How to block out the neighbours in a flash – Ficus Flash

Written by coldev on 19/12/2023. Posted in Garden Advice, Garden Ideas, Plants.

Hello, hello! In this article I’d love to talk to you about Ficus Flash and why it is one of the most popular hedges in Melbourne. Now lots of people have lots to say about this but what I’m going to do is clarify how you can make the best use of Ficus Flash and how you can overcome some of its problems and difficulties. 

So how would you like to block out the neighbours, block out the road noise, block out an unsightly vista in a Flash? Well you can with Ficus Flash. And I think that’s why Ficus Flash is called Ficus Flash is because it does do the job in a Flash!

Now we’ve had customers that have blocked out their neighbours in no time at all – as little as 12 or 18 months. They started off with small plants but they soon ended up with this incredible thick, green, luscious, glossy foliage screen in a Flash.

Potted

Now Ficus Flash is an incredibly versatile plant and I think that’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so popular. For example, you can grow Ficus Flash in pots and very often people come in to us because they have a balcony up high or a deck somewhere in Melbourne. It might be facing North or West. It might be in a very, very windy spot, with lots of sun and heat that dries things out. And they say, ”Chris, I’ve got no privacy on my balcony or my deck or whatever. How can I block it so no one looks in on me?” And I’ll always say the answer is Ficus Flash! If you forget to water it, it’s so forgiving. Now if you were to put a Japanese Maple in the same location for example, then the heat and the wind is going to get to it. If you forget to water your Maple the leaves will fall off. And it’s hard to get new leaves on it.

Whereas with Ficus Flash, it’s very forgiving. You can forget to water it occasionally and it won’t drop its foliage. You can forget to fertilise it, it’ll just hang in there. It’ll take the wind, it’ll take the heat, it’ll take the exposure. And it’ll also take coastal exposure. So, you can grow it close to surf beaches and things like that. Now you couldn’t grow it right on the beach, but most coastal spots around Victoria, you’ll find you can grow Ficus Flash quite close to the beach. So you can grow it in pots, you can grow it in planters, you can grow it near the beach.

Now people often put Ficus Flash in an area that’s all concreted and they’ve got a confined root area, but they want something tall and fast to block out the neighbours. In those case I’ll always say grow your Ficus Flash in pots because it’ll stay green, be more forgiving and grow faster than almost any other evergreen that you can get.

Pleached

Now there’s another other thing you can do that’s very popular with Ficus Flash and that is that you can pleach it. Now that’s where you basically create a hedge but it’s a high hedge that’s on long stalks. Now the sneaky way of doing this is, if you come in and buy a standard Ficus with a stem and a ball on top, then over time you trim the ball into a squarer shape, it’ll stop being a ball and grow out into a hedge shape.

Pleaching is where you grow a hedge up on long stalks or stems. It’s ideal if you have a small back garden but you still want something tall to block out the neighbours or a bad view or give yourself some privacy. If you were to grow Ficus Flash or any type of hedge where it grows fully from the ground up, in a small back garden, well it makes your garden look even smaller. But if you pleach it so that all you see is the stalks and you can see your back fence through them, then your yard won’t look so small. Now the other great thing about pleaching is that then you can grow some colourful plants underneath, something low with nice flowers or something else green and lush but down at ground level so you still see the fence. You end up blocking out your neighbours, your garden doesn’t look too small and you have something pretty to look at, at ground level.

Now the great thing about pleaching, with a plant like Ficus Flash is you can make it look very, very elegant. So if you’re looking to create a very smart, manicured, traditional kind of look for your property, then Ficus Flash can be the answer. Often you might combine Ficus Flash with English Box hedges, or Japanese Box hedges, or maybe Asiatic Jasmine or Chinese Jasmine as a ground cover.

Another area where we are putting a lot of pleached hedges in particularly is around swimming pools. Naturally a lot of people are looking to put screens up around their pools for privacy, but you’ve got to have straight stems on the lower part of the pleached hedge that kids can’t climb. What you do is trim up your Ficus Flash with the screen up nice and high with the stems all trimmed so it can’t be climbed by children. This can make it safe and legal for your pool. Whereas you might not be able to just have a bushy hedge around your pool because the kids could use to climp up on and get over the pool fence, you can put in a pleached hedge, and Ficus Flash is great for that.

Versatile

So basically your Ficus Flash is very versatile. You can grow them as a standard plant, you can pleach them, you can grow them in pots, you can grow them in a garden bed and you can grow them in a coastal situation. You can grow them in high wind areas, you can grow them in hot, sunny exposed areas. Basically you can grow them anywhere, where they’re going to experience a little bit of dryness.

I remember one year when we had the bad drought about 10 or 12 years ago. We had a couple of big bushfire days and the temperatures got up around 46 degrees. Everywhere I went around Melbourne, I saw leaves burnt on plants. Some plants had completely defoliated and some plants had even died from the heat. But what I noticed, I had some customers who had Ficus hedges and there wasn’t one single burnt leaf. They were absolutely green and fabulous. So tremendous heat tolerance. Here it was 46 degrees and they had no worries at all.

So where you’ve got a lot of paving and you’re going to get a lot of reflected heat that’s going to make it really, really hot, the Ficus is naturally protected against extreme heat.

So basically your Ficus Flash is a very useful and versatile plant. Now your Ficus does have some limitations and it’s good to know the limitations so that you know how to cope with those limitations.

I remember a famous TV gardener did an “expose” on Ficus. He went and visited a garden where someone had planted a Ficus tree and then had never done anything to it, never trimmed it, never maintained it for like nearly 50 years. And what had happened is that this Ficus tree had grown absolutely enormous and covered the whole front garden. And it had destroyed the brick fence and all the concrete area so the garden looked like it’d been hit by an atom bomb!

But it was a tree that had been completely neglected for 50 years and totally destroyed the garden. Everyone thought it was shocking. But what this TV gardener didn’t actually mention was how it occurred or how you’d prevent it. They just said, don’t plant Ficus, they’re terrible, look what they’re going to do to your property.

The truth about Ficus is that there’s hundreds of thousands of them planted in Melbourne. And when they’re properly managed, they’re not causing a problem at all.

Ficus Koh

A Ficus Koh hedge

The leaf of the Ficus Koh

A layered hedge using Ficus Koh

Now there’s another Ficus on the market, you’ll find it on our website called Ficus Koh. Now where a normal Ficus left to its own devices will grow into a very large tree, the Ficus Koh is actually just a large bush. If you knock one out of its pot, you’ll see it doesn’t have the same roots as the other Ficus. It has a less aggressive root system. So if for instance, you want to plant Ficus in a more sensitive area, like say right next to the pool, by planting the Ficus Koh, you’ll have less of a problem. So in these kind of case, if you plant the Ficus Koh and control its height and width, which is easy to do because it’s not a real big growing tree, you’ll certainly have that problem licked.

Frost

Another problem with Ficus is extreme frost can cause them to go black or brown over the top. In a few weeks after that the leaves will fall off, but then as soon as the weather warms up again, the leaves will grow back again. So basically frost can be a limitation for your Ficus but it will recover mostly. Unless it’s in a really, really frosty area and then your Ficus can actually be killed by frost.

Now I was talking to a nursery person in Mildura recently and she told me that once you get through the first couple of years of frost, your Ficus will become much more frost hearty. Now she grew grew Ficus Flash and Ficus Hillii commercially in Mildura, which has very severe frost down to -4° or -5° or even -6°,. She said that the Ficus Hillii is very frost hardy compared to the Ficus Flash.

So if you’re in the sort of area where you might be worried by severe frost say in the high country out around Daylesford or something like that where you might be in trouble with Ficus Flash, you may find that Ficus Hillii has got that extra frost resistance you need.

Now the Ficus Koh is also quite frost resistant as well. So in extreme frost areas, you might consider the Ficus Hillii or the Ficus Koh instead of the Flash. The Flash can take quite a bit of frost but not as much frost as the Hillii or the Koh. 

Drainage

The next problem that people have with Ficus Flash is drainage. Now where you have very, very bad drainage or where the ground’s likely to become flooded or super duper wet for long periods that’s not good for Ficus Flash. A bit of wet feet can stunt them but a lot of wet feet will actually kill ’em.

So it’s good to put in an agricultural drain or raise the garden bed up a bit. It doesn’t have to be extremely well drained for the Ficus Flash. But they do have to be at least moderately well drained and always be careful not to put them into a really sort of a wet hollow.

Shade

Now another weak point of all of your Ficus is shade. Now if you are planting a Ficus hedge and you have one end that is hot and sunny and the other end is only getting a little bit of sun then what I’d do is plant advanced, well grown Ficus Flash in the slightly sunny area and smaller, less developed ones in the very hot sunny area.

But if you’ve got one end of where you want to plant it that is lovely and sunny and the other end that is always in shade because there’s a 3-storey building next door, well that’s not really a spot for Ficus Flash. This is more a place for something like Sweet Viburnum because it seems to grow quite happily in complete shade, which is where your Ficus really falls down. So if you’ve got no sun at one end of your garden and lots of sun at the other end and you want the same hedge all the way through, consider Sweet Viburnum.

Fertiliser

Another thing to remember about Ficus Flash and this is true of a lot of evergreens, if you’re growing your Ficus in a pot, you’ll find that even though you might be putting fertiliser like Osmocote on it every three months or six months or whatever, you might find that it starts to yellow after a while. So you put on a bit more fertiliser and it doesn’t even pick up and you don’t know what to do.

What’s actually happening here is that when you buy a fresh new potting mix its got quite a good dose of calcium in it. Now calcium is represented as dolomite lime or lime. So your fresh new potting mix that you planted your Ficus Flash in had a good dose of calcium in it at the start and evergreens like Ficus need calcium to help them get the nitrogen out of the soil. And then when there’s no calcium left, they can’t have access to the nitrogen. There’s sort of a blockage there.

