Acmena smithii
Common Name: Lily Pilly.
Flower/Foliage Colour: White, pink/mauve fruit.
Flowering Season: Summer
Description: If left to grow without pruning, it will grow to be an upright-oval tree, maintaining its lower branches. When hedged, Lilly Pilly will be a dense hedge that can be maintained to 4m tall by 2-3m broad. With time, it can grow to be an elegant 5-6m hedge.
Adenanthos sericea silver streak
Common Name: Woolly Bush - silver/green foliage.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Silvery green foliage with orange-red pea flowers.
Dimensions: 2m tall x 1.5m wide.
Flowering Season: Warmer months, but can occur most of the year
Description: This fast growing compact native is ideal for screening
Agapanthus snowball
Common Name: Dwarf African Lily - white flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Evergreen leaves with large pure white umbels.
Dimensions: 55cm x 50cm.
Flowering Season: Summer
Description: Multiplies quickly. Excellent as border plant or in tub
Agave attenuata
Common Name: Century Plant
Flower/Foliage Colour: Flower spike produces white flowers.
Flowering Season: Spring-Summer.
Description: A striking, architectural, hardy succulent plant that forms tight rosettes of pale green, fleshy leaves. Another feature of this excellent specimen plant is its long, arching, eye-catching flower spike, which bears densely packed, greenish white flowers that gradually open over spring and summer. Best grown in well drained, gritty soil in full sun. Tolerates long periods of dryness. Ideal for sunny gardens and containers as a stunning foliage feature.
Agave desmettiana
Flower/Foliage Colour: Blue/green foliage, yellow margins
Flowering Season: Spring-Summer.
Description: This Agave has great color and great shape all into one, plus low maintenance, what more could you ask for? Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' is a rosette forming succulent that has bright green leaves with yellow variegation. The edges of the leaves are spineless but this Agave does produce a sharp brown spine at the tip, which can easily be clipped off in high traffic areas. Dwarf Variegated Agave can reach 2-3' has a spread of 3-4' and will eventually form a clump with age. Great for Xeriscapes and for containers, providing the perfect accent with it's urn shape.
While most agave species have the reputation for being extremely slow growers that need special growing conditions and are quick to draw blood and cries of pain when touched, Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’ is a virtually spineless and soft-leaved form suitable for many garden uses. The habit and appearance of this incredible succulent make a bold statement and will give a garden instant tropical flair. Long, strap like leaves emerge from a central rosette. They arch and curve in such a fashion that it makes the plant look like an octopus. For foliage lovers, the thick leaves are light green, often with a light powdery-blue coating on top. Each leaf is edged with wide, horizontal bands of gold variegation that can catch one’s eye from a distance. While generally smooth and soft, each leaf culminates with a reddish-brown needle that can easily be cut off.
Agonis flexuosa
Common Name: Agonis.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Weeping branches, small white flowers.
Dimensions: 4m high x 10m wide.
Flowering Season: Spring - Summer
Description: Coastal, frost hardy, Willow Myrtle.
Agonis flexuosa After Dark
Common Name: Jervis Bay Afterdark.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Small Tea tree Like Flowers, burgundy foliage.
Dimensions: 6m High 3.5m Wide.
Flowering Season: Spring
Description: Recently introduced into cultivation, Agonis flexuosa 'After Dark', is a variety of the West Australian willow myrtle. It has burgundy to purple coloured foliage all year round, with tiny white flowers in spring. It grows around 6m (18') high and 3-5m (10-15') wide, and likes a sunny position, well-drained soil and adequate water. It will grow well in most areas of Australia except for tropical and mountain zones.
This gorgeous Australian native would look wonderful planted with burgundy or grey foliage plants, or against a white or grey house. It has a fibrous root system so it makes a good tub or container plant, it tolerates salt winds and it is suitable for use in windy rooftop positions. It also makes a very good hedge or screen, as seen in our segment. Like most Australian natives, 'After Dark' benefits from regular pruning to keep it looking dense and bushy.
