Year: 2016

There’s much to be said for the cool winter mornings (1-2 degrees celsius) and sunny days (17-20 degrees celsius) that we are currently experiencing here in Perth. We do complain a lot (well I do) about how cold it is but really we are pretty blessed to live in such a beautiful place as even in the winter our garden is filled with plenty of blooms to enjoy. Actually, I have to say that my garden is looking an absolute treat. There’s not much to do really except pull the odd weed here and there and sit, take in some winter rays and check out the happenings with a hot cup of tea in hand….Let’s take a walk through the garden shall we….

Star of the show this week is ‘Star above Sea’ (species vernalis), a beautiful Camellia sasanqua, it’s a large semi-double but for some reason, our flowers are only quite small however the flowers hold up really well to our windy conditions. I am growing it as a specimen right beside our pool fence and it’s a favourite because it starts to flower at the end of April and will still be going strong in September. It has also coped very well with really hot summer days and reflected heat from limestone paving by the pool.

Star above Sea-stunning little blooms

A hedge of Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’ is just starting to bloom again around the base of our Marri tree after a brief spell following the winter prune. I have replaced some which did not survive the harsh summer.

Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’

Erlicheer Jonquils alongside some lovely purple Iris are blooming beautifully amongst the fallen leaves of the Pyrus Usseriensis (Manchurian Pear). Pots of Hot Pink Cyclamen add a pop of colour in the urns on my front verandah.

Our potted succulent collection is in flower and in the middle of the day, the bees are just loving them, they must be full of nectar. Those darling bees are obviously not afraid of the spiky bits associated with these plants.

Here’s some of our succulents…sweetly pretty

A second double flowering  Brugmansia x candida (I have a huge old one in a large pot) was planted last year and over this short time we have moved it three times, now she sits firmly in the ground beyond the swimming pool and takes pride of place there and has duly rewarded us with a stunning show of heavily scented blooms. Eventually, this plant will grow to about 3m and sits under the low branches of the Liquid Amber which we planted when we moved into this property about 17 years ago. Finally, the last of the claret red leaves has fallen into the pool which is a time of great joy for our family as it gives us a brief leaf scooping break!

Double Flowering White Brugmansia

This signals a break from leaf scooping!

My beloved Tree dahlia (Dahlia imperialis) which I have planted under our Jarrah tree succumbed to the strong winds again this year and so has been unceremoniously chopped down by my husband who I honestly believe fails to see the joy in this plant, chopped up into many pieces by me (because I can’t stand waste) and shared among lucky friends and clients.

     My poor battered Tree Dahlia did look lovely for a day or two

Everything has had it’s winter prune now, except for the roses which I like to leave until August at my place, it reduces the time between cutting and bud burst which seems to reduce the incidence of fungal disease and opportunity for aphids to get their little mitts on my buds.

I’ve let my veggie bed have rest this winter, our side fence blew over and it was all a bit of a mess, so I’m looking forward to spring planting and lots of lovely homegrown treats. Every cloud has a silver lining as they say and as a result of the Super 6 concrete and very ugly fence taking a tumble is that we have replaced it with Pine lap and I’ve made room for a stunning new tree, I’ve chosen and planted a Chinese Pistachio (Pistachia Chinensis) and I just can’t wait for it to start growing and produce that beautiful orange and red autumn colour next year.

A very old Camellia (name unkown by me-anyone hazard a guess?)

The lawn has slowed down now and is looking nice and green after some good winter rains.  I will fertilise it in early September so as to produce a lush green spring flush.

Well, Folks, that’s it from me for now…….as the night air comes in, another hot cuppa awaits or maybe a cheeky glass of red wine while I cook something hot and hearty for the starving hoards……How’s your winter garden looking?

Have you ever asked yourself-when is the best time to plant trees in Perth?

Well, it’s right now…just check out all this wet stuff falling from the sky, rain, glorious rain, it’s so exciting after such a long dry spell. Time to start planning and digging-and a bit like art on your walls at home…there’s always room for one more tree, I say.

This week I will be speaking at Perth Garden Festival-on Friday at 11am and am talking trees.

My 6 favourite trees for Perth gardens are:

6. Nyssa Sylvatica or Tupelo

I love these and have planted a few over the years where I would like a triangular shaped specimen tree. I selected one for a friend of mine who calls her tree ‘Ruby’ such are the beautiful red heart shaped leaves in Autumn. The Nyssa is one of the few trees which colour up beautifully in Perth, to let us know that we have a change in season. If you look closely there always seems to be two leaves close together which turn red at the same time-a tree filled with love. The Nyssa will grow to about six metres

5. Poplus Simonii

These majestic tall, slender trees are fast growing in our climate and provide excellent screening along fence lines. They are great in small spaces and I like the way they sway in the breeze. They cope really well with our dreadful soils and can grow to about 15m so if you want to hide your neighbours new 2 storey extension-get yourself 3 of these!

4. Magnolia

There’s a few to choose from that’s for sure but at the moment I’m loving Coolwyn Gloss, Kay Parris and Howard Poole. It’s great to have a reliable evergreen tree that provides fragrance and flower and generally keeps it’s form-any of these three will do a great job

3. Lagerstroemia Natchez-White

It’s hard to go past the stunning Crepe Myrtle in the late summer and early Autumn with their beautiful crepe like flowers and then when the leaves fall the incredible colour and form of the bark. I prefer the white ones-I think they look stylish planted either as a specimen or in  an avenue. These beauties will also grow to about 6m

2. Mandarin

There is nothing more rewarding than having an edible tree in your garden and these trees provide fruit through Autumn and early winter which your children can easily pick and eat. You can get the semi dwarf varieties now which are great. At the moment ours is heavy with fruit so we are picking mandarins daily for family and friends to enjoy-no chance of scurvy here!

1.  Cercis canadensis  Forest Pansy or purple leafed red bud

I love these small specimen trees and try and fit one in wherever I can in my designs. They do quite well in our soils with a little tender care and a feed of mature compost every now and again. They colour up beautifully and the leaves are large and heart shaped and fade to yellow after a summer of red fading to green and then in spring the branches are covered in rows of stunning tiny pea shaped hot pink flowers before the leaves emerge and off we go again.  A Cercis will grow to about 5m and has a round growing form.

It’s so hard to select just a few treasures for the garden-there’s just so many gorgeous trees to choose from and it really depends on the site and the position and of course shade requirements and soil type and location. I also love Plumeria in all their colourful forms for summer flowering and shade and allowing winter sun and find Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ or ‘Capitol’ very handy in small gardens or accent spaces planted in threes.

Happy Tree Planting 🙂