So if you’re growing Ficus in pots and they’re yellowing and they’re not responding your NPK fertiliser such as Osmocote, what you’ve got is a calcium or lime deficiency. I recommend that if you’re growing them in pots, at least once a year at a minimum and perhaps twice a year, you should put a really good dose of dolomite lime in there. Now don’t do that at the same time as your Osmocote because the calcium and nitrogen tend to conflict a bit with each other.

So if I had some Ficus that had been in say 20 inch or 24 inch pots for a long time and they were yellowing a little bit, not really greening up, I’d put a really big cupful of dolomite lime into the pot and spread it around. Let it soak in for a month or so, and then I’d put my Osmocote on. This will have a good effect and you’ll get them green and growing again.

So basically summing the limitations of your Ficus Flash, there’s your roots, there’s your frost, there’s your drainage, your shade, and also having them yellow through a lack of calcium. But you can solve all of those as I just explained.

Where to Plant it & How Long it Takes to Grow

So where are the most popular places where you can use your Ficus Flash. The No. 1 use is probably the swimming pool or where you’re wanting some privacy from the road or from the apartments or flats next door and you need it fast. You need it to look green and lush and you want it to look classy. But you don’t want it to be sparse, you don’t want it to be see-through. Well, what you can do is plant your Ficus in a one metre spacing and Osmocote them every six weeks in the warm weather. Really drown them in water once a week and give ’em a few squirts through the week and you can grow them well over a metre a year. Now depending on how high you need them, well in 2, 3 or 4 years you’ll have that problem solved completely.

Now some people want to know how fast Ficus Flash can grow in metres. Well that depends. The bigger they are when you get them, the more growth you can get from them. So I’ve seen customers buy the 16 inch pot, which normally would stand about 1.8 meters tall and I’ve seen them grow up to 3 metres in a year. But if you were to get a 6 inch pot, I would say that it would take 2 years in Melbourne conditions to have that up to just over 2 metres tall.

Basically with Ficus Flash the bigger you buy them, the more growth potential they have that year. So if you buy fairly advanced ones, they have the ability to grow more than a metre a year with perfect conditions and lots of sun and lots of heat. Probably the upper limits of what you can achieve is about one and a half metres in a year.

Now if I’m growing Ficus Flash near a pool for a big screen, I’d want them quite tall so I’d probably start with planting 1.8 metre plants in 40-50 cm pots. I wouldn’t go for those big long planters as they will end up too close together and that can be very expensive. Better to have say 40-50 cm cubes and space them out a bit and you’ll get a nice, evenly space hedge.

Now there are some really good videos on Ficus Flash if you just click the video icon at the top right corner of this website page and that will take you to our youtube channel. Just search Ficus when you are there.

Hello Hello Plants Nursery Campbellfiled Melbourne Victoria Australia Essence of Toorak Gardens Landscape layering ficus flash hedging boston ivy chinese star jasmine groundcover formal garden topiary cones

Hello Hello Plants Nursery Campbellfiled Melbourne Victoria Australia Essence of Toorak layered garden formal garden topiary tree hedging buxus boston ivy ficus

Another popular application for Ficus Flash is using them as standards – say up the side of the driveway or up the side of the garden path, where you want to have something that’s never going to get too big. The old Ficus ball on a stick in many ways beats the standard rose because the standard rose might look fabulous in flower, but it can look pretty spongy in the winter. Whereas your Ficus Flash done as a ball on a stick looks green and lush in summer, maybe not quite as good as a standard rose covered in flowers but nearly as good. But then it looks really good right through autumn and winter and right through spring when the rose is looking a bit yuck.

In Closing

So there you have everything you need to know about the Ficus Flash, where you can use it, it’s limitations and how you can overcome them.

If you want really good deals on Ficus Flash, search this website and you’ll see you can get great prices on all our Ficus range.

Till next time, bye from Chris!

Feeling inspired to create your own garden, but want some expert advice? Try our one-on-one garden design service with Chris. Together you’ll come up with a selection of plants along with a layout plan that gives you the look you want, as well as being suitable for your local soil and conditions.

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A bunch of modern purple and blue hydrangea flowers in a garden.

How to harness the Charm of Hydrangeas in your pots and garden beds

Written by coldev on 05/12/2023. Posted in Garden Ideas, Plants.

Recently I did a Facebook Live all about hydrangeas and I wanted to share it with you because they are such a wonderful plant, a beautiful plant. But people have kind of forgotten about them, how to grow them and look after them.

A close up of a purple flower with green leaves. Ayesha Hydrangea

The flowers are pink and white. Miss Saori Hydrangea

White and blue hydrangeas blooming in a garden. Hydrangea Bridal Bouquet

A bunch of pink flowers in a vase. hydrangea love

White hydrangea blooming in a garden. Hydrangea Greenspire

Now my connection to hydrangeas goes right back to my childhood. When I was born into the Lucas family my dad had purchased a flower farm to help pay the bills. He was an accountant, but to earn extra money we would pick the flower crops as they matured. Now down by our creek we had a big patch of beautiful hydrangeas, all different colours, but mostly blues and whites and greens.

In summer we’d pick them and bunch them up and sell them. I remember the days were very hot. I was down there with my brothers and we all had no shirts on, just a pair of shorts. My parents would pick these great big hydrangeas with long stems and huge heads and we’d use them as parasols to keep the heat off. Yes, that was one of my favourite childhood memories – running around as a small child half naked with large hydrangeas as my umbrella. We thought it was terrific fun.

So, my parents would be picking heaps and heaps of these hydrangeas and we kids would help carry them in big bunches up the hill. Even back then in the Dandenongs hydrangeas were very popular. Everybody had a couple in their garden. But in the last few years they’ve tended to go out of fashion and people have forgotten about them and they’ve forgotten how to grow them. So that’s why I’ve written this article.

3 Things to Know about Hydrangeas

Watering
Seasons
Where They Grow
Watering

The first one is that they LOVE water! They NEED water and basically they’ve GOT to have water. It’s water, water, water. And that’s why they call ’em HYDRAngeas I guess. (Hydro = water, get it!)

Now my father grew hydrangeas commercially in really hot sun. But he’d water them, and water them, and water them. So, with enough water you can grow almost any hydrangeas anywhere. Now that’s why people mostly grow them in the shade because once you put them in the shade, you don’t need nearly as much water.

Now because hydrangeas need plenty of water it’s good to grow them in a shady spot. If you grow them in a pot, it’s a good idea to put a saucer underneath the pot so that they can soak up the water and the water doesn’t drain away too quickly.

Seasons

But basically what is a hydrangea? A hydrangea is a deciduous bush. It loses its leaves in the winter and basically the cycle of a hydrangea is that it just keeps shooting away. Now there are exceptions with hydrangeas. There are evergreen types of hydrangeas, but most hydrangeas shoot away. They shoot away at the end of winter/start of spring.

They get new shoots on them and then as you’re approaching Christmas, you start to get large flowers on the end of some of the shoots. They start with a very brilliant clean colour like a white one or a red one. And these flowers remain on them right through until April and May.

Then they start to go into their autumn colours. So, one colour might get kind of greeny tinges to it. Another might get sort of bronzy and purpley tips to it. Now these sorts of autumn coloured hydrangea are really, really beautiful. And they were the main ones that my parents used to pick and sell.

So, with hydrangeas, the flowers go right through from late spring or early summer until they are almost into the winter. And in actual fact, if you cut hydrangeas that are autumn coloured and hang them and dry them, they can hang as a dried flower and last for years after that. It’s a very versatile flower and a very versatile plant.

Where They Grow

You can grow hydrangeas in a pot, you can grow them in a garden bed. If you grow them in pots, you can bring them inside at certain times of the year. For example, there are beautiful, brilliant red hydrangeas that are just gorgeous to bring inside for Christmas. And if you mixed them up with some white hydrangeas, they would just look lovely inside for the festive season.

Now you don’t want to bring them indoors for a long time, but for a short period they’re ok to be indoors. You can grow hydrangeas in your alfresco dining area and you can grow them where you’ve got morning sun and afternoon shade.

Different varieties of Hydrangeas

‘Tea Time Red’ Hydrangea

Now I’m going to let you in on one variety that we have in our nursery that thrives in the hot sun. Now this variety has little tiny miniature ball-shaped flowers that form a cluster. It’s basically a ball hydrangea. And as they mature, they’ll have more and more flowers on them.

‘Miss Saori’ Hydrangea

Now this is just one of an enormous variety of hydrangeas that we have available. There’s our gorgeous Christmas red one I just mentioned. But there’s another called “Miss Saori”. It has a purplish leaf, that contrasts fabulously with its beautiful pink and white flower. Now their double pink and white flowers are more complex than the normal hydrangea’s flower.

One Colour & Bi-Colour Hydrangeas

But you can also get hydrangeas with just the one colour, like a gorgeous pink flower that has a wonderful sort of warmth to it.

You can also get them with a lovely mauve toning or even ones with a really deep purple. Then you can get the “bi-colour” varieties which has two colours on the one flower.

Paniculata Hydrangeas

Now one of the reasons that I think hydrangeas have been coming back recently is that the Hamptons style garden has really become a thing in the last few years. In the Hamptons it’s a fairly mild climate compared to Australia. There people grow their hydrangeas out in the full sun. And the variety they go for is the Paniculata variety. Now these have a different style of leaf that is longer and a softer green leaf to the normal “ball” variety of hydrangea and their flowers are very often pointed, rather than round. Colourwise, mostly they start off in white and go through various pinks and different colours, pale pinks and things like that. They can even go to a very, very deep red. With the Paniculata variety it’s a fairly upright kind of a bush.

