Articles
Over much of the Australian continent Australian native plants have evolved to survive the regular bushfires that occur regularly, but particularly through the hotter months of the year. Over many thousands of years our First Nation people also developed cool burning...
Article by Dr Lyndal Thorburn Lyndal Thorburn is leader of the Eremophila Study Group (ESG), which was founded in South Australia in 1986, under the auspices of the Australian Native Plant Society of Australia (ANPSA). Lyndal is a Life Member of the Australian Plants...
A step by step guide on how to prune your kangaroo paw Kangaroo paws are very giving plants when they flower, but flowering comes at a cost to the plant in energy. So once the flowers die back, a plant can look sick...
Born at Wallington near Geelong at the end of the 1800's, at a time when this part of Victoria was still mostly virgin forest, some of Daisy Wood's earliest memories were of roaming the bush with her parents and elder sister, revelling in the profusion of beautiful...
The star-like flowers of the boronias have long enchanted bush walkers in various parts of Australia from the east to the west coast. Add to this the delicate floral perfumes and cut flower qualities of species such as the brown boronia (B. megastigma) and you have a...
Establishing Native Shrubs and Plants In Your Garden The Australian flora has established a reputation as a tough, drought tolerant group of plants that are very low maintenance in the garden. Whilst this is generally true it is extremely important to realize that a...
New flower colours in waratahs When it comes to waratahs yellow is the new red. Passionate plant breeder Graeme Downe of Melbourne has used a rare yellow form of the...
Best Australian Rainforest Plants for the Garden Stream lily (Helmholtzia glaberrima) This is a strappy leafed plant that can fulfill the same role in the garden as the Clivea, namely a clumping habit that...
There are a host of wonderful low growing natives that can add a splash of colour to even the smallest garden in the dead of winter. Almost all native plants are evergreen which means they tend to keep growing all year round and clearly many have found an evolutionary...
Bush Regeneration in Western Sydney The western area of Sydney bounded by the area from Parramatta to Penrith is one of the most populous in Australia. It is also home to an ever diminishing population of plants and animals. By preserving and regenerating what is left...
Step by Step Guide to Establishing Australian Native Shrubs The Australian flora has established a reputation as a tough, drought tolerant group of plants that are very low maintenance in the garden. Whilst this is generally true it is extremely important to realize...
Can I grow Australian Native Hibiscus in my garden? Australia is home to about 40 species of Hibiscus, most of which are endemic. They have identical growing requirements to the exotic species and cultivars that are so popular in cultivation. An ever increasing...
Everything about the Gymea Lily (Doryanthes excelsa) is rather larger than life. The bold foliage can reach over four metres in height and I have personally measured majestic flower stems that were over ten metres tall. [gallery link="file" columns="1" size="medium"...
How do I grow Macadamias? Why not plant an edible Australian? The macadamia nut is arguably our finest contribution to the culinary world and it will grow particularly well in coastal gardens from Sydney to Queensland. It will also grow in all but the harshest of...
Climbers and creepers are plants that are able to expand at will to fill the space available to them and as such are incredibly useful in the garden. They are great to beautify fences and pergolas, and can be trained to twine through various shaped structures. Their...
Orchids are one of the wonders of the plant world with a staggering diversity of plant and flower types that provide endless fascination and sometimes obsession for gardeners. World-wide there are approximately 30,000 species in 600 odd genera that comprise roughly...
What Australian ferns, palms and cycads can I grow in my garden? This group of plants represents an ancient part of the world flora that dominated along with conifers before flowering plants emerged and eventually evolved into the fascinatingly diverse collection we...
What are the best Australian Native Shrubs for the Garden? Shrubs form a huge group within the Australian flora and can be defined as woody plants that remain relatively low (say less than 5m) and generally have multiple stems or trunks. This type of plant abounds in...
What Australian Native Trees Should I Grow In The Garden? Strictly speaking a tree is a woody plant that has a single trunk and a distinct elevated canopy. There are, however, quite a number of woody plants in the Australian flora that are commonly thought of as trees...
This is a new ground covering form of an old favourite Australian plant the coastal rosemary. It is an ultra-tough plant that will tolerate extremely windy and salty conditions such as near the coast. It also has a dense habit which deters weed growth. A great plant...