Garden Colours and Textures for Year round interest ..

… in the frost free coastal Cool Subtropics

Long gone are the ignominious few, relegated to a ‘cactus section’ at Plant Brokerages dear colleagues … these next 5 featured plants from Troy Southwood, Master Grower at Empire Nursery, 7 Moores Road, Glenorie will bring colour and textures for year round interest.

Ask for him by calling Nursery Manager Tim Porter 0404 477 834

Empire Nursery https://empirewholesale.com.au and sign up for their Trade A/c

Plants with succulence have risen to prominence, not only for their self storing ‘water-wise’ capacities but also interesting habits, textures and foliage colour, to earn them year round interest and feature in the design industry.

Mangave ‘Pineapple Express’

Especially conspicuous among the new intergeneric hybrid Mangaves, borrow desirable attributes from both parents. All Mangave hybrids shown 165mm $14.50 + gst

Mangave ‘Pineapple Express’ has a tidier form that it’s Manfreda parent but has kept a faster growth rate than the Agave side. Manfreda’s leopard spots have also transferred, together with a blue green rosette. In tougher conditions majority colour with recede, approaching a more neutral beige and this emphasises its freckly appeal by allowing the spots to ‘read’ more clearly.

Manfreda ‘Pineapple Express’ showing higher colour contrasts with less water & fertiliser

Mangave ‘Lavender Lady’ a finer rosette of amethyst hues

Another stand out is Mangave ‘Lavender Lady’, a radial of amethyst perfection and just as water-wise in high contrast with micro-fines like many of the ornamental grasses like Carex buchananii

Carex buchananii – Brown Sedge

Manfreda ‘Redwing’ is a more recent addition to this tribe …

Mangave ‘Redwing’

… and easy textural contrasts using this scallop shaped Ajuga, with a high top rosette form like Manfreda ‘Redwing’ also brings year round interest. Exposure to minimum half day sun and avoiding the low light condition of a southern aspect, will ensure good colour development away from inside the drip line of large low hanging trees.

Senicio candicans ‘Angel Wings’

This raised the brow of many last year during wetter conditions of La Niña. Being a silver leaf plant, my inclination was to see how these did in the garden before making selection in designs – as silver leafed plants are often martyred to prolonged wet conditions.

Senicio candicans ‘Angel Wings’

Surprisingly, higher than usual rainfall appears to have been less of a set back than High Summer humidity. Providing northerly growing conditions are ensured .. and save the worst prevailing wind, ‘Angel Wings’ faired rather well despite the rain. Suggestion as a sunny container plant for patio star performances or outside the front door approach for sense of arrival. Available in July.

And finally another portulaca variegate, so useful elevated into long troughs on first floor terraces facing the street as ‘foam-over’. Portulacca Retro Variegata is also a self striker across steep falls, where grip of a loose surface is required against erosion. Views through windows from inside, to sudden steep grades close to the house with at least half day sun as a high frequency ‘look to’ and ‘walk-by’.

Portulacca ‘Retro Variegata’ 160mm $7.50 + gst

Stars of the Bright Shade Garden

Planting space within the drip line of trees with elevated, scant canopies make bright shade. Surface soil in places like these is often obstructed by the tree’s feeder roots and unless rain is prolonged, is also DRY.

All 5 plants following are the work of Bright Shade Master Keith Tollis, whose impressive range of ever expanding, exciting non-general line planting I could only hope to show a small part of …

4greatgardens@westnet.com.au or call him 0409 302 304

Neoregelia carolinae in Spring amethyst cup halo 200mm $25 + gst

Bright shade loving neorgelia can suffer a bad wrap for turning an homogeneous green and stretch badly in gloomy corners of the Cool Subtrops Garden.

However, many like N. carolinae are good garden bromeliads, living easily as they do, above the impenetrable tree root ridden surface quite happily. Add to this variegate forms and a welcome ‘lift’ against surrounding mid green garden is easy. Water storing and changes to bright cochineal in the High Summer garden.

Neoregelia carolinae in red summer cup

Aroids from the Araceae continue to pull focus coming into ’23 market places, chief among them an undying interest in Anthurium.

One of the toughest and most durable from exposed headlands to quite heavy shade and within full overhang in the built environment is Anthurium coriaceum has a wide frost free range.

Anthurium coriaceum – Birds Nest Anthurium

The plant shown above grows in an otherwise harsh western aspect here at ‘Sea-Changer’ in Forresters Beach Central Coast, that in winter months remains fairly sunless, followed in high summer by direct afternoon heat. No matter and receives constant neglect from myself … regardless and still manages an effortlessly lush appearance. Keith Tollis has beautiful semi advanced and super advanced plants that have been well hardened in 200mm @ $35 & 300mm @ $65 + gst

Keith Tollis beautifully grown Anthurium coriaceum

Paint Brush Lily – Scadoxus puniceus

There are few more arresting sights in the late August cool subtrops garden than Paint Brush lilies, thrusting their proud torches skyward. Keith has selected for a particularly robust taller form around 1m, with superior staminate brushes into early September.

Scadoxus puniceus – large hybrid Paint Brush Lily 200mm $25 + gst
Keith’s superior larger plant & flowering hybrid

Keith Tollis will have all these beauties and many other non-general line stars of the dry shade Cool Subtropics Garden, at Collectors Plant Fair Clarendon 15- 16th April ’23 near Richmond just one short month or so away. Look for the stall bannered Andy’s Rare Plants that will also have standout offerings from Andy Harvey and Colin Hunt.

Amarygia ‘Bozandycol’ from Keith Tollis, Andy Harvey & Colin Hunt

Departing from the shade garden ..

..for hot sun and not more than half day shade, is an intergeneric hybrid between Amaryllis and Brunsvigia named for Keith (Boz) Tollis, Any Harvie and Colin Hunt … take a look beneath and watch out for these stall side @ CPF ’23 !!

xAmarygia ‘Bozandycol’

From time to time I’ve received good referral from colleagues who are in the Media, Growers or other parts of the industry, to clients looking for Garden Design and or Project management.