‘Annabelle’ Hydrangeas

Another variety that’s very popular is the Annabelle. This has a beautiful white ball shaped flower with a lovely, long green leaf. And that’s particularly popular in the Hampton style gardens.

‘Oak Leaf’ Hydrangea

One more hydrangea I really go for is the “Oak Leaf”, so named because it has a much more interesting leaf than other hydrangeas. It’s actually shaped like a large oak leaf that has a lovely dark green colour with kind of rippled effect on it. The flowers are long and white. But what I really like about the Oak Leaf is that when it’s mature, it doesn’t grow very high, so it’s very good for mass planting where you don’t want to have a particularly tall plant. When you see a mass planting of them with their beautiful white flowers that sort of lay over the top of that beautiful, dark green, oak leaf foliage, it just looks fabulous.

What’s also really great about the Oak Leaf hydrangea is that when winter comes and a lot of other hydrangeas shed their leaves and just look like dead sticks, the leaves on your Oak Leaf hydrangea will colour into burgundies and purples and reds, and then they will stay there all winter long keeping all their colours of burgundy, purple and red.

Then in springtime, when the new leaves come, they push off the autumn leaves and then suddenly it becomes renewed lovely and bright green. And then the flowers start almost immediately. So your Oak Leaf hydrangea, while not as spectacular as some of the other hydrangeas, it’s the only one in my opinion that looks good all year round.

‘Sundae Fraise’ Hydrangea

Now another really exceptional hydrangea is the Sundae Fraise. Now I was always told that Sundae Fraise could not be grown in full sun. But a friend of mine grew advanced ones in flower last year and he had a whole field of them. And I went up there in the hottest weather in February and they had massive flowers. The flowers were really long and they were big, beautiful flowers, with sort of whites turning to pinks, turning to deep pinks and then a tinge of red but absolutely magnificent flowers.

And there they were in absolute full sun in a really hot paddock. No shelter at all, and there was no sunburn on them. Of course he made sure they were given plenty of water. So if you are doing say, a Hamptons style garden or you love hydrangeas, but you’ve only got a sunny spot, what you want to consider is Sundae Fraise. Give it enough water and it can grow in full Melbourne sun all day sun, it’ll be fine.

View more of our Hydrangeas here

How the PH level of soil effects Hydrangeas

Now with hydrangeas, people will come in and they say to me, Chris, I want to have a blue hydrangea. Or Chris, I want to have pink hydrangeas. I want to have red hydrangeas. But in actual fact if I showed you a pink hydrangea or a red hydrangea the colour of the flower is not fixed, because one variety if planted in a high pH soil, say 7 or above, will take on a pink toning but the same plant, if planted in an acidic soil of a pH of say 5, it would turn a lovely soft blue.

So hydrangea are basically like litmus paper. (Remember from your school science days where you would dip a piece of litmus paper into different acids and alkalines and it would turn a different colour?)

With hydrangeas they can be dark red with a high pH soil or they can be blue or purple or pale blue with a low pH soil. So you can adjust the soil to change the colour of the flowers on your hydrangeas.

What you can do if you use for instance, an acidic product, like a fine crushed pine bark and grow your hydrangeas in fine crushed pine bark, they’ll tend to turn into blues and greens and things like that. Then if you, on the other hand, were to grow them in a very alkaline soil, using lots of dolomite lime for example, you’ll get them in the reds and the pink zonings.

Now you can also go to certain stores and buy like packets of “blueing” mix for hydrangeas and “red” mix for hydrangeas and you can put them on your plants and grow red ones right next to blue ones if you like.

But before you plant your hydrangeas, what I suggest is you go for a little walk around your neighbourhood and see what colour the hydrangeas are in your local area. And if they’re all blue and you buy a “red” hydrangea and plant it, it’s going to turn blue because clearly the soil in your area is fairly acidic. I do have people come in and say to me “Chris, I bought a red hydrangea from you and I planted it and now it’s turned blue!”. Now you know why!

So changing the colour of your hydrangeas to suit what you want is about changing the pH of the soil, not changing the variety of the hydrangea you plant.

The trick to pruning Hydrangeas

Another tip with hydrangeas is about pruning. If you want to have beautiful flowers in spring, the trick is not to prune back all of the stems of your hydrangea, because if you cut back all the shoots in winter, they will not flower in the coming spring. They will flower in the following spring. So the trick is to only cut back half of your shoots in winter and leave the other half unpruned. The unpruned ones will flower, they can’t help but flower and the pruned ones will grow foliage.

Now if you don’t trim your hydrangea, what happens is you get more and more shoots, the hydrangea gets bigger and more scraggly. Then the flowers gets smaller because the energy of the plant gets distributed through more flowers. So to have big, beautiful, impressive flowers, you do need to trim it back. And if you trim half the shoots back one year and then the other half back the next year, what’ll happen is that you can keep your hydrangea nice and compact and it will be full of big, beautiful flowers.

The final step, Fertiliser

The next thing is fertiliser. When we had the hydrangea farm, we used animal manure on them like chicken manure and they seemed to love that. But I think any sort of good fertiliser like Osmocote or something like that will get you nice big foliage and beautiful big flowers, so long as you do the proper pruning I’ve been describing. And then it’s a matter of using a LITTLE bit, not a gross amount of fertiliser, and you will get a much stronger plant.

So just fertilise them once or twice a year with chicken manure or Osmocote or something like that, and the time to do it is probably around springtime and then probably a supplementary dose around Christmas time is going to do nicely. Combine with plenty of good watering and the right trimming and you will end up with a nice big beautiful hydrangea.

If you’re growing them in pots remember to use a good quality potting mix not a cheap one. Now speaking of pots, some people think you can grow different coloured flowers on the same hydrangea plant but you can’t really. What some people do is a bit of a trick.

If you pick two distinctly different, contrasting hydrangeas and plant them both in the same pot together and trim them correctly, you could actually get an assortment of different coloured flowers and create the illusion of a multicoloured flower by combining two plants together. But that’s the only way to do it.

In Closing

So there you have it. Everything you need to know to harness the charm of hydrangeas. If you want to know more, visit my special hydrangeas page here.

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Top 10 late winter blossoms for an early spring

Written by coldev on 04/08/2023. Posted in Plants, Top 10 Lists.

We put together this list of the Top 10 plants that flower first in late winter (to give you that early spring feeling) because let’s face it: everyone loves spring. After the cold, dark gloom of winter, it’s always wonderful to hear the birds singing, see the sun shining and witness the flowers blooming.

While spring doesn’t technically begin until September in Australia, there are some wonderful plants that start flowering in late winter here in Melbourne, to bring the colour and joy of spring forward and let you start enjoying it as soon as possible.

These late winter blossoms offer a way you can make the feeling of spring come as soon as possible in your garden. Year after year, when these plants start flowering in Melbourne, we start getting calls, emails and photos rolling in from people wanting to know what they are and how to get them. We also notice people get excited about getting out in the garden again, and more booking for our garden design service come in.

Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

Elvins Flowering Plum
Blireana Flowering Plum
Magnolia ‘Soulangeana’
Flowering Quince
Magnolia ‘Yulan’
Hardenbergia
Winter Daphne
Camelia Japonica
Loropetalum
New Zealand Christmas Bush

1. Elvins Flowering Plum (Prunus elvins)

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Prunus Elvins, or Elvin’s Flowering Plum, is a small, very compact deciduous tree, usually less than 2 metres tall, with a beautiful white blossom that is very pretty and mildly fragrant. Definitely one of the nicest early spring blossoms, the white flowers have a lovely dusting of pink over the top that makes them so gorgeous.

When planted in a row or group of 2, 3 or 5 they put on a great show in spring, and being very dense and bushy they are great for a compact garden. When not in bloom they are not the most spectacular of plants, so better to use Prunus Elvins in the background or part of a nice mixed planting where it can make way for surrounding plants for most of the year and then come into its own spectacular glory in late winter/early spring.

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Sale!
Prunus ‘Elvins’ Flowering Plum
Price range: $49.99 through $299.99 View products

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Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

2. Blireana Cherry Plum (Prunus blireana)

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The Prunus Blireana, also known as a Cherry Plum or a Purple-leaved Plum tends to bloom in late July or early August with soft, pink double blossoms that mass over the entire tree and last for ages. When the blooms disappear, the rich purple-red foliage keeps the colour show going until it changes to a bronzy red in mid-summer.

This is a flowering ornamental plum, not a fruiting plum tree. Feel free to plant singly, in clumps or even as an avenue or row. It grows to a maximum of 4-5 m tall but can be kept compact with some well thought out trimming. Extremely hardy, the Cherry Plum will grow in almost any soil and hardly needs to be pruned, making it a favourite of local councils as a street tree. It can tolerate both frost and heat well, and is also quite wind and drought hardy.

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Sale!
Prunus x blireana ‘Pink Plum Blossom’
Price range: $49.99 through $229.99 View products

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Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

3. Magnolia ‘Soulangeana’ Tulip or Saucer Magnolia)

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Also known as the Tulip Magnolia or Saucer Magnolia, these small deciduous trees produce large purple flowers that are shaped like a tulip. One of Melbourne’s most popular late winter and early spring blossoms, we always start getting phone calls about Soulangeana Magnolias as soon as they start blooming in late winter.

The flowers actually bloom even before the leaves sprout, providing a great contrast against the dark branches. The flowers feature pinks and mauves at the base with white at the top. Tulip Magnolias will grow to a maximum of 7m but can easily be kept at half that size with yearly trimming. Quite hardy, they will grow anywhere in good soil and need only a little bit of summer watering and a touch of calcium.

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Sale!
Magnolia ‘Soulangeana’
Price range: $22.99 through $599.99 View products

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4. Flowering Quince

The Flowering or Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles family) is an old-fashioned classic that is making a bit of a comeback. Different varieties feature either white flowers or a mix of half pink and half white flowers, but more common today is the red flowering variety.