Anigozanthos big red
Common Name: Kangaroo Paw - Red Flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Red Flowers.
Dimensions: 1m high x 1m wide.
Flowering Season: Spring - Autumn.
Description: Perennial tufted plants with strap-like leaves and tall red 5-6' flower stems. Suitable for full sun or partial shade positions, coastal or inland. Prefers summer watering around Ojai. Damaged by frost but foliage can be cut back in spring for flowering in summer. Sometimes attacked by fungus known as ink disease which is an inky-black spotting on the leaves. Kangaroo Paws are excellent cut flowers and great container plants.
Anigozanthos flavidus red
Common Name: Kangaroo Paw - Reddish flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Light red. Seed grown, colours may vary.
Dimensions: 1m high x 1m wide.
Flowering Season: Spring
Description: is the most widely cultivated member of the Kangaroo Paws as it has proven to be hardy in many climatic zones, even those with humid summers which often do not suit plants from the west.
It is a vigorous plant with perennial leaves reaching 300-450mm in height and can spread to a large clump over 1 metre in diameter. The flowers occur on tall, branched stems which can reach 2 metres. Flowering occurs in late spring to mid summer.
Azalea kirin
Common Name: Azalea - silvery rose pink hose-in-hose flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Silvery rose pink hose in hose flowers.
Dimensions: 60cm H.
Flowering Season: Spring - summer.
Description: 'Kirin'is a Kurume azalea with tiny, musk pink flowers about the size of a dollar coin. The flowers appear to have two rows of petals, which is described as hose-in-hose. 'Kirin' is a hardy all rounder, which can be grown as a garden shrub, in a pot or as a bonsai. If grown in a pot it can be brought inside for temporary decoration. It will spot flower from autumn to spring with its main display in late winter to early spring.
Kirin has small flowers and leaves and a compact shape and is usually a smaller plant, a metre or so tall (around 3'), maintained with light pruning after flowering.
Azalea red wings
Common Name: Azalea - bright red flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Semi double bright red flowers.
Dimensions: 60cm-1.5m high x 1m wide.
Flowering Season: Spring-summer.
Description: Close to the world's best azalea ever, 'Burke's Backyard' recommends 'Red Wing' because it is virtually unkillable and flowers well under any conditions, including full sun to part shade. It is a hardy, low growing azalea (up to one metre (3') tall) with abundant large cherry red flowers with wavy petals. Like 'Kirin' it is a hose-in-hose form.
'Red Wing' is probably the best all round variety for growing in the ground or in a pot. As well, it will flower well from autumn to spring, with its main flush in late winter to early spring.
Banksia integrifol
Common Name: Coastal Banksia.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Yellow brush-like flower cones.
Dimensions: 5-15m high.
Flowering Season: Autumn, Winter and Spring.
Description: Lime tolerant, good cut flower
Bougainvillea scarlet o'hara
Common Name: Bouganvillea - rich scarlet red bracts.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Spectacular red-flowering variety.
Dimensions: 6-9m high.
Flowering Season: Summer
Description: hard pruning of bougainvilleas is generally not recommended, because it makes the plants stop flowering and they then go into a strong, vegetative growth phase. Bougainvilleas in such a growth phase produce long, curved thorns in the leaf axils rather than flowers. These thorns enable them to get a grip on tree branches and scramble up towards the light.
How much your bougainvillea flowers depends on how it is treated. These plants are very hardy and will survive without much water or fertiliser. In fact, they thrive on neglect, and will put on a fabulous flower display for many months as long as they receive plenty of sunshine and are grown in a warm position. If you must prune to control the plant, prune lightly at the end of the flowering period.
If your bougainvillea is already thorny and far too big, you may have no option but to prune heavily. After pruning it is a good idea to apply a product such as 'Better Bloom', which slows down growth and tends to produce flowers.
Buxus microphylla japonica
Common Name: Japanese Box.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Compact, small delicate foliage.
Dimensions: 1m x 1m.
Flowering Season: All year.
