect, succulent, brown stem resembling wood. Leaves are simple, ovate-oblong or elliptical, spirally arranged, about 10 cm long. This plant produces bright and colourful bird-shaped flowers with a long, curled nectar spur. These unusual flowers are usually scarlet red and yellow and can reach a length of about 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in). Fruits are explosive capsules of about 14–16 mm. Tropical Africa Cuttings

Quisqualis falcata var. mussaendaflora. Cuttings from Red Leaf Quisqualis (Rowena)

As well as all these there were other cuttings from Rowenas Garden, of Solanum rantonettii, Coleus etc.
Lets hope for success
MS