Flowering Quinces aren’t trees, they’re a slightly prickly bush that grows around 1m tall. These late winter flowering plants are often used as a hedge. Hardy and long-lasting, this traditional herald of spring is ideal when you don’t have room for a big blossom tree, as it works just as beautifully as a blossom bush. It even produces small sour fruits that make a great jam.

Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

5. Magnolia denudata ‘Yulan’

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The Magnolia denudata or ‘Yulan’ Magnolia features stunning pure white flowers with a heavenly fragrance that will waft throughout your garden. Originating from Japan and also called the Lily Tree, it was probably the first magnolia cultivated around 4,000 years ago. Beloved for its pure white, elegant flowers, it was regarded as early as 650 AD by Buddhist monks as a symbol of purity, and its exquisitely fragrant flowers were a gift worthy of an emperor.

The Yulan Magnolia doesn’t mind pruning so you can keep it small. It flowers in late winter, from early July to mid-August. The Yulan, like most deciduous Magnolias, likes full sun or partial shade and will thrive when placed deep in well-drained soil and sheltered from the wind. It has some light frost tolerance.

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Magnolia ‘Yulan’
Price range: $69.99 through $499.99 View products

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6. Hardenbergia

An Australian native, the Hardenbergia (full name Hardenbergia violacea) is a low growing trailing and climbing plant sometimes called the Native Wisteria. It usually comes in purple but there is also a variety with lovely white flowers. It can be used as a bush or ground cover as it grows quite wide and only around 1m tall. It climbs and will happily cover a wire fence.

Hardenbergia grows in almost any soil, is drought hardy and flowers for weeks on end from mid-July onwards. For a really interesting look, grow one purple and one white variety next to each and they will happily intertwine and create a beautiful mix of two different coloured flowers. (When sold this way they are known as Hardenbergia Happy Duo.) Feel free to plant in full sun or part shade.

Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

7. Winter Daphne (Daphne odora)

The later winter/early spring flower that possesses one of the most heavenly fragrances is the Winter Daphne. While the flowers themselves are quite small, a lovely mix of pink and white, the fragrance is so strong it will fill your entire garden. People love to make the most of their sweet scent by planting them near windows or doorways or along paths.

Daphne’s love really deep soil, so while they will grow in containers, they prefer the garden and can grow quite tall if given the right conditions including a good dose of Osmocote slow release fertiliser. They bloom from mid-winter through to spring and are happiest in full sun or part shade, with good drainage and a frost-free location.

Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

8. Japanese Camellias (Camellia japonica)

Japonica camellias flower from the dead of winter to the middle of spring, so they really do start early. They come in many colours: there are white, pink and red varieties that flower in nice formal shapes, as well as loose ruffled style blooms to give you lots of choice. The “Volunteer” for example is a gloriously ruffled Camellia that produces a beautiful, large deep pink-red flower with gorgeous white edges.

Japanese Camellia japonica grows as an evergreen bush or small tree approximately 1-2 m tall. You will find they prefer afternoon shade rather than direct, hot sun, and in the right spot will last for years and years. You can create a full season of cool weather blooms in your garden by also planting Sasanqua camellias, which flower in late summer through autumn.

Ready for the show? We supply a lot of varieties of Japanese Camellias because they do so well in the Melbourne climate and really brighten up our winters.

Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

9. Loropetalum

Increasingly popular, the Loropetalum comes in many shades but a favourite is the China Pink variety. Featuring colourful, red/purple leaves that stay coloured all year round, it blooms with pink spidery flowers featuring long petals that emerge at the start of August and last around for up to 6 weeks.

Easy to trim and keep low as a ground cover or shape into a hedge or ball, Loropetalum are ideal for mass planting. Feel free to use to underplant trees, cover garden beds or use as an informal border around stone walls and paths. They are also happy in pots. Will need some pruning.

Back to list: Top 10 late winter flowering plants for an early spring

10. ‘Tahiti’ NZ Christmas Bush (Metrosideros)

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The New Zealand Christmas Bush is a hardy plant that’s very popular. While the traditional varieties are larger, the Tahiti is a cute, compact version of its big sisters that’s just as tough and resilient. It also features scarlet puffs of orangey-red festive style flowers that burst forth into bloom in late winter.

Evergreen with a mix of lush green and silvery grey foliage, it will easily grow in a pot with little care. Or plant it in mixed borders or as a hedge, as it is quite fast growing and great for Melbourne because it copes with our heavy clay soils. This tough little beauty can survive even in windy spots to provide year-round colour.

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Sale!
Metrosideros ‘NZ Christmas Tree’ Tahiti
Price range: $12.99 through $89.99 View products

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In summary

So there you have it. Get your spring on early with these wonderful flowering plants that blossom in late winter and early spring and you’ll be blooming with smiles for years to come.

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Hello Hello Plants 10 Tips for Winter Garden Maintenance

Top 10 Tips for Winter Garden Maintenance

Written by coldev on 13/07/2023. Posted in Plants, Top 10 Lists.

Our tips for winter garden maintenance to prepare your garden for spring in Australia. Winter in the garden can seem like a miserable experience. Deciduous trees have lost all of their leaves, annuals have died down and a lot of things aren’t flowering. It’s cold outside!

But it’s a very busy time for maintenance, and the work done now will have a huge impact on how your garden looks in spring and summer, right when you want to get outside and enjoy it. If you want to know how best to look after your garden this winter, check out our top tips below, and get your garden prepared and ready for a big spring burst of colour!

Don’t forget, winter is the best time to plan and prepare your garden for the warmer growing months. So now is the best time to prepare your soil, get mulching and if you’re really in need of help, book a Free Garden Design with Chris!

Top 10 Tips for Winter Garden Maintenance

Survey the Site
Update or Remove Unwanted Plants
Time to Transplant!
Pests, Diseases and Deficiencies
Prune, Chop and Divide
Add Some Colour
Prepare Your Garden Beds
Weeds
Fertilize
Mulch and Gravel

1. Survey the Site

This is an easy one. Take a stroll through your garden with a notepad and pen or take photos with your phone. As you walk through you’re looking for things you want to change, fix or want to know more about. It could be as simple as less leaves in the walkway next year thanks, or you might just want more colour, which means another trip to the nursery, yay!

Think about what didn’t work over the last few seasons, what plants were struggling, what did well and do you need to plant more of them? Does your soil look a little bare and dry meaning you need to retain more water, or is it super-dooper soggy and therefore drainage needs to be considered. What do you want your garden to look like this coming spring? Is a section a bit bare and you want to fill it? Jot down everything you want to address and don’t stress if you don’t get through all of it!

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2. Update or Remove Unwanted Plants

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You don’t have to live with other people’s choices, so if there is a plant that is growing in your garden and you don’t like it – remove it! With so many varieties on the market, there’s no need to settle for whatever is already there.

Part of winter garden maintenance is taking the opportunity to think about changing the the garden bed completely. It is quite common for some plants to come to the end of their natural life at this time of year. Or they could just be looking worse for wear, being the wrong plants for the wrong spot. Necessary removal of plants is a chance to start fresh and replace them with something new and exciting.

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Check out our Garden Styles for some inspiration!

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3. Time to Transplant!

Have you ever hastily planted something someone has given you because you can’t think of anywhere else to put it, to later think: that was the completely wrong spot. Well, this is next on the winter garden maintenance list, because now is the time to transplant it!

Winter is also the time for wholesale growers to pot up their stock, transplant them into pots or to sell them bare rooted. It’s during winter that plants are dormant or have slowed their growth right down. This means disturbing their roots will do minimal damage and is safer than if they were transplanted in spring or summer.

However, not all plants can be transplanted, so talk to your local nursery or a professional gardener for advice before moving your plant. The more advanced the plant, the harder it will be to move too! Deciduous plants generally transplant better than evergreen, with the exception of plants such as ‘English Box’. These are evergreen but go semi-dormant in winter and can be moved or sold bare rooted at this time.

Back to list: Top 10 Tips Winter Garden Maintenance

4. Pests, Diseases and Deficiencies

With the cold wet weather and the fall of leaves comes some pests and diseases. So part of your winter garden maintenance is tackling these little blighters. While they are prevalent almost all year round, winter can seem to be a quiet time for pests and diseases, if the weather is really cold. The problem is, they lay dormant in your soil ready for spring!

To prevent pests and diseases, keep your soil and plants happy and healthy. A happy and healthy plant can combat most pests and diseases by itself, without any intervention from pesticides and fungicides.

Refresh mulch, as old mulch can have nasties overwintering in it. Prune off dead, dying and diseased wood and foliage to maintain good airflow amongst branches and in problem garden beds. Lastly, remember to fertilize your plants to keep them happily fed.

Some plants might show signs of nutrient deficiency. A great example which happens every winter is Box Bronzing. This is where a box hedge will turn orange, yellow and bronze in the cold, which can easily be rectified by the application of lime.

For more on Pests and Diseases, check out our Pests, Diseases and Deficiencies Advice Page here!

Back to list: Top 10 Tips Winter Garden Maintenance

5. Prune, Chop and Divide

It wouldn’t be winter garden maintenance without pruning!

Fruit trees, amongst many other deciduous trees, require yearly pruning to even produce delicious fruit, prevent pest and diseases, allow airflow and sunlight in and to keep them at a reasonable height so we can harvest them.

Hedges will need another trim to be kept in shape. Ornamental grasses are also given a vigorous haircut. Dormant grasses like Purple Fountain Grass that have died back in winter are chopped right back to 2-4″ stumps. Evergreen grass varieties are shaped or trimmed right back to allow new growth through. Dead seed heads on cottage perennials and grasses are removed, along with any browning branches or leaves.