Description: This is a popular evergreen shrub with light green, rounded leaves and dense growth. Also, the Japonica makes a good container plant, and has an excellent tolerence of drought and heat. Ideal for formal gardens, as hedging or topiaried into decorative shapes. Thrives in rich, moist well drained soils ina sunny position.
Cupressus sempervirens stricta
Common Name: Green Pencil Pine.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Green Foliage.
Dimensions: 9-12m high.
Description: A popular, hardy conifer, the pencil pine thrives in moist soils and conditions. The narrow, Pencil— shape habit makes it ideal for avenues, entrances, porches or large tubs. The aromatic, grey green foliage is held in upright sprays. Requires an Open, Sunny position in moist, well drained soil but will tolerate a wide range of soils and conditions. Tolerates exposed windy sites and is frost hardy.
Cycas revoluta
Common Name: Japanese Sago Palm.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Deep green glossy green fronds.
Flowering Season: All year.
Description: A low growing cycad, however older specimens will develop a trunk about 200 mm across, and up to 6 meters high, for a VERY (several centuries) old, plant. Usually single trunked, although it is not uncommon for a plant to through "pups", offshoots which can be removed and potted up. It has feather like leaves, up to 900 mm long, with the leaflets being a very dark glossy green, stiff and pointed, and about 100 mm long
It makes an excellent landscape plant, as well as being very well suited to pot culture, and even bonsai. It is a very hardy plant (like most cycads), tolerating drought and light frosts.
It prefers a full sun, well drained spot with deep soil, but will still thrive in less than ideal conditions including part to deep shade such as indoors. Moderately frost tolerant. Indoor plants keep away from children and animals as it may cause vomiting if eaten. If growing many plants cross-pollination may produce seeds which are toxic
Dampiera diversifolia
Common Name: Dampiera - Purple-blue flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: A profusion of purple-blue flowers.
Dimensions: 100-150cm wide x 10-50 cm high.
Flowering Season: Spring-summer.
Description: A low growing Australian native groundcover plant, which thrives in most well drained soils, and will tolerate some dryness. This perennial herb is covered in a mass of deep blue flowers from spring to early summer. Thrives in a partly shaded position but withstands full sun. Perfect for rockeries, hanging baskets, retaining walls and patio pots.
Dianella revoluta 'Little Rev'
Common Name: Little Rev
Flower/Foliage Colour: Blue foliage, blue flowers
Flowering Season: Spring
Description: Clump forming, compact, mass plantings, borders, hardy. An amazing dwarf blue flax lily with compact, upright foliage. Little Rev's drought and salt tolerance make it an ideal selection for the "difficult" landscape.
Dianella revoluta ‘Revelation’
Common Name: Revelation.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Two toned leaf; blue under, green ontop. Blue flowers.
Dimensions: 55cm high x 10cm wide.
Flowering Season: Spring-summer.
Description: Frost hardy, sun or shade, soft green foliage.
It is a medium sized Dianella revoluta. From a distance, Big Rev has blue tones to the foliage. On closer inspection, one side of the leaf is blue and the other is green, this gives it a unique colour.
Dianella prunina ‘Utopia’
Common Name: Dianella Utopia
Flower/Foliage Colour: Foliage is a mixture of red, blue-green and purple.
Flowering Season: Purple flowers
Description: An elegant clumping, ornamental Australian flax with distinctive blue/purple foliage. Grows to an average size of 50cm tall by 50cm wide, with graceful flower stems reaching over 1m in height.
Can be used for mass planting, foliage aor accent grassy gardens, adding a unique colour perspective to any garden.
Tolerates a variaty of climatic conditions. Full sun to part shade. Very hardy, drought tolerant. Avoid prolonged wet conditions.
Dianella caerulea 'Cassa Blue'
Common Name: Dianella Cassa Blue
Flower/Foliage Colour: Compact rich blue foliage, baby blue flowers.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Description:
Tough, drought and frost tolerant. Grows well in filtered to full sun; best suited for full sun. Tolerates windy, salt laden positions, i.e. ocean front landscapes. Sandy to clayey loam (free draining) soils; slightly acidic
Suitable for tropic and arid climates.