If you want to refer with confidence so your referral will be a happy one, please refer your inquirer client to myself –

Peter Nixon – Paradisus Garden Design 0418 161513 info@peternixon.com.au and www.peternixon.com.au – Garden Lovers Blog www.paradisusgl.peternixon.com.au

Facebook – Paradisus Garden Design and Insta handle – paradisus_sea_changer

Better Homes and Gardens TV will feature a special garden in Willoughby made from plants like those shown in this send. Channel 7, Friday 7.30pm 19th May and on 7Plus !

Peter Nixon’s ‘Sea-Changer’ open & PLF ’19 Kariong in less than 3 weeks !

‘Sea-Changer’ mirror deck greenwalls, opens for Gosford Open Gardens SUNDAY ONLY 29th September 10am – 3pm $5 gate

Garden Lovers, did you know its only 3 weeks till Plant Lovers Fair Kariong !

Springtime is here with a warm rush and a gazillion stall holders with tempting treasures will be on offer, come Saturday & Sunday 28th & 29th September at PLF ’19 so get your tix now to avoid the entry cue !!!  

Plant Lovers Fair Kariong

Gosford Open Gardens is on all weekend of the Fair with more than 10 gardens on offer. My home studio garden ‘Sea-Changer’ ONLY opens on Sunday 29th September,  

10am – 3pm  $5 gate.

‘Springtime ‘Sea-Changer’ style …

Sunday of the Fair is always a more relaxed day, so treat yourself to some of the best cool subtrops planting available in Australia in the one place !! Then its only a 20 minute drive from the fairground at Kariong Mountains Highschool 

to ‘Sea-Changer’ at 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach 

‘Sea-Changer’ relaxing shade hut

Come to ‘Sea-Changer’ and many of the other 9 gardens, for new ideas on how you can make an even better home garden 🙂 

‘Sea-Changer’s’ 8 pages in Better Homes & Gardens Mag, August issue out now !

 

Garden Lovers, if you haven’t been able to make it up for one of ‘Sea-Changer’s’ opens here at Forresters Beach on the Central Coast, grab yourself a copy of Better Homes and Gardens mag August issue OUT NOW. This was a mid May shoot and shows how you can extend interest well into late Autumn for your cool subtropics garden at home.

Love Your Garden … 🙂      

‘Sea-Changer’ THIS Fri 12th July, 7pm Channel 7 Better Homes & Gardens

Graham Ross at ‘Sea-Changer’ on BH&G’s shoot day in mid May this year

Getting a chance to spread cool subtropics love here at ‘Sea-Changer’ .. that’s what you’ll see 7pm on THIS Friday’s 12th July episode of Channel 7’s BH&G program.
Graham and I get to show you a species hippeastrum for late Autumn, so useful for a blast of scarlet fire in the semi shade garden. Tune in to see pretty sub-shrubs like barlaria and ruellias that can bring your garden welcome long flowering interest. He’ll also show how climbing bromeliads like Neoregelia x macwilliamsii and N. compacta are covering slat panels here, to bring lush low maintenance green cover to walls and fencing for your garden and much, much more ..

THIS Friday’s episode of Channel 7’s Better Homes & Gardens you can see my ‘Sea-Changer’ garden, for ideas to make an even better garden at home….
See you ‘Sea-Changer’ – side !!!
 

Shoot day at ‘Sea-Changer’ from the Mirror Deck

https://youtu.be/KptyjETDwXw

CLICK ON ABOVE VIDEO for a ‘Sea-Changer’ taster on what you’ll see on BH&G tomorrow (Friday 12th July) night.. !! 

Cool Subtropics Sydney gardens ‘Clifton’ Masterclass Peter Nixon

Garden Peeps .. its nearly time this Wednesday 1st May for our special time together at historic ‘Clifton’ for a
Masterclass I’ll give on cool subtropics gardens I’ve designed for Sydney !!!

Looking forward to showing you beautiful Sydney gardens made from EXCITING cool sub-tropics planting. Inspiration for your grow lists or the dream gardens you may be designing for clients.

AT THE TIME OF SENDING THERE ARE JUST A FEW SEATS LEFT !!!  If you haven’t responded by clicking on ‘comments’ at the end of this post yet, to say you’ll join us in ‘Leave a Reply’ YOU ONLY HAVE TILL MIDDAY THIS MONDAY 29th APRIL to get onto the door list.

A free Cool Sub-tropics tube plant for you to try at home or give to a garden friend.

Masterclass 9.30am for 10am kick off THIS WEDNESDAY,
1st MAY at the rather lovely home of our host Felicity McCaffrey, ‘Clifton’
7 Woolwich Road, Hunters Hill    $25 at the door
for L’Arche 4 Sydney 

Mirror Deck ‘Sea-Changer’ greenwalls

Come to Wednesday’s Masterclass and don’t forget to leverage your new knowledge, by experiencing for yourself cool subtropics plants at my ‘Sea-Changer’ garden. Opening free on Saturday of the same week
4th May 10am – 2pm !! Enjoy a nice day out of the city with a garden friend on the Central Coast, only an hour north on Pacific Motorway from Wahroonga on ramp. Lunch at Bamboo Buddha at Holgate, 21 Wattle Tree Road 43 65 5810 to book.

‘Sea-Changer’ 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach Peter Nixon 0418 161513      

‘Clifton’ Masterclass Sydney cool sub-tropics gardens for you

‘Clifton’ Hunters Hill … an 1890 mansion & garden

Garden Loving Colleages, hoping you will join me at beautiful ‘Clifton’ in Hunters Hill for a Masterclass on cool subtropics planting to suit our coastal    Sydney gardens.

Felicity McCaffery, owner of ‘Clifton’ and Hunters Hill Open Gardens Convenor, has agreed to host my talk to shed further light across the dazzling array of planting bandwidth that fits between our cool subtropical goal posts.

‘Clifton’ balustrade serpentine of hydrangea

See a 40 minute keynote presentation with 20 minutes for questions, of a selection of my Sydney designs and the current home work garden ’Sea-Changer’ at Forresters Beach, Central Coast, on how to make a better garden in warm temperate, coastal, frost free growing conditions.