And let’s not forget roses! Roses are cut right back to almost the size of a fist for young plants. For more on pruning, check out our Pruning Advice Page here!

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6. Add Some Colour

We often forget that you can have wonderful winter colour in the garden, so when surveying your garden as part of your winter maintenance, assess whether you need to add some new plants for colour to brighten it up!

Colour doesn’t have to mean more flowers. There are many very colourful and classy winter foliage plants available too. For more on winter colour, check out our Top 10 Winter Colour Plants and Top 10 Winter Flowering Plants.

Back to list: Top 10 Tips Winter Garden Maintenance

7. Prepare Your Garden Beds

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Get your garden beds and soil ready for early spring planting! If you’re planning on making a new garden bed or planting something new in a pre-existing bed, prepare your soil as part of your winter garden maintenance, now:

Add compost & manures
Turn over the soil
Weed your garden
Fertilise
Apply mulch

It’s nice and cool this time of year, so lots of manual labour doesn’t become quite as exhausting as it does in summer. The soil is damper and is easier to dig up, although you might get a bit muddy. This also means weeds are easier to remove.

Realign your garden edging too. During the course of the warmer months the lawn can start to creep into the garden beds or your plants can start to spill a little too far over the edges.

Check out some of our articles on understanding and improving your garden soil:

Back to list: Top 10 Tips Winter Garden Maintenance

8. Weeds

Lots of weeds spring up in winter. Lots of weeds spring up all year round! But in winter they can be a lot easier to manage and remove, so weeding is a key winter garden maintenance step. This is because the soil has generally been softened by months of good rainfall, so getting weeds out by the roots is less of a chore.

There are a few methods of removing weeds; getting on your hands and knees and pulling them up one by one or in fistfuls, dabbing poison on cut stems, spraying (although only spray when it’s a still, clear day and there’s no sign of rain) or even flame weeding. What’s flame weeding? Basically taking a mini flame thrower to your weeds. Sounds fun, right! Best used for paths and NOT in the garden bed, for the safety of surrounding plants!

Back to list: Top 10 Tips Winter Garden Maintenance

9. Fertilize

We begin to fertilize plants in late winter to early spring, depending on the plant variety, so this is one of the last steps in your winter garden maintenance to do list. Chris explains that just as you wouldn’t eat a lamb roast in the middle of the night, we don’t fertilise dormant plants in the dead of winter.

However, plants begin to revive much earlier than what the untrained eye sees. Deciduous shrubs and trees can already be prepping their buds as early as July, and start getting hungry as a result! When preparing beds for planting, mix in Dynamic Lifter, pelletized fertilizer such as Charlie Carp Fish Works Slow Release or Osmocote Slow Release fertilizers or manures. This gives them time to break down and to be converted into a form that the plants can take up, right when they need it toward the end of winter.

Back to list: Top 10 Tips Winter Garden Maintenance

10. Mulch and Toppings

You’ve prepared your garden beds by removing all unwanted weeds, pests, replacing any unwanted plants, adding fresh soil, composting and fertilising. Now the last step of your winter garden maintenance is to top it all off with some mulch!

Mulch is the beautiful finishing touch to your garden. It protects the soil from evaporation whilst simultaneously breaking down and adding much loved organic matter to the soil. Plus it creates a neat background for your plants to really stand out against.

Paths and driveways can also be redressed now, as over the year the topping gets washed or blown away or gradually pressed into the ground. So why not re-gravel at the same time as you mulch, giving your garden a real make-over ready for spring!

For more on different types of mulch and what they’re used for, check out our Mulching Garden Advice page here!

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Meet our winter garden maintenance test subjects: Jocelyn & Stuart

This week Chris was live on Facebook to demonstrating important winter garden maintenance jobs in an actual Melbourne garden: he chose Stuart & Jocelyn’s place in Glenroy.

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Almost 4 years ago now, Jocelyn & Stuart wanted to do something about their front yard. They had recently purchased a 70s brick bungalow, the garden consisting of nothing but lawn. Since they were getting a brand new driveway put in, they decided they also wanted a brand new garden to match. Needing some professional advice as first home owners, they came to Chris for his free garden design service.

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Stuart had one requirement: NO LAWN to mow. Jocelyn wanted purples and pinks and lots of lovely beautiful plants for visual interest, including some edibles to provide fun for their young kids. Chris considered their needs and budget and they came away with a gorgeous affordable cottage style garden design.

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Now, 3 years later, the garden is well established and has really flourished! But like all gardens it needs a winter tidy up, ready for spring. Chris also noted that it features many plants which looked wonderful in spring and summer, but lacked a but of winter interest which could be improved with winter flowering and winter colour plants.

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Here we have the garden at the very beginning of the winter clean up. Any plants that are over grown are cut back, dead flower heads are removed, evergreen shrubs are trimmed and shaped and everything is getting cleared away. It can get quite messy!

Boy is it worth the effort, look at the results! In just one day the garden is totally transformed into a fresh, new space. Adding the finishing touches of a nice new layer of mulch really makes these plants pop, suppresses any new weeds and will gradually feed and protect the soil. And with some bright and colourful new plants, this garden will continue to look fabulous every season.

Top 10 Roses for Australia

Written by coldev on 05/07/2023. Posted in Plants, Top 10 Lists.

Our picks for the best roses for Australia. Roses make a wonderful addition to most garden styles and grow extremely well in Victoria’s climate. Despite popular belief they are also easy to look after, providing you follow a few of their simple needs. Roses like ample drainage, lots of sun and when it comes to pruning – treat ’em mean and keep ’em keen! Roses LOVE being pruned hard and will bloom better if pruned correctly.

Although it’s winter at the time of writing, it is the most popular time to buy roses. This isn’t because they’re producing an abundance of beautiful blooms: oh no, quite the opposite! Roses are dormant during winter and it’s during this time we gardeners do most of their maintenance. They’re trimmed back to a manageable size ready to burst to life in spring, making them easier to transport and plant, and are often sold cheaply bare rooted.

More about bare rooted roses at the end of this article.

Top 10 Roses for Australia

‘Iceberg’ Rose
‘Mr Lincoln’ Rose
‘Just Joey’ Rose
‘Blue Moon’ Rose
‘Camp David’ Rose
‘Friesia’ Rose
‘Pascali’ Rose
‘Perfume Delight’ Rose
‘Gold Bunny’ Rose
‘Peace’ Rose

Bonus: Quirky Coloured Roses

If you’re after some roses with a little more pizazz, we have just the ones you! The result of some true artistic collaboration between breeders and mother nature, these roses are multi-coloured or have interesting patterns on their petals. Although they’re not in our Top 10 selection of Bare Root Roses, they’re still some favourites of ours for their unique looks.

View all multi coloured roses available here.

Our Top 10 Roses for Australia!

1. ‘Iceberg’ Roses

It’s not the most popular rose in Australia for no reason! Iceberg roses are a crisp white floribunda rose. Floribunda meaning it flowers in abundance! Being one of the longest flowering roses of all, large clusters of white blooms cover the shrub for many months of year. It is a very hardy rose, tolerating poor soils and most climatic conditions. Iceberg roses have no fragrance.

Sale!
Rose ‘Iceberg’
Price range: $29.99 through $149.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

2. ‘Mr Lincoln’ Roses

The ‘Mr Lincoln’ rose is a beautifully vigorous rose with bright red blossoms held high on long stems, and a strong sweet fragrance. The petals form a tight centre, gradually unfurling into a rich, red bloom. It’s the classic single, straight-stemmed rose given to that special someone, so it’s great for use as a cut flower. ‘Mr Lincoln’ roses are used in bouquets and floral arrangements and are a must in the cottage or rose garden.

Sale!
Rose ‘Mr Lincoln’
Price range: $39.99 through $69.99 View products

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3. ‘Just Joey’ Roses

Very large apricot orange blooms with slightly frilled petals belong to the gorgeous ‘Just Joey’ rose. These roses can be detected from metres away by their sweet fragrance and are another popular choice for those wanting cut flowers at home, or a soft classic colouring in the garden.

Sale!
Rose ‘Just Joey’
Price range: $39.99 through $69.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

4. ‘Blue Moon’ Roses

The ‘Blue Moon’ rose is a soft silvery purple, reminiscent of the cool blue moon which it is named after. This gorgeous rose is another perfect choice for cut flowers and for a formal or cottage garden where it’s important that any colour used isn’t overwhelming. ‘Blue Moon’ roses are also highly fragrant!

Sale!
Rose ‘Blue Moon’
Price range: $39.99 through $69.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

5. ‘Camp David’ Roses

‘Camp David’ roses are another popular red rose, but unlike the ‘Mr Lincoln’ rose the petals unfurl more evenly, creating a bold, rounded red bloom. This sturdy Hybrid Tea rose is tolerant of less than favourable weather conditions making it perfect for Melbournians! ‘Camp David’ are long flowering, often repeat flowering from spring through to late autumn.

Rose ‘Camp David’
Price range: $39.99 through $69.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

6. ‘Friesia’ Roses

The ‘Friesia’ rose is another in the floribunda family just like the ‘Iceberg’ rose, but unlike the ‘Iceberg’, ‘Friesia’ possess a heavenly fragrance best described as a mixture of jasmine, patchouli and ylang-ylang. The vibrant yellow blooms repeatedly flower for much of the year, giving a sunny lift to your garden!

Rose ‘Friesia’
Price range: $39.99 through $79.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

7. ‘Pascali’ Roses

No other rose oozes elegance and sophistication than that of the ‘Pascali’ rose. It is a stunning Hybrid Tea rose that forms a beautifully full white bloom with the slightest tinge of pink in the depths of its petals. ‘Pascali’ roses are an ideal choice rose for the classic white wedding or formal occasion.

