This fine South African Salvia makes a handsome, dense evergreen metre tall shrub well dressed in silvery green leaves. The flowers, which are produced in waves throughout spring summer and autumn, are yellow when they first open but soon turn a unique golden brown. Read more about Salvia africana-lutea
A fast growing and drought-tolerant evergreen groundcover with aromatic silver-grey foliage. Growth is in horizontal layers topped with lavender blue flowers in spring. Read more about Salvia ‘Bees Bliss’
One of the most stunning new imports, S. ’Petite Blanc’ makes a dwarf, neat round evergreen shrub. During summer the dark green foliage is a perfect foil for the ivory white billy buttons. Read more about Santolina ‘Petit Blanc’
A hybrid between the closely related genera Heuchera and Tiarella Heucherella ‘Tapestry’ is the recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society. It forms a luxuriant mound of “sage green, brown and chestnut leaves”. Read more about Heucherella ‘Tapestry’
A hybrid between the closely related genera Heuchera and Tiarella with all the virtues. During spring and early summer a myriad soft pink flowers are held on thin vertical stems. 'Hopscotch' will grow in areas with humid summers. Foliage mound 20cm tall by 40cm across. Read more about Heucherella ‘Hopscotch’
NEW Heucheras are spectacular foliage plants. Scalloped leaves are glowing gold when they emerge in early spring. They soften to amber and peach as the season progresses. Read more about Heuchera ‘Caramel’
Prunellas are very useful groundcovers for a shaded spot in the garden where they will make mats of quite large deep green slightly rough leaves. During spring and spasmodically later spikes of deep pink hooded flowers sit well above the foliage. Read more about Prunella grandiflora ‘Bella Deep Pink’
Arbutus canariensis Canary Islands Madrone This special tree has attractive evergreen foliage and produces large panicles of white bell-like flowers throughout the year and is a native of the Canary Islands. Read more about Arbutus canariensis
From the dry western areas of the USA beautiful in all its parts from the burnished copper-bronze twisted trunks to its wonderful large grey-green leaves and exquisite lily-of-the-valley flowers. Thoroughly drought tolerant when once established. Read more about Arctostaphylos manzanita ‘St Helena’
I remember a beautifully grown plant of Buddleja alternifolia grown as standard in the walled garden at Cruden Farm. The arching willowy branches were densely foliaged and in full bloom and what pleasure it gave. Read more about Buddleja alternifolia ‘Argentea’
Cistus are amongst the toughest of all evergreen shrubs. I’ve seen ‘Alan Fradd’ thriving in a planting alongside a freeway leading into Melbourne where the only water it gets falls from the sky. Read more about Cistus x purpureus ‘Alan Fradd’
Golden Twig Dogwood is grown of its bright glossy yellow-green winter stems. A suckering deciduous shrub it is best planted where the winter sun can catch it. Not particular to soils it will grow happily in quite boggy conditions. Read more about Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’
This is the best dwarf Forsythia which only grows 120cm tall by as much across. During early spring it produces a mass of lemon-yellow open bells so abundantly that you can barely see the stem for flowers. During autumn the foliage turns burgundy chocolate. Read more about Forsythia ‘Gold Clusters’
First introduced to English gardens from Syria prior to 1596 the Rose of Sharon is actually a native of China and was more than likely brought to the Levant via the Silk Road. Read more about Hibiscus syriacus ‘Elfin Rose’
This new import is, to my mind, the most beautiful in foliage of all the Phlomis. At Lambley it has made a handsome, evergreen shrub a metre or more tall by nearly as much across in a year. Read more about Phlomis ‘Lemon Blush’
The Phlomis include some of the best evergreen shrubs for Australian gardens. This is a superb species with rich green leaves. Deep egg yolk yellow flowers open from russet-olive buds in whorls along the vertical flower stems. P. Read more about Phlomis longifolia