Cycads flank the facing entry to ‘Clifton’

Find out more about what cool sub-tropics gardening is and the exciting plants you could be growing that are a fit to our brief winters and long sultry, thunder storm filled summers to make your garden great again. Part Wendy Whiteley’s garden at Lavender Bay, expanded into seasonal colour blasts, year round textural contrasts, low maintenance and next to nil predation.

The Masterclass includes a cool subtropics mini tube plant to try at home, plus free admission to my         ‘Sea-Changer’ garden on Saturday 4th May 10am – 2pm, 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach.

Hippeastrum hybrids at “Clifton’

Limited numbers for this exciting talk and something to look forward to after Easter Holidays!! To hold the event Felicity and I need to get an idea on numbers. To add your name to the door list, see ‘Leave a Reply’ at the bottom this post and add yourself and your best garden buddy in the comments field. Look forward to seeing you on the day… EXCITEMENT !! 

WHERE: ‘Clifton’ 7 Woolwich Road, Hunters Hill

WHO: Garden Designer Peter Nixon – Paradisus

WHEN: 10am – 11.30am, Wednesday 1st May ’19

RSVP: to show you’d like to attend please send by Friday 5th April

COST: $25 pp at the door

BENEFICIARY: L’Arche 4 Sydney  

Shade King Keith Tollis …

Epiphyllum Crown Prince
Epiphyllum Crown Prince beautiful large plants Keith Tollis has for sale

Bright Shade Gardens … can bring instant relief to our long hot summers. Entering garden space with this quality revives the head and the soul, with a languid coolness from searing heat. But what are the rare beauties that furnish shade gardens and give them fresh appeal year round…?

Epiphyllum Crown Prince flower
Epiphyllum Crown Prince flower

Jungle Cactus are true epiphytes you can use on larger host trees with big enough limbs  to support an accumulation of leaf litter and bark for them to grow in. They also adapt for terrestrial growing in open ground, providing the medium they grow in can be replicated in mounds of organic material mixed with bark chip to ensure sharp drainage with some moisture retention. Bright shade beneath large tree canopies with a little summer water will bring a blast of jockey silk colours to your design for the October garden.

 

 

Cylogene flaccida
Cylogene flaccida at Keith Tollis’ nursery
Cylogene flaccida flowers
Cylogene flaccida flowers

Lithophytic Plants often form featured parts on the shade garden and if you did have introduced or lucky enough to have natural rock boulder or exposed bedrock, Cylogene flaccida is a very appealing alternative to Dendrobiums or Rock Orchids, making delicate early spring trails.

 

 

Scadoxus multiflorus katarina - Fire ball Lily
Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. katharinae – Fire ball Lily establishing in Keith Tollis’ garden
Beautiful Fire ball Lily flower detail
Beautiful Fire ball Lily flower detail

So many amaryllids made alluring subjects for the shade garden you know … to expand from the basic clivea and crinums like the gorgeous Scadoxus and all its tribe and especially S. multiflorus subsp. katarinae. Give it a fair bit of space where it’s not forced to compete for resources and avoid low overhanging canopy closer than 3 meters. A fair clump size clump develops around a meter across in 5 years or so and you’ll be rewarded with a rush of coral stars before the end of January.

Keith Tollis is a font of useful information as to best fit of his plants to your growing conditions so the selection is culturally right and ornamentally impressive.

By appointment 0409 302 304 at his Salt Ash growing space and garden.       

    

 

 

          

Your ‘Clifton’ Masterclass ‘Leave a Reply’ response ..

Mirror Deck ‘Sea-Changer’ greenwalls, opens free Saturday, 4th May 10am – 2pm

RE: Designer Peter Nixon ‘Clifton’ Masterclass
on Sydney Cool Sub-tropics Gardens

7 Woolwich Road, Hunters Hill, 10am – 11.30am
Wednesday 1st May, 2019
for L’Arche 4 Sydney 

Hi DGN Colleagues,

Thanks for those of you who have responded already since last week’s post to attend my Masterclass $25 @ the door for L’Arche 4 Australia. Some readers have reported difficulty in making their attendance response in the Comments field.. so I’ve fixed it ! To show you would like to attend (or even with an industry friend as well..) use the following – 

1.Simply scroll to the end of this follow up post, where the number of comments are shown.
2.Click on that comments number and the page will jump to a view showing all comments so far.
3.Scroll to the end and Leave a Reply appears with a comment field &
hit Post Comment

Sooooooooo easy …. and look forward to seeing all of you interested in leveraging the knowledge about your own gardens from Wednesday’s Masterclass, by also joining me here at
‘Sea-Changer’ Instagram  the following Saturday, 4th May 10am – 2pm Designers ‘walk & talk’ at midday. 

Seats are limited for this exciting ‘Clifton’ Masterclass on Sydney Cool Sub-tropics Gardens, so to give myself and ‘Clifton’ owner / Hunters Hill Open Gardens Convenor Felicity McCaffrey an idea on numbers … PLEASE respond today 😮      

Love Your Garden .. !

Peter Nixon – Paradisus & Garden Lovers Blog    

Cool Subtropics Garden Masterclass Hunters Hill ‘Clifton’

‘Clifton’ Hunters Hill … an 1890 mansion & garden

Garden Loving Colleages, hoping you will join me at beautiful ‘Clifton’ in Hunters Hill for a Masterclass on cool subtropics planting to suit our coastal    Sydney gardens.

Felicity McCaffery, owner of ‘Clifton’ and Hunters Hill Open Gardens Convenor, has agreed to host my talk to shed further light across the dazzling array of planting bandwidth that fits between our cool subtropical goal posts.

‘Clifton’ balustrade serpentine of hydrangea

See a 40 minute keynote presentation with 20 minutes for questions, of a selection of my Sydney designs and the current home work garden ’Sea-Changer’ at Forresters Beach, Central Coast, on how to make a better garden in warm temperate, coastal, frost free growing conditions.

Cycads flank the facing entry to ‘Clifton’

Find out more about what cool sub-tropics gardening is and the exciting plants you could be growing that are a fit to our brief winters and long sultry, thunder storm filled summers to make your garden great again. Part Wendy Whiteley’s garden at Lavender Bay, expanded into seasonal colour blasts, year round textural contrasts, low maintenance and next to nil predation.