Rose ‘Pascali’
Price range: $39.99 through $79.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

8. ‘Perfume Delight’ Roses

The hottest pink of all the roses, it’s a wonder the ‘Perfume Pink’ rose wasn’t called the Barbie rose! This pretty pink rose is not only a knockout for both colour and form but, as its name suggests, has a delightful perfume!

Sale!
Rose ‘Perfume Delight’
Price range: $39.99 through $79.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

9. ‘Gold Bunny’ Roses

Throughout the warmer months your ‘Gold Bunny’ rose bushes will be a sea of golden yellow blooms that gradually fade to a light lemon colour. Gold Bunny roses are one of the first roses to bloom in early spring and continue flowering until late autumn. Their lightly fragrant flowers form in clusters, as floribundas are known to do, and have the hardiness to match.

Sale!
Rose ‘Gold Bunny’
Price range: $39.99 through $149.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

10. ‘Peace’ Roses

A fun multi-tonal rose like those in our quirky coloured rose section, ‘Peace’ roses reflect the colours of a soft spring sunrise, with splashes of pink, yellow, orange and off-white. ‘Peace’ roses have a sweet fragrance to match their playful colours.

Sale!
Rose ‘Peace’
Price range: $39.99 through $79.99 View products

Back to list: Top 10 Roses for Australia

Buying and planting bare rooted roses

Roses can be planted at any time of year, and each season has its benefits. Buying them in spring and summer means you’ll often have blooms already on the plant.

But the reason we sell so many roses in winter, even when they’re not in flower, is because winter is also bare root season! This is the time of year when popular deciduous plants (and some very particular evergreen ones) are sold with their roots bared to the world. This means no pots and no soil.

Plants handled and sold in this form are much cheaper to process, these discounts being passed onto the customer. So there’s no better time than in the cold months to get BARE ROOTED and get those roses you’ve been wanting for cheap! Check out our full range of bare rooted roses here!

Once you’ve purchased bare rooted roses, the next step is to plant them. It may sound simple but some customers find they’re a little confused when they bring their freshly bundled roses back home, open them up and they’re met with a tangle of roots.

Not to worry! We have a guide to planting your bare root roses from soil requirements and tools right down to exactly how it should be placed in the soil.

Click here for tips, tricks and everything you need to know for planting bare root roses!

If you enjoyed the Top 10 Roses for Australia…

Here are some more garden articles and plant fact sheets you may like:

Our guide to selecting roses, with our 300 plus available varieties sorted by colour and more
Our guide to pruning page, with a section specifically on pruning roses
This year’s list of bare rooted roses (generally available June-August)
How to plant a bare rooted rose
All about bare rooted plants
Other bare rooted plants available this winter

List of the 10 best groundcover plants for Australia

Top 10 groundcover plants for Australia

Written by coldev on 04/06/2023. Posted in Plants, Top 10 Lists.

In Australia today, with smaller and smaller housing block sizes and subdivisions, maintaining a lawn can be impractical and time-consuming. Chris finds that during his garden design consultations, people still want to have nice, open, flat, green spaces, but as gardens get smaller and smaller it’s sometimes just not worth firing up a lawnmower to maintain a lawn anymore. Artificial lawn is expensive, not very exciting and doesn’t look great, and small lawns are not worth the maintenance. That’s where groundcover plants, particularly “steppables,” come in.

Steppables are what we call groundcover plants that have the ability to withstand some foot traffic. You can use them to turn an area into a beautiful flat green space that’s a little bit special and exciting, and low maintenance.

In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 groundcover plants for Australia, their steppability ratings, how many you should plant per square metre, and how they can transform small areas into stunning and hassle-free green spaces.

10 best ground cover plants to replace your lawn

Here’s the list of our top groundcovers readily available in Australia. Full details and pictures below.

Myoporum ‘Yareena™’
White Creeping Thyme
Pratia White Star Creeper
Dichondra Repens
Dymondia Silver Carpet
Silver Dichondra
Zoysia No Mow Grass
Baby’s Tears
Native Violet
Dwarf Mondo Grass
Important tip: Establishing your groundcover

Using Groundcover Plants in Garden Designs in Australia

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Nathan’s small, modern Japanese front garden design shows an example of low growing groundcover plants being used around pavers to create a green walkway.

Groundcover plants are just one part of creating a great new garden bed, outdoor space or an entire front or back yard. If you’re in Melbourne or regional Victoria, you can get specific, expert advice on which groundcover is right for you and will work in your actual garden, as well as harmonising with your other plant choices, with our free Garden Design Service.

This is a one-on-one consultation in our Campbellfield nursery (or by a video chat) with Chris to discuss your requirements, budget, plant and style preferences, go over photos and plans of the site, and work out the perfect design based on your unique project and the growing conditions in your area. You’ll come up with the exact list of plants you need, and a basic action plan of what you need to do to make it all happen. Click here to find out more or make a booking.

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Groundcover Steppability Ratings:

Now, let’s talk about steppability! No groundcover plant can truly be walked all over like a lawn, but some tolerate being trod on better than others. We’ve classified these groundcover plants into three categories: High, Medium, and Light steppability. Think of it as a rating for how well they can handle foot traffic.

High-rated groundcovers are like the cool kids who can handle a bit of careful walking here and there, but constant traffic might require some stepping stones to protect them.

Medium-rated groundcovers prefer to be admired from a distance, and while they can tolerate the occasional slip of the foot around pavers or stepping stones, it’s best to avoid walking on them as much as possible.

Light-rated groundcovers are more delicate and prefer to be left alone. These beauties are perfect for creating serene spaces where stepping stones or pathways guide you through their lush foliage.

So, whether you want a groundcover you can strut on (with care) or you’re fine with one that prefers to be admired, we’ve got you covered with our handy steppability ratings. Let’s crack on with the list.

1. Myoporum ‘Yareena™’ (Medium Steppability)

Chris’ current favourite and top of this best groundcovers list, Yareena Myoporum is a standout choice. It’s an Aussie native that thrives in even the poorest soil, tolerates full sun, drought, and frost, making it incredibly versatile. It has a richer green colour and lays flatter than other Myoporum varieties, to create a beautiful finish.

In a hurry: Plant 4 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 2 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

2. White Creeping Thyme (Medium Steppability)

White Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum alba) is an excellent choice for adding a touch of elegance to your space. While it requires fertile soil, moisture, and occasional fertilization, its flat growth and 4-5 months of flowering (from mid-Spring to mid-Autumn) make it worth the effort. Plant it generously per square meter to achieve an instant effect. This variety can handle moderate foot traffic and is ideal for areas around stepping stones and pavers.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

3. Pratia White Star Creeper (Medium Steppability)

Pratia White Star Creeper (it also comes in Blue) is a versatile groundcover that will also grow in fairly shady areas. With its long flowering period of about 9 months (from September to May), it adds a burst of beauty to the garden. While it requires fairly good soil, water, and fertilization, it can tolerate light foot traffic, making it suitable for pathways and areas surrounding stepping stones.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

4. Dichondra Repens (Light Steppability)

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After our recent viral video made us puzzlingly popular over in the ‘States, we couldn’t forget Dichondra repens! Also uninspiringly known as kidneyweed, Green Dichondra is an attractive Australian native groundcover option, particularly for deep shade. With ample water, it can grow in full sun as well.

Dichondra’s kidney-shaped leaves provide a unique look, and it establishes quickly with rapid growth during warm weather, given plenty of water and a bit of fertiliser while it’s getting established. However, it’s only suitable for very light foot traffic, so it’s best to use stepping stones if you need to navigate through the area.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

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Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

5. Dymondia Silver Carpet (High Steppability)

If durability is your priority, Silver Carpet (Dymondia margaretae) is an excellent choice. It thrives in harsh conditions, including heat, dryness, frost, and poor soils. Its flat and silver-gray appearance creates a striking contrast, especially when paired with dark pavers. Ideal for large areas, this groundcover effectively blocks out weeds once established and can withstand high foot traffic.

Chris has a patch of Silver Carpet himself in his garden about 8m by 3m, and says it’s very good at blocking out the weeds once established and good for covering a large area. He walks on it and even drove a tractor over it, and found it impressively steppable.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

6. Silver Dichondra (Light Steppability)

Silver Dichondra (Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’) offers a hardy and flat silver leaved groundcover option, perfect for contrasting with Black Mondo Grass or bright greens. It will also trail nicely over retaining walls, and has the same interesting kidney shaped leaves as it’s cousin, Green Dichondra. Another Aussie native groundcover, with adequate water and fertilization, it establishes quickly and becomes drought-tolerant. It’s best suited for areas with very light foot traffic, and if you need to walk through the space, stepping stones should be incorporated.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

7. Zoysia No Mow Grass (High Steppability)

No Mow Grass (Zoysia tenuifolia) means what it says: is the closest to a lawn in terms of durability, capable of handling the most foot traffic, and doesn’t need to be mowed. With proper watering and fertilization, it establishes quickly and thrives in the Melbourne climate. This groundcover has a gently mounded, undulating nature, adding visual interest to your landscape. It remains persistent and is frost-hardy, making it an ideal choice for low-maintenance areas.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

8. Soleirolia Baby’s Tears (Medium Steppability)

Baby’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) thrives in deep shade and add a touch of lushness to your space. They prefer moist areas with minimal sunlight and spread rapidly. Available in green or gold, the gold variety can be used to introduce colour and contrast to shady spots or the abundant green of ferneries. While they can handle light foot traffic once established, it’s best to avoid excessive walking on this groundcover.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

9. Native Violet (Low Steppability)

Native Violet (Viola hederacea) is an Australian native groundcover as it’s name suggests. It offers a lush and leafy option, with the bonus of delicate flowers gracing its foliage all year-round. It thrives in shaded areas and can tolerate boggy conditions or poor drainage. Chris recently sold 500 or so of these to a customer, who then used them around sandstone pavers. The contrast between its leafy foliage and the rough-textured pavers created an awesome combination. However, due to its slightly taller growth, it is suitable for minimal foot traffic. This means when using Native Violets around pavers, you want the pavers to be raised up slightly above the tops of the plants, like islands in a lush green sea.

