Spiraea x bumalda, Red May

Spiraea x bumalda, Red May

This small deciduous shrub from Japan produces masses of delicate flowers over Summer and is a delightful addition to any garden. Best planted in a group of three for more impact, it is useful in a semi shaded courtyard or tucked under larger growing shrubs as a border planting. The flowers have masses of tiny prominent stamens which have been used as inspiration in Japan as a decorative motif on porcelain. There is a gold foliaged variety available as well called "Gold Flame", though the colour of the leaves clashes with the flower and it appears a bit lurid. Shearing off spent flowers during the coming months improves the overall appearance of this hardy and worthwhile shrub.

The Black Dahlia

Dahlia x hybrida 'Bishop of Llandaff' with silver Helichrysum petiolare

Dahlia x hybrida 'Yellow Hammer'

I always associate black Dahlias with the James Ellroy novel and film noir movie of the same name........... a spine tingling murder mystery and a real page turner. These Dahlias are striking in the summer garden and make a great contrast with lighter coloured foliage plants. They are low growing and compact and form a neat bush to around 60cm. Flowering continues for many months and removing spent flowers helps prolong blooming. In mild climates Dahlias can be left in the ground for years but the usual practise is to lift the tubers and store them in dry sand over winter ready for Spring planting. They have few pests but snails and slugs may damage newly merging leaves.

Too Darn Hot!

2 metre long snake skin from a garden today

As soon as you leave the coast and drive west, the temperature goes up by ten degrees and a hot wind blows off the desert.( a nor'wester) Today was such a day and not much fun to be outdoors. Up to 80 bush fires were burning across the State including one in western Sydney. Wildlife is on the move looking for water in what is shaping up to be another dry Summer.
This snake had shed its skin by dragging its body through some low growing tightly knit branches and rough seed pods .What a beauty.

Snake-skin Boots by Boulet Dress Boots
$AUS 500.00 from Nungar Trading Co
www.nungar.com.au

A Fuchsia basket

Fuchsia in a hanging basket

Today I was looking around for a gift to take the host of a party I am going to on the weekend and came across this beautiful Fuchsia in a hanging basket.
Fuchsias are at their peak of flowering at the moment and to get a nice compact looking plant like this one, you need to start off by pruning back the bare stems in late winter ( most hybrids are deciduous) and then pinch out all the growing tips in early Spring to make it nice and bushy. A few doses of liquid fertilizer suitable for flowering plants helps produce lots of buds as well. They are fairly trouble free to grow and can even be brought indoors for a short period if grown in a basket such as this. These hybrid Fuchsias, which come in a huge range of colour combinations, were bred from species found in their native habitat of South America. They enjoy a position in shade with good soil moisture and high humidity. However, in case you think they are delicate and difficult to grow they will flower quite well in a full sun in parched dry soil as shown in the photo below.

A spot in full sun with no water has not stopped this Fuchsia from flowering.

Fuchsia named in honour of German Botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501-1556)
Portrait dated 1541 from Wurttenbergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart.

A photo from Wikipedia of a variety called 'Moonglow' growing in California
Have not seen this here but it looks exceptional

Festive Flowers

Red roses, variegated Holly and buff coloured Alstromeria

As a centrepiece to a buffet table, this low arrangement is long lasting and should remain fresh for a week or more.The roses could be replaced with berries or bunches of cherries .Holly berries may be available from a specialist florist imported from the Northern Hemisphere.

A pyramid of tall grassy leaves with some hidden bejeweled flowers could be used as an alternative to a Christmas tree where space is limited. Fairy lights could be woven amongst the leaves as well for a sparkling effect.

A red and yellow combination for those who are spending the holidays at a beach house. A few red and yellow flags could be added to remind everyone to "bathe between the flags" this summer and learn to "read" the surf.

An Aloe arborescens or Candelabra Aloe lacquered red with some dried palm flowers is a more avant- garde approach to an arrangement but is very sculptural, decorative and long lasting.

A smart and simple arrangement of red roses and grassy reeds to welcome guests as they come through the front door

Massonia pustulata

Massonia pustulata

Massonia is a genus of six species of bulbs from South Africa which are related to Hyacinth and have in common with them a delightful honey perfume. They are winter flowering bulbs and are usually dormant over summer. I took this photo back in May while visiting a friend who has a huge collection of plants in pots. I misspelled the name and it has taken to now to find out what it is. Massonia is named after Francis Masson (1741-1805) a Scottish botanist who became a plant collector for Kew Gardens under the curatorship of Sir Joseph Banks.

Buddleja davidii, Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii 'Nanho Blue'

Buddleja davidii 'Royal Red'

Buddleja davidii 'Nanho Blue' under planted with Golden Heliotrope/Cherry Pie

When you get a cool summer day like today, the Buddleja flowers are at their best and stay looking fresh for most of the day. The flowers are sweetly perfumed and are sometimes given the common name of "Summer Lilac".This 2 metre shrub from China with its arching branches and terminal nodding flowers is one of the best shrubs to attract butterflies and beneficial insects to the garden. They make a good background shrub for a vegetable garden though they are a bit of work to keep them looking in good shape .I give them a hard prune in Spring as they make rapid growth once the weather warms up and I prune off the spent flowers continually at this time of year to keep them producing a fresh supply of buds. You can even pick bunches of the flowers for indoor use though they only last for a couple of days.
In China Buddleija is called Daye Zuiyucao which means Intoxicating-fish Plant, a name derived from the suggestion that the crushed flowers when thrown into water will stupefy fish.
Buddleija davidii will grow across a range of climates from cool temperate to sub tropical.