The Masterclass includes a cool subtropics mini tube plant to try at home, plus free admission to my         ‘Sea-Changer’ garden on Saturday 4th May 10am – 2pm, 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach.

Hippeastrum hybrids at “Clifton’

Limited numbers for this exciting talk and something to look forward to after Easter Holidays!! To hold the event Felicity and I need to get an idea on numbers. To show your interest in attending, please click on the ‘leave a comment’ field at the bottom left of this post. 

WHERE: ‘Clifton’ 7 Woolwich Road, Hunters Hill

WHO: Garden Designer Peter Nixon – Paradisus

WHEN: 10am – 11.30am, Wednesday 1st May ’19

RSVP: to show you’d like to attend Friday 1st March

COST: $25 pp at the door

BENEFICIARY: L’Arche 4 Sydney  

Green Gallery for the best colour ..

Shorter life cycle colour keeps a design open by reserving featured parts of the garden for annuals dear Designer Growers Network Peeps.

This is one way of keeping your design dynamic to avoid congestion. Planting that’s all permanent would otherwise close in and use all available growing space. This leaves nowhere to freshen your design with the ever-changing brightness of annual and biennial plantings. Here’s a few examples of mine from ‘Sea-Changer’s’ Entry Garden.  

Green Gallery temporary gallardia Blanket Flowers with permanent Neoregelia zonata
Green Gallery temporary gallardia Blanket Flowers with permanent Neoregelia zonata at ‘Sea-Changer’
Dimorphotheca daisy hybrids with pentas lanceolata hybrids
Dimorphotheca daisy hybrids with pentas lanceolata hybrids at ‘Sea-Changer’
Crossandra and Laurentia add welcome at 'Sea-Changer's Front Gate Garden
Crossandra and Laurentia add welcome at ‘Sea-Changer’s Front Gate Garden

Enter Green Gallery’s Jeremy Critchley and a world of annual & biennial options open up for you …in full or near full day sun your choice bandwidth is huge at GG of the most interesting and beautiful. The following 3 really were standouts when I visited recently.    

A sunray of Echinacea Sombrero Lemon at Green Gallery
A sunray of Echinacea Sombrero Lemon at Green Gallery
A raspberry of Vinca Tatoo Series Black Cherry
A raspberry of Vinca Tatoo Series Black Cherry
A strawberry milkshake of Gaura Belleza Series, Geyser Pink
A strawberry milkshake of Gaura Belleza Series, Geyser Pink

And for the southern house side, in the fernery or as understory ground cover beneath large trees in bright shade or morning sun these pinged hard in passing – 

A cool green pool of Pilea peperomoides
A cool green pool of Pilea peperomoides
A golden blast of Philodendron ‘Prince of Orange'
A golden blast of Philodendron ‘Prince of Orange’
Or a quiet elegance of Alocasia amazonica dwarf
Or a swish elegance of Alocasia amazonica dwarf

I might add that Jeremy and his Production Manager Peter are one of very few nurseries who e-mail a WEEKLY planting availability listing, that includes a responding roll-out of colour images. VERY impressive and I would say essential, especially when dealing in relatively short life cycle, high performance plants.

YAY for Jeremy & Peter !!!! 

Jeremy Critchley – The Green Gallery 0403 194 320     thegreengallery@yahoo.com.au and www.thegreengallery.com.au  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabbage Tree, an old fave grower for cool subtrops ..

Dichroa versicoloured the evergreen hydrangea
Dichroa versicolor the evergreen hydrangea ..

Shady beautiful from Jon & Terry at Cabbage Tree …useful evergreens flowering shrubs to less than 3m are always good to find. Especially ones like the Evergreen Hydrangea, Dichroa versicolor that favour the southern house side where they grow without losing condition during sunless winter months AND conceal the boundary fencing.

Sandy slightly alkaline soils produce rose shades
Sandy slightly alkaline soils produce rose shades for Paradisus design
Epidendrum hybrids at Cabbage Tree
Epidendrum hybrids at Cabbage Tree
Crucifix Orchids used as part of xerophytic rooftop mix
Crucifix Orchids used as part of xerophytic rooftop mix for Paradisus design

Self Water storage is the imperative if your selection is going to match to rooftop low water use growing conditions.  Contrasting textures bring year round interest yes and if there are seasonal flowers as a bonus, why not consider Epidendrum ibaguense hybrids. Also perfect for within drip-lines of crunchy, dry gum leaves where little else does so well …

Solandra longiflora the Dwarf Hawaiian Chalice
Solandra longiflora the Dwarf Hawaiian Chalice

If shady evergreen shrubs are good to find, interesting climbers are scarce as hens teeth. Enter Solandra longiflora, little sister to S. maxima and an extremely useful subject for converting pvc mesh fencing to ‘green fencing’. ‘Green Fencing is where certain climbers that are flexible but woody enough to hold position,   are woven loosely through mesh and effectively disappear into the garden but have the advantage of keeping your client’s dog and the neighbour’s dogs out.

Solandra longiflora a medium weight climber for frost free cool sub-tropics
Solandra longiflora a medium weight climber for frost free cool sub-tropics – Paradisus design

Garden variety bromeliads that make good garden plants are a low risk option for bright but dry shade. Virtually no maintenance or predation, Billbergia (‘Domingos Martins X ‘Ed MacWilliams’) ‘Hallelujah’ is high on this list and if you have a featured east facing spot for morning sun only, expect to be rewarded with stained glass winter colour through low angled sun light and flower flashes during any of the warm weather.     

Billbergia ('Domingos Martins X 'Ed MacWilliams') 'Hallelujah'
Billbergia (‘Domingos Martins X ‘Ed MacWilliams’) ‘Hallelujah’

Go on, make a garden from plants I dare you and call Jon or Terry now !!!

Jon Williams & Terry Castle for Cabbage Tree Nursery

64 Quarry Road, Dural 9651 1851‬

 

 

   

 

      

Pete’s Leaves & Shoots … ’19 promising newcomer grower

Agave america, a hero plant for the largest statement maker
Agave americana, a hero plant for the largest statement maker

Young growers with ‘planty’ interest are great to find, so when I came across Pete Bowen at his 3 year old growing space at Sommersby on the Central Coast last month –  I stayed to have a good look around.. !