In a hurry: Plant 9 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 5 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

10. Dwarf Mondo Grass (High Steppability)

Dwarf Mondo (Ophiopogan japonicas ‘Nana’) is a popular choice of groundcover plants, resembling grass with a rich, deep green colour. It can withstand a considerable amount of foot traffic and is highly durable. This groundcover is ideal for Asian or Zen-style gardens, as well as areas around pavers. It prefers morning sun or dappled shade, thriving in deep shade and tolerating wet, boggy conditions. However, it does struggle in direct hot sun, especially at the sunny end of a path.

In a hurry: Plant 16 per square metre
Prepared to wait: Plant 8 per square metre

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

Important Tip: Raising your groundcover right

One of the main reasons people use groundcovers is to suppress weeds, and weeds can also try to out-compete your groundcover before it’s even gotten started. If not handled properly, this can turn into a tangled mess, with the weeds either winning or becoming permanently meshed into the groundcover and impossible to remove.

There are two key steps to make sure your groundcover succeeds and blocks the weeds:

Before planting, it is essential to thoroughly remove all weeds from your chosen spot. Weeds can compete with the groundcovers for resources like water and light, and slow or prevent their growth and establishment. By providing a clear, weed-free environment, you lay the foundation for a successful groundcover patch that will flourish and require minimal maintenance in the long run.
This anti-weed activism needs to continue until your groundcover plants are ready to handle things on their own. Regular weeding and maintenance are crucial during the entire time the plants are getting themselves established, until they cover the space fully with no gaps. This ensures that the groundcovers have the best opportunity to thrive and suppress future weed growth.

If you want to do yourself a favour and cut the weed whacking work down, plant more groundcover plants per square meter (the “In a hurry” amounts listed above). That way your groundcover establishes itself faster into a seamless green carpet. We offer bulk discounts on many groundcover plants to make it easier to get the quantity you need.

Back to list: Top 10 Groundcover Plants for Australia

In summary With the rise of smaller spaces and the need in Australia for low-maintenance alternatives to lawns, foot traffic friendly groundcover plants, or “steppables,” have become invaluable. By selecting the right groundcover for your needs, you can transform a small area into a beautiful green space that requires minimal upkeep.

Whether you choose Yareena Myoporum, Dymondia Silver Carpet, or any other groundcover from our top 10 list, you’ll enjoy the benefits of a stunning, durable, and low-maintenance landscape. Remember to eliminate weeds before planting and provide adequate care during the establishment phase to ensure the success of your groundcover project.

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Weeping Cherries!

Written by coldev on 03/05/2023. Posted in Plants.

It’s hard to surpass the beauty of a weeping cherry.

The weeping cherry tree, Prunus pendula, is an ornamental that has been cultivated in Japan for many centuries. They have slender and flexile branches that lead them to gracefully weep and sway in the wind. Once developed, the branches become firm and stiff, making them quite tough. In spring, they are covered in white or pink, single or double flowers, often before the leaves emerge. Small but showy, the blossoms are held in clusters of 2-5 flowers. They are a perfect feature plant for the home garden or the focal point of a front yard landscape.

Flowering cherry trees do well in most gardens and they require very little care. When planting it is suggested, particularly in Melbourne’s clay soils, that you create a mound of soil and plant the cherry in this mound. This will assist with drainage as weeping cherries hate wet roots.

For more on your soil type, check out our soils page here!

Weeping cherries are part of the Prunus family, which are a wide range of gorgeous, blossoming deciduous trees, all perfect as feature, avenue or street trees. For more on these wonderful trees, take a look at our Prunus factsheet here.

Our range of Weeping Cherries available on sale now!

Here are a few tips when growing them:

Flowering cherries require full sun and good air circulation. Plant your tree in a spot that is not too shady or crowded. Make sure the mature height and spread of the tree you wish to purchase will fit your intended area.
Flowering cherries require moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soil. Easy to grow, they are not fussy, although they dislike poorly drained soil and
will not tolerate boggy conditions. They should be watered thoroughly after planting and until the tree is well-established.
Flowering cherries grow best if left alone so it is best to avoid pruning aside from removing dead, diseased, or damaged growth. If you need to shape
your tree, do so after flowering in early summer, because there are fewer diseases then and you won’t remove the lower buds.
Flowering cherries are susceptible to insect and fungal disease problems. Regular pruning to thin out branches and allow for better air and light
circulation will help keep your tree healthy. Watch for caterpillars, leaf-mining moths, bacterial canker, and blossom wilt.

Boston Ivy in architecture and landscaping

Written by coldev on 09/03/2023. Posted in Plants.

What is Boston Ivy?

Boston Ivy has large glossy 3 pointed leaves and it adheres to walls and fences. It is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing ways of covering walls and fences as it covers the surface evenly. Boston Ivy has spectacular brilliant red foliage in autumn before going deciduous in winter.

Is Boston Ivy a form of ivy?

Boston ivy is closely related to the Parthenocissus or grape family and is in no way an actual ivy.

“Once I was involved in the restoration of a heritage building and when liaising with a project manager on the gardens, he asked me whether growing Boston Ivy on the façade would damage the building. I told him that because Boston Ivy attaches itself to surfaces using little pads instead of penetrating the wall with roots, it will do no structural damage to the building. 12 years later I am still involved with the same project and the Boston Ivy has flourished, really enhancing the beautiful restored building without damaging the brickwork and woodwork.” – Chris Lucas

For more on Parthenocissus – Ornamental Grape check out our Fact sheet here!

Boston Ivy Loves

Boston Ivy loves a hot sunny spot with loose fertile soil and plenty of water. Given these it will cover anything in no time.

However, Boston Ivy is a very hardy and versatile plant and it can grow almost anywhere and under any conditions. If the conditions are more adverse, plant more densely and expect it to grow more slowly. Boston Ivy can grow in shade, in pots, in poor soils and confined garden beds. Plant one plant every metre.

Layering

Layering is where various trees, shrubs, hedges and groundcovers are planted at different intervals so as each subsequent layer can be seen and admired. Each layer usually highlights those before and after it by either colour, shape or texture. Boston Ivy is often used as a green wall layer, covering a fence, arbour or building.

For more on layering, check out our garden advice page Layered Gardens – A Landscape Technique

Here is a fabulous example I photographed in Toorak. At the start you have Chinese Star Jasmine rising to Korean Box hedge then Boston Ivy over the fence, the Ficus ‘Flash’ rising above the fence with the brilliant use of Boston Ivy in this combination.

(a lovely Spacious layered look is achieved within a long but rather narrow area)

Architecture

In a confined area that has too much paving masonry and fences Boston Ivy can be used to cover one or more panels or fences.

You can choose one wall or panel and grow Boston Ivy over it, clip it neatly to the edges of the wall thereby confining it to that wall, panel or fence section. This will provide living breathing green relief and additionally create a real feature.

As Boston Ivy attaches itself to the wall you can create sculptural shapes or pillars and beams creating an exciting feature. To dress up an otherwise plain building, such as the entrance of Dan Murphy’s Moonee Ponds has a series of concrete columns with a steel beam connecting the columns. Boston Ivy is planted at the edge of each column and the effect is a wonderful; a feature that really dresses up the building.

“I visited a winery in Tasmania where a large old tin farm shed had a glass & timber façade on the front. All the other walls were Boston Ivy and very quickly an old farm shed had been turned into a wine sales area. ” – Chris Lucas

Boston Ivy’s self clinging nature could be used to cover sculptures, ugly sheds, walls, fences and masonry. There is unlimited architectural scope to be explored with planting Boston Ivy.

Boston Ivy belongs to a special category of climbers that are self adhering. Some climbers, such as the Hardenbergia or Chinese Star Jasmine require a trellis or framework to wind their tendrils over and to have support their weight. Boston Ivy, amongst others, attach themselves to any surface, including tin, wood, brick, concrete and stone. They require no framework using either small pads or roots to attach themselves to the surface. In most cases they will cover the surface evenly, with no unsightly large bulges.

Here is a quick summary of the main alternatives to Boston Ivy and how they compare.

Ficus pumila – Climbing Fig

This climber is evergreen meaning it keeps its leaves all year round and takes a little longer to cover the wall. If kept neatly trimmed flat to the wall it keeps very fine, beautiful foliage and can be kept at a thickness of 4-8 cm thick on the wall. This plant is a great choice where space is at a premium as Boston Ivy will be around 25 -30cm thick over the wall.

Ficus pumila grows best in hot sun but also does well in shade.

Hedera – English Ivy/Pittsburgh Ivy

Hedera English Ivy and Pittsburgh Ivy form a thick, luscious and fast growing cover over most surfaces. They need to be trimmed to be contained and has a classic look. Hedera Ivy is fast and easy to grow in sun or shade.

Pittsburgh has finer dense foliage and is a less aggressive grower than the English variety.

English Ivy has a slightly larger leaf than Pittsburgh and is very fast growing if clipped and maintained and can be used to cover instantly over fences and walls.

For more on Hedera Ivy’s, check out our Hedera – Ivy Fact sheet!

Hedera – Canary Island Ivy

This is a large leaf ivy that has a lovely dappled two tone green effect where the old foliage is a rich deep green and the new foliage is a soft bright green. It is popular for making ivy lawns and thrives in sun or shade. I have found it useful for covering earth and rock embankments as it is evergreen and roots into the ground as it grows.

