Uncategorized Archives - Page 4 of 8 - Andrea Whitely Garden Consultant

Last week, Dr Garden Consultant and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a surprise trip for him to Singapore.

I managed to keep it a surprise right up until boarding the flight, which was amazing when you think of everything that goes into arranging an overseas trip.

Why Singapore?

I selected Singapore as our anniversary destination to fulfil a bucket list tick off (don’t tell The Dr. that!) for me. I really wanted to see Gardens By The Bay which since its construction in 2012 has become a mecca for garden lovers (and communicators) all over the world wanting to view tropical plants at their very best and it did not disappoint!

Stepping into the year 2030….

The entire experience was surreal, featuring the elevator ride up to visit the 22-metre high OCBC Skyway and SuperTree Grove. The huge man-made trees and the bird’s eye view of the city was something very special.

The piece de resistance had to be the Cloud Forest to immerse ourselves in tropical plants, especially the fabulous orchids which were showcased in the Orchids of The Andes display. This was the featured exhibit during our visit.

Orchids of The Andes..and there’s even a llama or two!

Everything is on a grand scale…this guy could eat quite a lot of garden!

I could not help but think though, “I really hope that this is not a snapshot into our future…” Is this the only way that our grandchildren will experience nature? The entire time I wandered around this incredible attraction I felt somehow that I had been transported to the year 2030…it was a funny feeling, I must say. That said, walking through all the levels of the Cloud Forest was a beautiful experience that I will never forget. Every single plant was at its very best. Not a single leaf out of place. Perfection.

The biggest single leaf I have ever seen

The vertical gardens and the waterfall in The Cloud Forest were quite incredible, such detailed planting of tropicals as well as stunningly huge Fuschias, Rhododendrons and Azaleas.

Outside of the Cloud Forest, there are many other beautiful things to see within the gardens.

I particularly loved a piece of art called The Planet which is a giant white baby seemingly floating in mid-air.

The Floral Clock and The Children’s garden were lovely but I also enjoyed the Sun Pavillion and all of the Cacti and Succulents on display.

The Floral Clock…a great space to watch time going by…literally

We spent a full day at Gardens By The Bay-no trip to Singapore would be complete without visiting these very unique and mind-boggling gardens. I wonder if people of the Victorian era had the same thoughts that I did about the future when they visited places like Kew Gardens in England and other glasshouses around the world at that time….I think maybe they just might have.

Would I visit again? Of course…just name the date and I’m there!

Andrea’s Top 5 Tips for a GREAT Tropical Plant Paradise at your place

Foliage Colour is a MUST-introduce various coloured foliage for year-round interest
Fragrance, think about plants that offer scent-many tropicals offer incredible aromas in the garden
Look Up! A tropical garden allows you to hang things in trees and drape over branches of existing trees, let your imagination go wild!
Layer your garden-replicating the look of the jungle is important for a successful tropical look, you need big plants at the back of the bed coming down to ground covers at the front.
Bring the look indoors-Tropical plants can thrive very well indoors, no matter where you live in the world

Finally, it feels like summer here in Perth and we are getting some hot, sunny days, easterly winds and dry heat. The children arrive home from school all red-faced from their bike ride or walk and ready for a dunk in the pool and a long, cold drink. I love the heat that summer brings and adore all the gorgeous summer blooms that I have in my garden. They make me happy.

Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’

My garden is only 4 years old and as much as I could, I salvaged favourite plants from the old garden. I have planted tough plants in our garden, which will bloom for us, mostly all year round but especially in the summer when we are spending lots of time outdoors enjoying the long days and warm evenings. I have a good collection of Salvias, Roses and Succulents and I guess our space has a “formal cottage” feel due to the diversity of plants.

Want White?

It’s hard to beat this hardy Iceberg rose which seems to bloom most of the year. We planted it on my first Mothers Day in 2000.

I planted this pretty hibiscus along the pool fence last year, sweet delicate blooms

These bees are going crazy in this magnolia-the fragrance is overwhelming

Our garden survives on the two allowable reticulation waterings per week. We do not have a bore on our property, if we did we would be able to water three times a week. I hand water my pots, they are not on drip irrigation.

I group plants together depending upon their water requirements.

Frangipani grown from a cutting from a friend-you don’t always need to buy all your plants, donations are fun to nurture along.

This frangipani smells like roses and was taken from a cutting from my friend Helens’ cattle station near Broome

Apricot Brugmansia-the fragrance is divine when you’re taking a dip in our pool

This year, my veggie garden is having a bit of a rest and I have planted lots of Salvias and a couple of roses in that bed behind a hedge of Rosemary Tuscan Blue. I, of course, still have herbs and veggies growing in pots! I just can’t resist having fresh herbs for my cooking.

Potted Chilli-so pretty in a shady corner

Burgundy Iceberg-because every good host serves up white and red

The garden is fertilised with mature compost and liquid fertilisers like Seasol Powerfeed and Compost Tea, a great product I picked up in the USA. I try and keep it all as organic as possible. I use anything organic that will bind together our ancient but gutless sand that lies beneath my feet.

Pretty in Pink…..

so many of us forget about this great plant-Oleander-it blooms all year round-this is a “borrowed” plant as it’s feet live in our neighbours yard.

David Austin ‘Jubilee Celebration’ planted for my 50th birthday

This is a climbing pelargonium that I have growing in terracotta pots

I love this geranium..another slip cutting form a friend, happily dwelling here now

Rosa Pierre de Ronsard, slowly making his way up and over my arbour

I just love the lime green colour on the new Pierre de Ronsard buds

This is Hibiscus ‘Apple Blossom’ and it’s an awesome screening plant…and you get flowers!

I mulch my garden every two years with wood chips that I get from my friendly Arborist and I top it up with lupin mulch for pots. We re-use a lot of the leaves and nuts that drop from our Eucalypts for mulch too, they get raked up by Dr Garden Consultant and put into the garden beds.

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ was a favourite of my friend Margy who we sadly lost to cancer a few years ago-I always think of her when I look at this plant

This rare tradescantia was give to me many years ago by as nurseryman from down south.

I’m not really one that likes being told that I can’t do something- and so, I break all the rules for our climate. You can have a pretty garden in the summer. You can have an organised, abundance of flowers. You can have lovely garden on just two waterings a week. You can have a healthy patch of lawn. You can create a habitat garden in an urban setting.

I am always observing my garden to see the huge variety of bugs and birds that come to visit, I have provided lots of height variation so that we get a variety of birds and insects and somehow in this relatively small patch of dirt, we have created a habitat where they all seem to live in happy harmony and no-one eats too much of what they shouldn’t, everyone is kept in check by the other. Even Jazz, the Labradoodle chases away the doves when they eat too much of her kibble!

What’s flowering at your place this summer?

Category: Uncategorized

Gardens By The Bay

Some like it hot…some more than others!