Now dear reader, I don’t want you thinking each grower covered on DGN Blog amounts to a random roll-out of kooky plants in no particular order or use. So if you’re reading this in the hopes of expanding an existing plant offering to clients for your designs, into interesting non-general line to give your work an edge – you’ve come to the right place !! To this end I’ve made humble suggestion in pairs (or more) of how you might do this. Of course, its entirely up to you how you might use Pete’s feisty current range but as follows to inspire –

Aloe variegata 'Gator' like a triangulate 'little stiff dress' for living sculpture high contrast
Aloe variegata ‘Gator’ like  triangulate ‘little stiff dresses’ for living sculpture high contrast
Lampranthus brownii, pillar box red year round Pigs Face
Lampranthus brownii, pillar box red year round Pigs Face

So if you had a sunny patch where height restrictions at the front of the planting space were limited to less than 200mm but focal requirements high at the front door, why not crowd Aloe variegata ‘Gator’ together at 250mm centres. Then bring gauzy relief to these little stiff triangulate peaks with a species Pig Face, Lampranthus brownii. These will wind their wiry way around each crisp alligator patterned mini Aloe, with matched low water requirements and a year round blast of pillar box red.

Carex buchanii - Brown Sedge a perfect ultra fine foil for rubbery textures
Carex buchanii – Brown Sedge a perfect ultra fine foil for rubbery textures
Senicio amaniensis, flushes bright cochineal in winter
Senicio amaniensis, flushes bright cochineal in winter

Next up in height at less than 400mm or so, and still in at least half day sun might be a tawny broom straw sweep of Brown Sedge, Carex buchanii. This plant often looks intriguingly ‘dead’ but isn’t and you can get year round contrast using a  rubbery cluster of Senicio amaniensis, that has the added feature of a cochineal flush where winter’s cool night air touches it in dry conditions.

Kniphofia 'Candlelight' grassy sword supporting chartreuse mini torches
Kniphofia ‘Candlelight’ makes a grassy sword supporting chartreuse mini torches
Senicio mandraliscae rug cover of soft blue fingers
Senicio mandraliscae rug cover of soft blue fingers

Succulent blue foliage can be difficult to reconcile with other planting into the garden. Somehow it often looks marooned in its blueness. Use of chartreuse flowers or gold foliage always looks fresh though. Dwarf Pokers in a sunny 350mm tall like Kniphofia ‘Candlelight’, against thick rugs of Chalk Sticks, will give your design ‘high pop’ just where you need it for extra feature on converging sight lines. Be sure to use Senicio madraliscae, avoiding S. serpens that tends to black over with rot by late February humidity.

Agave america, a hero plant for the largest statement maker
Agave america, a hero plant for the largest statement maker

These young plants haven’t developed their distinctive mid point white stripe on each leaf. Long before they do you’ll want to be sure to give plenty of elbow room to expand out into an impressive 3 m wide statement maker and about as high ! Super sharp spikes on each leaf apex and armed with sawfish-like teeth on the leaf margins, these are not so recommended for a pool surround or front door approach. If you’re looking for a hero plant however with gravitas, to anchor your design to a distant but featured corner in challengingly poor unirrigated soil , THIS is the plant for you !!

Euphorbia cotonifolia, a beautiful humidity loving alternative to Cotonis coggyria - Smoke Bush
Euphorbia cotonifolia, a beautiful humidity loving alternative to Cotonis coggyria – Smoke Bush

Requirement for small trees less than 5 meters with featured deciduous foliage is not something that’s going away any time soon. Increasingly limited available space for our designs and a tendency for most winter deciduous offerings to wildly exceed this height limit, can make responding successfully to this request challenging. Especially when most suggestions purportedly a fit for this requirement, come from a far cooler climate than the cool to warm sub-tropics in Sydney Metro.

However, Euphorbia cotonifolia (after Cotinis coggyrifolia – Smoke Bush that it looks quite like, sans the high humidity intolerance), is a great fit for this category. It ticks most boxes for feature foliage colour, height and regular shape. You may have to stake a young tree against lurching over during summer storm strength wind and reduce its tendency to multi-stem by removing all but the strongest leader while still less than a year old. Past these, it has no predator I know of and the pretty claret red high spring canopy usefully sheds by late July to prevent winter gloom for companion planting.

Synadenium grantii rubra, Red South African Milk Bush small tree for paces of limited space
Synadenium grantii f. rubra – Red South African Milk Bush small tree for places of limited space

Last but not least, another feature small tree coming from tropical eastern Africa remains an excellent red and or apple green splashed feature for the courtyard. Being warm sub-tropics, canopy with drop by end of August and its convincingly  combined with bromeliads, euphorbias, kalanchoe, hibiscus, phymosia, brugmansia, iochroma, solandra, ensetes/musa, heliconia, hedychium, dichorisandra, hoya, ruellia and many other cool to warm sub-tropics. Yes, don’t put your hand to your face while pruning it to shape as the white sap is irritating to eyes and some people also experience hive-like reaction. Short of these a more beautiful small tree with feature foliage would be hard to find.

Expand plant offering, support a grower with interesting alternatives to production grown lines while giving your work a distinctive edge !! Pete’s range is expanding, call him to discuss your requirements for a design made from plants.     

Pete’s Leaves & Shoots – Peter Bowen 0400 134 404‬

64 Ghilkes Road
Somersby (Central NSW Coast) pete@shootandleaves.co.au 
      

Peter Nixon – Paradisus & Convenor Designer Growers Network Blog 0418 161513 Insta Facebook             

o418 161513 info@peternixon.com.au

   

           

 

     

    

 

Paradox Pleasures …for your design

Puya chilensis alluring metallic turquoise flowers
Puya alpestris alluring metallic turquoise flowers

Allure in the garden, can be hard to find but never fails to intrigue. Bromeliad grower Ray Henderson from Paradox knows this and that’s why plants like Puya alpestris raise their early summer metallic turquoise torches. Nought degree winter overnight temps, spring hail and now the prospect of another fierce summer with some days exceeding 40 C are unusual for Ray’s Glenning Valley growing location. But as he says, ‘If its one day or twenty, they still have to be up for it.”