Parthenocissus – Virginia Creeper

Virginia Creeper is also in the Parthenocissus or grape family. From a distance it looks like a Boston Ivy but looking closer you will see the foliage is not as glossy, has more points and it doesn’t stick as tightly to the wall. The foliage looks looser with divided leaves as opposed to the three pointed leaves that Boston Ivy has. The advantage that Virginia Creeper has is that it grows very quickly in almost any conditions plus it is one of the first to have change colour in the autumn! Even if neglected it is surprisingly fast and hardy.

Hello Hello Plants Nursery Campbellfield Melbourne Victoria Australia Citrus fruit trees nursery stock

Fabulous Fruit Trees

Written by coldev on 27/01/2023. Posted in Plants.

This Sale Has Ended

Our fruit tree growers have been incredibly busy this season, producing some fabulous stock of all your favourite fruit trees! Apples, pears, cherries, apricots not to mention all that zesty citrus! The nursery is choc-a-block FULL of fruit trees and we need to clear them out.

So, if you’ve been thinking of starting your very own backyard or potted orchard, what better time than now with our huge range of delicious fruits!

Exotic Fruits

No fruiting forest is complete without a quirky and delicious fruiting shrub or tree that’s just a little different from the regular types. There are many varieties of exotic fruits available that will grow immensely well in the Melbourne or Victorian climate, reducing your spend at the supermarket and expanding your range available fruit varieties.

Double-grafted Fruit Trees!

That’s right – two fruits grown on the one tree. How cool is that?! Affectionately called fruit salad trees, many varieties of fruit can be grafted onto the same tree making them incredibly space and time efficient. There is a catch. The fruits have to be from the same family to be grafted onto the same tree. So that’s Citrus with citrus, apples only with other pomme fruits and stonefruits with stone fruits!

Citrus

Fresh, zesty citrus trees can grow in pots or in the garden bed. They make wonderful shade trees in the summer and provide delicious fruit through the cooler months.

Dwarf Citrus

Perfect for pots or a back patio! Dwarf citrus make light work, requiring much less maintenance than their bigger siblings.

Dwarf Fruit Trees

Even in the smallest of spaces you can grow a variety of fruit trees, and dwarf fruit trees make that not only possible but incredibly easy! They require much less maintenance due to their small growing habits and can be grown in pots and containers, not only in a garden bed.

Apples & Pears

Heavy fruiting and a regular lunchbox staple, apple and pear trees are suitable for both small and large properties. They’re not only a bearer of delicious fruits but make wonderful shade trees and espalier artworks.

Stone Fruits

A wide variety of apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches and cherries to choose from, there’s sure to be something for your new orchard!

Potted Christmas trees and red poinsettias are displayed, with a festive sign reading "Christmas Trees" in bold red and green letters.

Christmas trees 2022!

Written by coldev on 11/11/2022. Posted in Plants.

Christmas Trees Selection!

If you prefer the look, feel, and smell of a real tree and if you can’t bear the thought of cutting down a tree just to use it for a few weeks, why not use a live potted Christmas tree and keep it for many years!!

Christmas Gift Vouchers – Give the gift of choice!

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Price range: $25.00 through $1,000.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Here are some tips for your potted live Christmas trees on how to take care of them so as they can be used over and over again for the next 10 years!

• Sunlight – It’s recommended that you keep your potted tree near a window that receives sunlight but has protection from the hot afternoon heat.

• Lack of sunlight – If the spot for your Christmas tree does not receive any natural sunlight or reflected light, you should bring it indoors for Christmas as late as possible. The weekend before Christmas is ideal. They can survive indoors without direct sunlight for a little while, but we would advise not to keep them indoors any longer than 20 days. But if the spot receives some sunlight indoors, it can stay a bit longer.

• Watering – As with most houseplants, watering is the most important aspect of caring for them. Too much and your potted tree will die of ‘wet feet’, too little and the leaves will turn brown and fall. So water sparingly and do a simple moisture check by sticking your finger into the dirt up to your second knuckle and checking if the soil is dry. When you remove your finger, any soil sticking to it indicates moisture. When your finger comes out relatively clean, it’s time to water. Always check that the container has good drainage and some sort of saucer underneath to catch any excess water.

• Sunburn (VERY IMPORTANT)– After Christmas, you should put your tree out in the shade for a couple of months, protected from the harsh summer sun, then slowly move it back into the sun in early Autumn. If you just put it back in the full summer sun directly after being indoors for a long time, the leaves will get sunburnt and turn brown.

• Root-Bound – After the Christmas period, check the roots of your tree. If the root-ball is getting too thick, loosen them up and plant your tree in a slightly bigger pot. If it is not a dense root-ball, they can be left in the same pot.

• Prune and shape your tree in winter to keep it neat and tidy. Be gentle with the pruning as they grow very slowly and bad pruning can take years to fix.

• Fertilise your tree at the start of spring with a balanced fertilizer to give it a good boost during its growing season and make it look lush for Christmas.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or Christmas in July) and a Happy New Year!

Ornamental Pear Tree Shapes

Written by coldev on 13/09/2022. Posted in Plants.

Wondering about ornamental pear tree shapes? There are not many better beautiful trees for urban landscapes than the ornamental pear. They are fast growing and tolerant of most soil types, and don’t get too big. Best of all, ornamental pear trees have beautiful spring blossoms, lush shiny green foliage for late spring and summer, and gorgeous autumn colour.

Because they are so popular, there are many varieties of ornamental pear trees around. So how do you choose which is best for you? By shape!

We found that there wasn’t much info around to guide people in their ornamental pear tree selection. So late one night, Chris did some sketching and we created the “Ornamental Pear Tree SHAPE-O-METER”! This shows the shape of our most popular ornamental pear varieties.

These are the final shapes of ornamental pear trees once they reach maturity, based on Chris’ years of observation of hundreds of examples of these varieties actually growing around Melbourne.

Ornamental pear tree shapes for pleaching

We also threw in some pleached pear hedge shapes, for the two best Ornamental Pears for pleaching; Everscreen and Manchurian.

Hello Hello Plants Nursery Campbellfield Melbourne Victoria Australia Andrew Stark Landscape Design Ornamental Pear trees pleached hedge banner — Stunning pleached ornamental pear screening hedge by Andrew Stark Landscape Design

Pleaching is where a tall screen with space underneath for lower growing plants is created. This is done by planting a row of trees together, and training or pruning them to shape. The lower part is cut back to make space for underplanting. This works very well against fences to create a leafy height extension that blocks out neighbours.

Ornamental pears are a great tree to use for pleaching. Everscreen is the only one that is evergreen and keeps its leaves all year round. Manchurian is deciduous, so will let light in during the winter months. Check out this article on pleaching and other trees you can use for this effect.

How big do different ornamental pear trees grow?

We recently created a handy chart to give a comparison for the shapes of different popular ornamental pear varieties, which also includes their maximum heights and widths. This is in addition to the ornamental pear tree shapes above.

Keep in mind that these sizes are the very largest these trees will ever get in absolutely ideal conditions. Most ornamental pears won’t ever get to this full size. They are also easily, and often, maintained at a lower height or narrower width by giving them a trim once a year.

So don’t be daunted if this chart makes ornamental pear tree sizes seem a lot larger than you thought. For example, the most popular variety of ornamental pear, the Capital pear, has a maximum height of 8-10m on this chart, but is usually maintained at around only 4m tall.

Ornamental pear varieties currently available:

More information about ornamental pear trees:

You can find more info about ornamental pear trees on our dedicated factsheet page.
Check out all available ornamental pear trees for sale here.

Text reading 'Conifer Garden' over an image of a lush garden with various types of colorful and densely planted conifer trees.

Conifer Garden Style: Pines, Cedars and companion plants

Written by coldev on 17/07/2020. Posted in Plants.

Conifers are a versatile and attractive addition to any landscape. They can easily transform an ordinary garden into a modern looking one when planted in the right combination with other plants.

Here are some excellent uses of Conifers:

Privacy – Being evergreen, they make great outdoor privacy screens year-round. You can choose tall-growing ones or dense ones.
Give life to the curb – Conifers provide an easy fix to front yard curbs, where it is sometimes very tricky to give year-round appeal to your entrance or driveway.
Visually excitement – With their dynamic contrast between colours and shapes, they can easily spruce up the garden.
Year-Round garden – Being evergreen, conifers will keep your garden lively and colorful even in a drabby winter.
Colour combinations – Conifers come in various shapes and colours that combine very well with a whole lot of other plants to give a striking contrast or to create emphasis on other plants or also to create harmony.
Architectural interest – From modern homes to Japanese Zen garden styles, you can easily complement the surrounding architecture by choosing the right conifer varieties.

Talk to Chris to get your Free garden Design over Zoom!

Stunning Garden with a mix of conifers, maples and flowers.

There are several reasons to plant a conifer garden:

They are very low maintenance – Some conifers are usually slow growing and require very little care.
They add structure and shape to the garden – Most conifers with a moderate growth rate are easy to trim and shape as desired.
They tolerate frost – The most prolific plants in cold regions are pines and cedars, so if your area is prone to frost, Conifers are the best choice.
They are drought tolerant – When established, conifers need very little water and will grow beautifully.
They grow in a wide range of soil – For most conifers, slightly acid soil that is loamy and well-drained is ideal. Unless the soil is very compacted or so light and porous that it retains very little moisture, you will not need to add organic matter.
They are sturdy and tolerate windy spots – Unlike trees, pines and cedars are not disturbed or damaged by strong winds.
Part- Shade to Full Sun – They grow just as well in shaded areas and in full sun.

New Stock- Rare Dwarf Grafted varieties

We have just received stock of pines and cedars and they look absolutely gorgeous. These plants are perfect for pots or put right in the garden. They are rare grafted varieties that do not grow too big. They are an essential part of the Japanese/ Zen garden or even modern gardens. You can also plant them as a feature or specimen plant.