Speed Dating With Plants!

Perth Garden Festival has just finished up and it was a great success this year. So many willing-to-learn-more-gardeners and lots of interest in what’s new and exciting in the gardening world.

The ladies in the background could see the funny side in me wanting a crown of Leschenaultia

I entered the Professional section of The Hanging Basket competition-Here’s my entry overlooking the beautiful Swan River

Hanging Basket 2018
I used purple Lantana, Ajuga, Anigozanthus in the centre, Gardenia, Scaevola ‘Purple Fanfare’, Eremophila Nivea and Echivera succulents all around the centre section.

I’m a member of the Horticulture Media Association and I spoke on the BUPA main stage last Friday. I love sharing my knowledge with such engaged audiences.

This year, I decided to do something a little different and I called it “Speed Dating with Plants”.my talk was scheduled for 20 minutes and so my aim was to create four container plantings in under twenty minutes and amazingly I completed them all and still had time for lots of questions.

I wanted to demonstrate that gardening need not take up very much time, should be fun and also that anyone can create a garden in a container, regardless of age or physical ability.

Another tip that I was keen to share with West Australian gardeners is the current trend in the US and elsewhere in the world to plant many things in the one basket rather than just one single plant as tends to be the case here. The opportunity to create a mini garden in a container and tell a whole story is something quite new to people here. This is great for folk who might be living in a small space, people renting or those not inclined to garden other than by using containers. It is appealing to so many gardeners. During my talk, I stressed that plants selected should have the same watering requirements and all require the same amount of sun or shade.

Each year, I travel to the USA in my quest for great gardening ideas and this year I wanted to share some of the things I learned about container gardener in particular during my time in Pennsylvania and especially at an amazing garden called Chanticleer in the Delaware Valley. If you ever get the chance you MUST put this garden on your bucket list of gardens to visit. It will blow your mind!

Here are the containers I created at this years’ Perth Garden Festival. I tried to create something for everyone and just like a real date, I gave them all an amusing name-just for a bit of fun.

Container 1  Aphrodisiac

The Aphrodisiac

Colours-Yellow/Grey/Green

Calendula

Helichrysum italicum serotinum Curry plant

Slow Bolt Coriander

Chives

Capsicum annuum F1 ‘ChaCha ChilliBite’

Container 2 The Indoor Guy

The Indoor Guy-there’s a red flowering bromeliad hiding around the back. I was keen to share the tip that all angles of the container should have a pretty view, not just the front.

Colours-Green/Burgundy/Red

Calathea rubfibarba

Filicales retrosa x2

Bromeliad-bright red flowering

Syngonium

Container 3 Shady Lover

The Shady Lover-featuring my new favourite salvia-‘Black and Bloom’

Colours Blue/ White/ Green

Salvia guaranitica Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’

Ipomoea batatas  ‘Inferno’

Pentsemon ‘Snowstorm’

Lantana montevidensis ‘alba’ Trailing white lantana

Salvia greggii alba x2

Container 4 Sun Swain

Sun Swain-the sweet 60cm Kangaroo Paw-‘Bush Pearl’ as a big hit

Colours Pink/Grey/Green/Burgundy

Anigozanthus humilis x flavidus ‘Bush Pearl’

Brachteantha bracteata ‘Sunbrella’

Alteranthera dentata ‘Little Ruby’

Leucophyta brownii ‘Cushion Bush’

 

You too can create these containers. Why not give it a try?

and….

with just a little preparation and good plant selection, just one of these treasures will probably only take you 5 minutes…can you beat my record???

I used Baileys Premium potting mix and regularly feed my plants with Seasol Powerfeed

and here’s a treat….

The beautiful display demonstrating the best use of indoor plants, created by the team I work with at Guildford Town Garden Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design Inspiration at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

The historic fountain in Carlton Gardens-the centrepiece of the display gardens and sculpture exhibition

 

We all need to look at other gardens and the work of other people to get the creativity bubbling away again every now and again…so this year I jumped on a plane and headed east to attend the world-famous, marvellous Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Victoria is known in this country as the Garden State of Australia and I was most impressed with the design work on display created by Victorian-based landscape students, professionals as well as the superb blooms perfectly presented by the floral industry. Such brilliant creativity on display for thousands of visitors to enjoy.

This is a costume made entirely of flowers
Don’t forget the groovy slippers!

The boots on this creation were made entirely from cineraria leaves

March is always a lovely time to visit Melbourne, cool crisp mornings, mostly sunny days and mild evenings made longer with daylight savings (something we don’t have in Western Australia). It was also buzzing with excitement and lots of rev heads were checking out the Formula One Grand Prix which takes place around Albert Park Lake each year. A great time to visit this wonderful city, steeped in history.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show takes place at the historic and stunningly beautiful UNESCO World Heritage-listed Carlton Gardens and Royal Exhibition buildings. The day we were there, the sun was shining and the trees were starting to turn in the park, a fabulous setting for a walk through the show.

Sit back and relax…it’s time for an armchair view of MIFGS-Australia’s best-known garden show where thousands of people flock each day to check out the incredible floral art and inspiring garden designs.

Stunning Floral display
Fancy a dip in this bath?
everything looks good on black
Sunshiny yellow blooms-is that a banana I see?
An Instagram moment here’s proof that I was there.
Orchids, Orchids and more Orchids
a parasol entirely of everlasting flowers
The stunning artwork and floral creations combine for an oooh ahh moment for my friend Lis
BEEEautiful
another shot of this amazing bee created entirely of flowers
A very long wedding table-each place setting created by a different florist
This was fascinating-so many florists participating in The Wedding Table
so much work went into these pieces
More incredible floral art
A really fun display paying homage to Australian home life

The landscape designers displayed their artistic talents at MIFGS, providing inspiration for those starting a new garden, renovating an older one or people like me, in the horticulture industry seeking a shot in the arm of new ideas. There were so many snippets of brilliance.

I loved the way that the displays were executed, not a single black plastic pot to be seen.

So much interest in such a small space

Check out the apples along the fence!

 

Sculpture featured throughout the show, this reminded me of something I saw at the LA Arboretum in 2015
Each display garden was clearly explained with these information sheets

Step through the circle…

Love this up-cycled fireplace-repurposed for outdoor use-what a great idea!

Ultra Urban design
My absolute favourite designer garden-imagine your feet in the rill on a hot day while enjoying a long lunch outdoors

So many sensational ideas, so much talent, so much diversity of plant material…as we headed off back to the tram for the trip back to my friend’s house my feet were aching and my head was spinning! I am officially re-inspired!

…and finally…have you ever wanted to grow 6! different apples on the one tree?

 

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