And so they are, like Billbergia vittata ‘Domingos Martins’

Billbergia vittata 'Domingos Martins' a good tough for seniors to full sun
Billbergia vittata ‘Domingos Martins’ a good tough for seniors to full sun

Contrary to popular belief, this bill is not a shade dweller like many of its cousins and will revert stubbornly to flowerless green in the gloom. In semi-shade to full sun, even facing harsh west, this densely crowded pup former makes a bright chocolate purple patch of excellent weed suppression. Jockey silk coloured flowers are a high spring bonus.

Neoregelia 'Persian Tiger'
Neoregelia ‘Persian Tiger’

Hybrid Neoregelia ‘Persian Tiger’, just one of many neo hybrids Ray has does show sun burn ‘patching’ but soon grows out of this and without this bit of scorch, won’t form its beautiful blush colours. Use in your designs wherever perennial interest is required to bring energy charged foliage colour against mid greens and or interesting textural contrasts using with ultra fines like grasses like Miscanthus transmorrisonensis.

Cotyledon compact hybrid
Cotyledon compact hybrid

Not all non-general line planting at Paradox are bromeliads. Many succulent plants combine most sympathetically with them though, like this rather nice compact form Cotyledon with chocolate margin. I’m never sure why combinations like this succeed but in countries like Brazil they often appear together in habitat and especially with rock.

Senicio amaniensis
Senicio amaniensis
Senicio amaniensis showing pendant thistle-like brushes
Senecio amaniensis showing pendant thistle-like brushes

Flowers from this senecio amaniensis, are one of the best butterfly attracting plants here in my home/work garden at ‘Sea-Changer’. Coming in over the November/December garden, its dainty orange brushes are also strangely alluring, not unlike the Puya alpestris … I bet this combination would be a super interesting in your clients design too.

Ray Henderson Horticulture 0490 263 416 and 

rayhenderson007@yahoo.com.au  

Glenning Valley on the NSW Central Coast

Peter Nixon 0418 161513 and info@peternixon.com.au for Paradisus and      Convenor Designer Growers Network Blog,

 …bridging the gap from Designers to Growers ! 

 

   

      

  

      

 

 

Empire Wholesale …much more than the usual cac & succ’s

 

Senicio talinoides ssp. cylindrica - Ice Sticks
Senicio talinoides ssp. cylindrica – Ice Sticks

Few other plant groups bring dynamic charge to a garden space more, than the super textural and foliage colour contrasts of plants with water storing succulence. 

Succulence, because of their water holding adaptions to places of semi arid climates and generally low humidity.  There’s just a few basic but important growing conditions that must be met, IF  the predominant climate in Sydney’s cool sub-tropics is to support them. That patch of converging sight lines for knock out year round interest can met using these very cool combinations.

Euphorbia caput-medusae - Medusa's Head
Euphorbia caput-medusae – Medusa’s Head (well excuse the weeds… no-one’s perfect)

These are very site specific plants and their weakest link is the perfect storm of winter shade combined with rain at that time of year or excessive irrigation that will prematurely rot them. So these beauties will only come between the cross hairs of your selection criteria, if the spot you’re considering receives full sun all day during the short June- August period. Add to this a fast draining sandy top soil, of only average fertility and a Texture Plot of hardy succ’s is tantalisingly close for your client’s delight …   

Aonium '
Aeonium ‘Ruby Lace’ dwarf compact habit
Aeonium - dwarf ground covering form
Aeonium – dwarf ground covering form

There is also an enduring approach to keeping your patch full …  as related to habitat in places like the Canary Islands, the Sth African Eastern Cape and arid and semi arid Mexico from which these plants come. Many like aeonium, crassula, sedum and senicio have ultra brittle leaves and or branchlets that can strike root systems where they fall from the mother plant.

Graptopetalum mendozae
Graptopetalum mendozae for tight, bunchy drifts between feature rocks

So you bumped your fave Grapto dragging the hose across the garden and a big bunch has just busted off ….just scratch the surface of a nearby vacant growing space and settle your snapped off ‘baby plant’ into the soil surface. An expanded repeat of that plant for a ‘louder’ textural impact will soon establish, to contrast with others adjacent. To be avoided, is a ‘donut’ regime will begin to develop, as your original plant expands ever further from it’s original planting location, making a ring surrounding a vacant centre.

Troy Southwood at Imperial Wholesale with many new spring babies
Troy Southwood at Imperial Wholesale with many new spring babies

The visionary talent behind Empire Wholesale’s vast expansion of offering is Master Propagator, Troy Southwood (formerly of Garden Gate Nursery with Wendy & Graham Twaddell) and the location is rear,  7 Moores Rd, Glenorie. Troy has planned some very tasty offerings for the new season including new alocasia, Dischidia ruscifolia and Pilea peperomioides  

Instagram Imperial Wholesale 

Troy Southwood troy@empirewholesale.com.au  

0403 970 398

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Epiphytes…. the new frontier

Epiphytes 'mother trees'
Epiphytic ‘mother tree’

Interior-scapes are making a resurgence …. so for sustainable interest and designer ‘pop’, what could you be looking for far beyond the humble pot plant .. ?

Modern day plant hunter, horticulturist and nursery & plantsman Bruce Dunstan's epiphytic encrusted from gate in Nundah, Brisbane
Modern day plant hunter, horticulturist, nursery & plantsman Bruce Dunstan’s epiphytic encrusted from gate in Nundah, Brisbane

The exciting truth Peeps is found among many planting outcomes now required for a realistic match to growing conditions, of inside/outside interfaces in commercial and residential settings. Head and shoulders above most options is the diverse epiphytic genus Rhipsalis or Mistletoe Cactus mostly from Brazil.   

Rhipsalis ewaldiana a texture like thick seaweed
Rhipsalis ewaldiana a texture like course seaweed

Textural wreaths, greenwalls, eco pillows, horizontal green-bands, vertical green-blades, green-roofs & pseudo-greenwalls have all exceeded the basic hanging basket, as a catch-all destination for these fascinating plants.