Dietes vegetata
Common Name: Wild iris.
Flower/Foliage Colour: White
Dimensions: 1.2m high x 30-60cm wide.
Flowering Season: Summer
Description: Interesting plant that forms a clump of stiff, narrow leaves. White iris-type flowers on branched stems, in spring and summer. A drought resistant plant that lends itself to a variety of positions in the garden where the leaves provide contrast with other plants.
Dracaena draco
Common Name: Dragon Tree
Flower/Foliage Colour: Flowering can take 10 to 20 years, Sword like leaves
Flowering Season: All year
Description: Slow grower
Dracaena Draco, the Canary Islands Dragon Tree or Drago is a subtropical Dragon Tree native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde Madeira, Azores and locally in Western Morocco.
An excellent speciman plant, the Dragon Tree will withstand the harshest of conditions with minimum attention. It Thrives in full sun to part shade and is drought tolerant. Foliage drop is minimal, making it the ideal plant around pools and ponds.
Dracaena marginata
Common Name:
Flower/Foliage Colour: Narrow sword like glossy leaves, green & red/purple foliage
Flowering Season: All year
Description: Excellent pot speciman both indoor and out.
Dracaena are an attractive indoor or outdoor specimen plant. Ideal in pots or the garden these sculptured plants will tolerate periods of dryness while still providing a great display of colour from greens through to pink. Thriving in moist, well drained soil, it is an outstanding performer in pots. It's architectural shape makes it perfect for patio or courtyard. To encourage new side shoots nick the trunks and feed well.
Echeveria big red
Common Name: Big Red.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Attractive 15" rosettes with smooth leaves & deep red margin.
Dimensions: 30cm x 50cm.
Flowering Season: All year.
Description: Full Sun , Dry Soil, slow growing.
Eremophila glabra compactum
Common Name: Silver Ball - Yellow flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Lance shaped leaves, yellow tubular flowers.
Dimensions: 1 x 1m.
Flowering Season: Winter to Autumn.
Description: A small compact shrub with grey/green lance shaped foliage and a profusion of tubular yellow flowers. A versatile plant that offers foliage contrast in plantings.
Grows in full sun to part shade in most well drained soils - including coastal.
A hardy low maintenance plant that only requires a light annual prune. An occasional feed with a slow release low phosphorus fertilizer is beneficial. Mulching around the base will help conserve moisture.
Silver Ball offers excellent foliage contrast in plantings. A useful plant in rockeries, embankments and most situations where colour variations are required.
Gardenia florida
Common Name: Gardenia - white flower.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Glossy green foliage, fragrant white flower.
Dimensions: 1-1.5m high x 1-1.2m wide.
Flowering Season: Summer-autumn.
Description: Part shade, filtered sun, fragrant.
Gardenias are a stunning evergreen shrub with lush glossy dark green foliage and beautifully perfumed flowers. Plant in a partly shaded area that is well drained and humus enriched acidic soil. Feed Gardenias regularly to promote lush foliage and heavy flowering.
Gardenia gold magic
Common Name: Gardenia - white/yellow flower.
Flower/Foliage Colour: White turning yellow gold with age.
Dimensions: 1-1.5m high x 1-1.2m wide.
Flowering Season: Summer
Description: Part shade, filtered sun, fragrant.
Gardenias are a stunning evergreen shrub with lush glossy dark freen foliage.
Beautifully perfumed flowers are produced from large buds in white or cream, singly or in semi double and double forms or in this variety: double yellow.
Plant in warm, partly shaded areas that are well drained and humus enriched acidic soil. Feed Gardenias regulary to promote lush foliage and heavy flowering.
Ideal for pots on alfresco decks where they release their perfume on summer evenings.
Grevillea crithmifolia
Common Name: Grevillea - Creamy White Flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Creamy white.
Dimensions: 2-5m high & wide.
