The archetype Australian plant genus is the Banksia, named after Sir Joseph Banks, the English naturalist who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage of discovery to Australia. Here are some of my favourite Banksias: Banksi spinulosa – photographed in the Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT Banksia robur Photo B McCusker Banksia serrata – commonly known [...]
Archive for January, 2012
Banksias
Posted in Species on January 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Leptospermum amboinense
Posted in Species on January 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This bushy Tea Tree shrub grows to 3 m high by 2.5 m across. Its most striking feature are the bronze tips to young growth. Leaves are narrow and 3-4 cm long. White flowers to 1.5 cm are borne in summer. These flowers are quite short lived. L. amboinens in the background. Westringia spp in [...]
Grevillea baileyana
Posted in Species on January 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Grevillea baileyana, known commonly as the White Oak, is from the Proteaceae family and originates from the tip of Queensland in the Cape York region. Often confused with its cousin the “Ivory Curl Flower” (Buckinghamia celsissima), this small to medium rainforest tree to 10m high and is grown for its profuse clusters of creamy white [...]
Geranium rozanne
Posted in Species on January 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This ground cover is a great favourite of ours. It is a hardy quick growing ground cover. G. rozanne tolerates shade and can be propagated easily from cuttings and rootlets. Under Australian Mediterranean climates, it often wilts in the heat of the day, but recovers overnight.
Bougainvilleas
Posted in Species on January 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Bougainvilleas are one of the toughest and most versatile of species. Grown in tub, clipped into hedges or left to climb and ramble over fences. They come in a wide variety of colours from the traditional purple through red, pink through to white. The colour comes from the bracts rather than the flower itself. This [...]
Liriope muscari
Posted in Species on January 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Liriope muscari, the Lily Turf as it is sometimes known, is from the family Liliaceae. It is a large grass like, clumping ground cover, growing to approximately 0.5m high and 0.5m wide with dark green leaves and attractive mauve to purple flowers clustered into spikes. This very hardy perennial prefers some light shade, but will [...]
Scaevola crassifolia
Posted in Species on January 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This species is a valuable primary colonizer of dunes areas, particularly in protected swales. It grows to perhaps 2.5 meters wide and 1.5 meters high. The leaves are slightly ovate with serrated edges. The flowers in Spring an bright to pale blue with fan shaped petals. Plants once established will survive with 350 mm annual [...]
Lomandra longifolia
Posted in Species on January 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This hardy dune colonizer is a valuable tool in dune rehabilitation. The images here were taken on a visit to the dunes area around Jervis Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, January 2012. Click here for an excellent guide and for information on coastal dune management. The seeds of the plant provided [...]
Keep to a simple palette of materials
Posted in Design on January 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This interesting screen fence is located in Vincentia, New South Wales. A simple material palette is in use – just stone and steel that is allowed to weather.
Landscape design principles
Posted in Design, tagged design, gardencad, landscape on January 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Clients employ landscape designers to provide them with a landscape plan that leads to the construction of a special garden. It is often difficult for designers to constantly generate new ideas. It is easy to fall into the trap of simply reproducing ideas implemented in other designs. A technique that we find useful to overcome [...]
