I often think gardeners and gardens are reborn in spring.
Just as gardens emerge from their winter slumber, bursting forth with new growth, colour and fragrance, so too are gardeners.
The warming sun draws gardeners out into the yard to again turn soil and plant, with each filled with all the optimism and possibility of another wonderful growing season.
I’ve just seen a new release, Polygala, called Little Polly, and what a cracker it is. It’s a true dwarf Polygala or Sweet Pea Bush with a rounded, compact shape to 1m. Main flowering times are spring and summer when the bush is covered with purple pea flowers. It’s suitable for growing in containers or as a low feature shrub or border – just trim to maintain its shape.
It wouldn’t be spring without the purple haze of fragrant Lavender. Lavenders thrive in Perth’s Mediterranean climate and really get the bees buzzing. Lavender Avonview is one of the most stunning at this time of year, with grey- green foliage and masses of deep purple blooms. It’s great for sunny, low borders, hedges and pots. Like all lavenders, give it a good clip once the main flowering time has finished.
Federation Daisies are modern takes on the ever- popular Marguerite Daisies, and are real flowering machines. They were bred in Australia and are very long flowering plants, growing to around 40 or 60cm. Look out for stunning larger flowered, new release varieties like Sublime Pink and vivid purple, Superior Purple. They will give you months of cut flowers and are a great addition to pots and flower beds.
Hedging and screening type Grevilleas offer an attractive solution for hiding fence lines and boundaries. They are hardy, waterwise and their nectar- rich flowers will bring birds and pollinators into your garden. Plant varieties like the Olive Leaf Grevillea ( Grevillea olivacea) which is available in red, yellow and apricot flowering forms, gold and red Winparra Gold or red flowering Winparra Gem. These varieties all respond well to trimming and hedging. Importantly, remember to feed them only with native plant fertilisers, otherwise it can mean a slow death.
Chinese Lanterns or Abutilons are fascinating, easy to grow shrubs with curious, pendant, flowers that look like decorative lamp shades. Hence their common name. They were favourites in Perth gardens of yesteryear and are making a big comeback. The new Lucky Lanterns range is a series of dwarf varieties growing to just 30cm high and wide. They flower in numerous flushes from spring to late autumn. They like a bit of afternoon shade in our climate and respond well to the occasional trim. Lucky Lanterns come in tangerine, yellow, red and white and are just the thing to light up your spring garden.
And for something different, you’ve got to see the new release, colour changing Cordylines Can Can and Cha Cha. The new foliage of Can Can emerges pink- red and then matures to cream and green while Cha Cha, features apricotbrown foliage which matures to yellow and green. Both varieties are clump forming with weeping foliage and grow to about 1.5m high and 1- 1.5m wide. They are suitable for full sun to semi- shade pots or containers.
-Tim Parker