Flowering Season: Winter-spring.
Description: Dense, spreading sometimes prostrate, hardy native
Grevillea gilt drago
Common Name: Grevillea - Red Flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Red flowers with grey foliage.
Dimensions: 1m high x 3m wide.
Flowering Season: Spring - summer.
Description: Borders, street islands, bird attracting.
Grevillea green gem
Common Name: Grevillea - red spider flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Spider like red flowers.
Dimensions: 30cm high 2m wide.
Flowering Season: Winter - spring
Description: Borders, bird attracting.
Grevillea obtusifolia gin gin gem
Common Name: Grevillea - Pinkish flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Pinkish.
Dimensions: 0.5m high x 3-4m wide.
Flowering Season: Winter-spring.
Description: Hardy, dense, spreading.
Grevillea robusta
Common Name: Silky Oak - Orange flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Large glowing orange "toothbrush" flowers.
Dimensions: 14m-30m tall.
Flowering Season: All year.
Description: Dense, marginally frost hardy, hedge,grows in all conditions.
Grevillea robyn gordon
Common Name: Grevillea - light red flowers.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Light red.
Dimensions: 1m high x 1.8m wide.
Flowering Season: All year.
Description: Dense, marginally frost hardy, hedge.
Grevillea thelmanniana prostrate
Common Name: Spider Net Grevillea.
Flower/Foliage Colour: Red
Dimensions: 30cm high 1m wide.
Flowering Season: Spring-summer.
Description: Frost tender, otherwise hardy, banks, walls, vigorous.
Hardenbergia pink spray
Flower/Foliage Colour: Bi-coloured, blush and candy pink pea-like flowers.
Dimensions: 1m High x 1.5m Wide.
Flowering Season: Spring - Winter.
Description: Semi Upright growth habit, waterwise.
Phyllostachys nigra
Common Name: Black Bamboo
Flower/Foliage Colour: Dark green leaves with black shoots.
Description: Black Bamboo reaches up 7 - 8 m, the shoots diameter up to 5cm. The new shoots start off green, darkening every day (especially when exposed to the sun) until they turn shiny, ebony. The dark green leaves can brown off at the tips as a consequence of water stress. Black Bamboo can be induced to be small with delicate culms if the larger culms are cut out. The remaining small culms will be the mother culms for small culms in the following Spring.
It is a good privacy screen where light foliage is required. Pots with bamboo need adequate food and water to really look the way bamboo should look. You may need to re-pot after a few years.
The black pigment of the wood is fairly stable, although fades quickly to brown in the sun. Black Bamboo is used as inlay by the crafty Japanese.
Black bamboo planted either side of a pathway is pretty special.
Rhoeo discolor
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Description: Rhoeo are short rosette-like plants that characteristically have purple undersides to their leaves and small insignificant flowers. They are primarily grown for their colour and texture attributes for a landscape.
Very easy to grow. Grows in shade, in a minimal amount of soil. Somewhat succulent in nature so tolerates drying out between watering.
Rhoeo's are very easy to propagate and create massed displays at very low cost. Fast tropical effects can be achieved by block planting as a groundcover or in containers.
Sansevieria
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Xanthorrea preissii
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Yucca elephantipes
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Description: Yucca elephantipes is one of the most versatile indoor and outdoor foliage plants. With its striking architectural shape it can be grown in garden beds and as a spectacular hardy pot plant exposed to sun, frost, heat and wind. Create a modern Mediterranean look around your pool, on the patio, as a focal tree or grow your Yucca indoors.
The Yucca is suitable to Australian conditions tolerating heat, dry, wet and cold areas.
Yuccas need very little care once planted in the ground, fertilize 2-3 times per year. For care in pots position them in a well lit area. Yuccas need some natural light to maintain vigor. If they are grown indoors and are looking tired strip back any old or spotted leaves, pot up to a larger pot and leave outdoors in a semi shaded position for 3-6 months. Fertilize with fish fertilizer once a month and water weekly, allow the plant to dry out before re watering.