Rhipsalis platycarpa
Rhipsalis platycarpa brings foliage colour
Weberocereus imitans
Weberocereus imitans one of the ric-rac Jungle Cactus
Disocactus amazonicus looks like lime green kelp
Disocactus amazonicus looks like lime green kelp
Disocactus chiapis nelsonii with quill like stems forming  a 'birds nest'
Disocactus chiapis nelsonii with quill like stems forms
a kind of  ‘birds nest’ habit
Rhipsalis capilliformis like  foliar ultra-fine gauze
Rhipsalis capilliformis a gauze of foliar ultra-fine
Codananthe 'Lime Delight' a pendulous  gesneriad
Codananthe ‘Lime Delight’ a pendulous gesneriad

Leading among an enthusiastic band of visionary growers, is Justine Smith  at Peats Ridge on NSW Central Coast. While there will be an impressive stall space at Plant Lovers Fair Kariong come 22nd & 23rd September, contract growing is preferred.

'Sea-Changer' Mirror Deck with epiphyte loaded greenwalls
‘Sea-Changer’ Mirror Deck with epiphyte loaded greenwalls

Among many garden making outcomes for these plants are more sheltered growing spaces like courtyards. Fast draining medium levels can be raised as ‘planting humps’ to separate wet sensitive root fibre from the cold winter ground. Lush sense of arrival is assured for the front door and epiphytes combine very convincingly with small palms, aroids, ferns and bromeliads.  

Justine Smith 0408 741 336 Kawana Nursery kawanagardensnursery@icloud.com        

Cac & Succ relly’s can set your design apart ..

Kalanchoe beharensis - shrub form
Kalanchoe beharensis – shrub form

Long gone are the days when anything succulent was relegated to  ‘that corner’ at most nurseries and disregarded collectively as weirdo cactus. Go to any decent Plant Fair and you are spoilt for choice with plants possessing some of the most ornamental characteristics imaginable. And why choose them ? Because they set your design apart like few others can AND offer huge advantages in low water use.

Kalanchoe beharensis – Madagascan Felt Plant is very often encountered in its larger leafed form as a kind of living sculpture. Did you know there are smaller oak leafed forms that make rather impressive texture hedges or can be used to anchor otherwise ‘fly away’,  leafy combinations that run a risk of looking all the same when seasonal flowers have gone over.  

Kalanchoe somaliensis a perky choice for texture rug ground covers
Kalanchoe somaliensis a perky choice for texture rug ground covers

Kalanchoe somaliensis excels for unirrigated garden spaces, beneath an open sky aspect with much valued ground-covering & weed suppression qualities. Also has high ornamental appeal as a ‘textural rug’ that brightens with winter night air. Contrasts with just about anything but especially appealing with an ultra-fine like Lomandra fluviatilis ‘Shara’.

Cyanotis foecunda gives excellent weed suppression
Cyanotis foecunda gives excellent weed suppression

Cyanotis foecunda an equally drought resisting, stoloniferous sheet cover and unsurpassed as a turf replacement, where weed suppression is important and low maintenance a part of the design brief. Providing its a ‘no go’ look to surface only, that’s NOT  expected to withstand even light foot traffic due to its snappy stems that would crush under foot. I’ve used this one many times with the benefit of its self striking stolons that also grip surface soil to help prevent erosion across slight falls.          

Orders are best contract grown to be ready for designs you may have planned for Autumn ’19 from Peter & Ruth Donnelly at Coachwood Nursery Sommersby on the NSW Central Coast ‭0432 590 754 www.coachwoodnursery.com 

‘Planty Fierce ’18 was great and a sunny brom grower for you too.. !

Coachwood sales tables loaded with 'planty' treasures
Coachwood sales tables loaded with ‘planty’ treasures
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Ros Andrews myself and friend getting ‘planty’
IMG_9696
Brendan Lewis, Peter Nixon & Graeme Greenhalge, past fierce but still ‘planty’

Late last month on Sat 28th April, brought a fresh Autumn day for ‘Planty Fierce’  after a much needed morning shower to both my ‘Sea-Changer’ and Ray Henderson’s ‘Paradox’ and plenty of interest from visitors looking for inspiration and a few new treasures from Peter & Ruth Donnelly’s Coachwood sales tables for their own gardens.

Many plants at ‘Sea-Changer’ are grown by Ruth & Peter,       

Rhipsalis grandiflora, part of the mirror surround at 'Sea-Changer'
Rhipsalis grandiflora from Coachwood, part of the mirror surround at ‘Sea-Changer’

If sun adaptable bromeliads would get you out of a lot of trouble, for that elevated N/W aspect you’re wrestling with for your client’s design…. look no further than Ray Henderson Horticulture to see his heroic ‘Paradox’ plantings at  Central Coast’s Glenning Valley.

Aechmea blanchetiana hybrid at 'Paradox' in full northern aspect
Aechmea blanchetiana hybrid at ‘Paradox’ in full northern aspect
IMG_3453
Portia petropolitana extensa hybrid with amethyst berries with Hohenbergia at ‘Paradox’
IMG_3458
Rich textural contrasts at ‘Paradox’ by Ray Henderson

 Ray is your ‘go to guy’ for a myriad of sun adaptable aechmea, billbergia, hohenbergia and even neoregelia that will LOVE your western aspect, even growing as lithophytes over rock with limited or no irrigation. This is the best time of year to plant too,  going into cooler weather to give your plants time to adjust into the increasing heat of next season sans scorch and with dazzling ‘stained glass’ colours.   

Ray Henderson Hotriculture – 25 Curringa Close, Glenning Valley 0490 263 416‬  

Ruth & Peter Donnally – Coachwood Nursery 0432 590 754 and by appointment 

‘Planty Fierce’ Saturday week, 28th April 2018 ‘Sea-Changer’ & ‘Paradox’

Rich textures & foliage colours at Ray Henderson’s ‘Paradox’

Cool sub-tropics gardens ‘Paradox’ and ‘Sea-Changer’ open for ‘Planty Fierce’ on the Central Coast (maps on links) … less than two weeks away !! Inspiration for your home garden or your client’s design and many plants from both gardens available for sale on the day. At ‘Paradox’ learn from Ray Henderson, the huge range of sun adaptable bromeliads that can be grown north facing when you plant them at the right time of year … Find out more about the kind of medium he uses, when to fertilise and how far apart your plants should be for best results.

