Just joined from Western Australia

I was thrilled to find this group as we feel a bit isolated from the gardening community here in Western Australia. I am always experimenting with plants (mainly from seed) so love to here what everyone else is growing and trying on this site. My interests are rock garden (non alpine obviously)  and woodland plants

My garden is in the Perth hills on a steeply terraced site.  The soil is a clay loam, great in climates other than one which is subject to torrential downpores for most of winter and baking conditions for about 5 months of the year.  Winters are mild with no frost and temperatures are generally in the mid 20s until early January, then we can look forward to two months of high 30's, low 40's and hot inland winds.  The lack of seasonal change and the heavier soils makes flowering intermittent with some species (like beared iris) and prevents me from growing some medit plants which would otherwise be suitable.

I try and use a framework of foliage plants that maintain their good looks through heat and drought and use summer dormant plants, bulbs and annuals for spring and early summer.  Shrubs include osmanthus, berberis, spirea, mackaya bella (dry shade) alyogyne huegelii, philadelphus, cotinus, burchellia, buddleja, dombeya (pink) rondeletia amoena. Alberta magna, gordonia axillaris and camellias also appear remarkably drought tolerant in this soil.  On the hot exposed terraces,  helichrysum petiolatum tumbles everywhere.  This is mixed with a very pritty sented pelagonium with soft cerise flowers over a long period.  Unfortunately I don't know its name.  Also here are echiums, ballotas, santolina, iris, artemisa
grasses, cistus, anthemis, nepeta, origanum dictanamus , gold leaf origanum, romneya (I would never be without this)  and lots of euphorbias.  One plant that seems to be totally neglected at least in this part of the world is Limonium macrophyllum.  This forms two foot high and twice as wide architectural clumps of  large shiny green leaves with red midriffs which never burn and flowers for a least 4 months of the year.  Also long lived, mine is 10 years old.  I  hate to see very worth while plants disappear because they are not commercially viable for some reason.  I should mention all these plants  compete for water with three very large gums, cedars and pine.

My favourate bulbs are ixias as the different types extend flowering well into mid summer and do not look too untidy dieing down. However I have had no luck with the beautiful jade green ixia viridiflora, should try again on a light soil.  In the dry shade woodland, I use aroides, cyclamen, helleborus, hydrangea quercifolia, acanthus, dietes, euphorbias and helichrysum limeglow.  The latter really lights up a shady area with lovely lime green foliage if you have enough room or are ruthless with the shears.  At the bottom of the block is the desert (and old truck parking area with filled gravel soil).  This has really surprised me and in some ways is the most successful and restful area in the garden.  After much trial and error this is now a thickly planted area that has not received any supplemental watering for years.  The bold foliage of South African proteaceaes plants contrast with the feathery foliage of wattles and grevilleas underplanted with dietes bicolor (does not seed around like grandiflora) and anigozanthos.


Its about 38 degrees right now and I wonder why I ever bother to garden which is why I am rabbiting on here.  Bie for now
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index