I am a big fan of plants that attract bees and butterflies to the garden but don’t require a lot of work! Therefore I have a few of these types of plants in my garden. I have talked about the diosma and California lilac before, so today I want to discuss our thryptomene shrub! The thryptomene plant is native to Australia and it grows well in most climates apart from the very cold or very hot regions. It flowers in winter and spring and is great for attracting butterflies, bees, and other … [Read more...]
Frost Protection for Plants
Over the last few months we have planted a few new plants that are labelled as ‘frost tolerant once established’ - meaning they require frost protection in their early years. Some of these plants are leucadendrons which we have experience with. They seem to cope with the frosts that we get in our region just fine without any protection. One plant that we are a bit worried about however is a waratah (Shady Lady Red) which was planted out in the garden during spring last year. We have never … [Read more...]
Diosmas: A Very Hardy Plant for Your Garden
Diosmas are a very hardy plant that can provide a stunning feature in any garden and which also seem to tolerate climate extremes very well. Diosma is the common name for the Coleonema Pulchrum plant. Diosmas are not often talked about but I believe the diosma plant was very fashionable in the 1980’s. However, in recent years it has lost its appeal somewhat. I am surprised that the diosma plant is not used more often because it is an evergreen shrub that provides colour and texture to the … [Read more...]