Bruce Buddha on Peter Nixon’s Mirror Deck in greenwall surround at ‘Sea-Changer’

So many beautiful sub-tropical offerings for your garden from Peter & Ruth Donnally’s Coachwood sales tables at ‘Sea-Changer’.

Bellaperone – big red
Opuntia ‘Burbank’s Spineless’
Ipomea quamoclit – Cypress Vine
Ruellia elegans – Brazilian Petunia

At ‘Sea-Changer’ Peter will give a 2pm designer’s ‘walk & talk’ on how easily new plants could grow for your exciting new home garden or for your designs. So get your gardening buddy, colleague horticulturist, landscaper or garden designer friend together by sharing the ‘Planty Fierce’ link. Be on the Motorway on ramp at Wahroonga by 9am for the hour or so jaunt up to the Central Coast for a fun day of garden visits either side of lunch in Holgate at Bamboo Buddha !!   

Peter’s 2pm ‘walk & talk’ at ‘Sea-Changer’ 

‘Planty Fierce’ Saturday, 28th April 10am – 4pm, $10 gate each garden, children under 12 free, no dogs, easy parking.

‘Paradox’ 25 Curringa Close, Glenning ValleyRay Henderson Horticulture 0490 263 416‬

‘Sea-Changer’ 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach – Peter Nixon, Paradisus Garden Design     

0418 161513         

‘Planty Fierce’ Sat 28th April ‘Sea-Changer’ & ‘Paradox’

Manettia cordifolia – Brazilian Firecracker Vine at ‘Sea-Changer’ shade hut, a thick, high summer rug of tiny scarlet bells

Garden Lovers, see Facebook Event page for Planty Fierce details this year, bringing you two Central Coast gardens. Visit Ray Henderson’s iconic ‘Paradox’ at Glenning Valley in the morning and my ‘Sea-Changer’  after lunch at nearby Forresters Beach. Its a lovely day out of the city, to see a pair of exciting designer gardens as inspiration for your own, just an hour’s drive north on the Pacific Motorway from the on ramp at Wahroonga. 

‘Paradox’ vibrant textures and exciting plants sales

Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible, I’ll be giving a ‘ Q & A walk & talk’ at 2pm 

Peter Nixon’s ‘Sea-Changer’ – 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach plant sales by Coachwood’s Ruth & Peter Donnally  

Ray Henderson’s ‘Paradox’ – 25 Curringa Close, Glenning Valley plants sales featuring sun tolerant bromeliads with designer companion plantings

NOTE: many of the plants you see at each garden will be for sale on the day !!  

Best wishes, Peter 

Peter Nixon – Convenor, Designer Growers Network

‘Planty Fierce’ is almost here THIS Sat 29th April … !

This Saturday, 29th April ‘Planty Fierce’ opens 10am – 4pm $5 entry each garden, across three wildly exciting and horticulturally driven spaces made from plants. 

‘Living Edge Garden’ – Frogs Foot Coleus (Solonostemon), Lomandra ‘Little Con’, Justicea betonica backed in Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ by David Fripp & Blake Jolley at 1483 Peats Ridge Rd, Peats Ridge

Living Edge Garden by David Fripp & Blake Jolley at 1483 Peats Ridge Rd, Peats Ridge

Ray Henderson’s ‘Paradox’ Billbergia fasciata ‘Sangria’, Aechmea sp. backed with Ensetes ventricosum – Abyssinian Banana &
Furcraea foetida mediopicta variegata

‘Paradox’ by Ray Henderson at 25 Curringa Close, Glenning Valley

‘Sea-Changer’s … Sea Monkey garden of rich contrasts

‘Sea-Changer’ by Peter Nixon at 21 Lavinia Street, Forresters Beach

 

See all event details, map & lunch suggestions at Facebook’s event page ‘Planty Fierce’  Expert horticultural and design ideas for your gardens, with exciting designer plants sales at each garden – bring plenty of boxes, you’ll need them!

Kalanchoe humilis – Pen Wiper Plant for the sunny plot
Begonia textures perfect for shady groundcovers
Tradescantia sp. for sun or shade as pretty wed suppresser
Keen interest from last year’s ‘Planty Fierce’ ..

Peter Nixon’s 2pm designer “walk & talk” at ‘Sea-Changer’ and weather forecast is Good !!!   

Robin Powell’s feature on ‘Sea-Changer’ for ‘Planty Fierce’ in last Saturday’s SMH Spectrum .. see you there !!!

‘Planty Fierce’ Sat week on 29th April … !

Peter Nixon’s ‘Sea-Changer’ for Paradisus at Forresters Beach – Dichorisandra’s Blue Ginger heads popping with Alocasia mafafa ‘Lime Zinger’ against pink puffs of Calliandra haematocephala

So much ‘Planty Fierce’ for you on Saturday week 29th April … 10am – 4pm

Start at any of these three fabulous Central Coast gardens only 20 mins apart, bursting with designer inspiration made by industry horticulturists. These are their own home gardens, where they have really been able to let it rip in mining the rich vein of warm temperate coastal plant selection.

As featured on Easter Sat’s SMH in Robin Powell’s gardening page for Spectrum 

 

David Fripp & Blake Jolley’s ‘Living Edge’ at Peats Ridge,  with sculptural Agave sp. with A. gypsophila & Achmea bracteata
Belle guarding the ‘Paradox’ welcome garden by sun bromeliad specialist Ray Henderson with Portmea ‘Joe’ flushing into spike

Address details & lunch suggestions from the ‘Planty Fierce’ FB Event page  Its a great garden day out of Sydney with exciting plant sales for your own garden at every destination,so bring plenty of boxes as you’ll be sorely tempted ! Designer Peter Nixon with give a “walk & talk” at ‘Sea-Changer’ at 2pm and $5 entry at each garden, (no doggies please). Event map shown at.. Sea Changer Map – 2017

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