Stars of the season
Winter Fragrance
06 March 2015 | Linda RossLinda Ross steps into the winter garden for aromatherapy of the botanical kind.
Read MoreCanna ‘Australia’
18 March 2015 | Libby CameronThe popularity of cannas is due to their long display of bold foliage and vibrant flowers. This hybrid is one of a new series called ‘Show Off’, which has been bred for resistance to disease and for clean, sculptural foliage.
Read More3 must-have perfumes for winter
28 April 2015 | Sandra RossConfined to home base this winter, I am enjoying wandering aroma-therapeutically! When it comes to perfume I am spoilt for choice in winter, and I can’t resist picking a few fragrant stems to take back inside with me. They add a lovely note to the smells of baking puddings, and slow-cooking stews!
Read MoreAlgerian iris
17 March 2015 | Linda RossAlso called the winter iris, this plant originates from the Mediterranean and North Africa and consequently enjoys impoverished soils. It produces flowers on and off throughout the winter.
Read MoreAngel's Trumpet, Brugmansia
25 April 2015 | Sandra RossIt’s easy to see why the common name for the dramatic Brugmansia is angel’s trumpet. These sub-tropical beauties offer months of flowers and fragrance, all in an easy-care package.
Read MoreBanksia
20 May 2015 | Graham RossVisitors to Empress Josephine’s garden at Malmaison outside Paris were wowed by her banksia collection. Two hundred years later gardeners still thrill to these bold and beautiful flowers, but have cold feet about growing them. Graham Ross explains why, and reports on the new cultivars now available.
Read MoreBeautiful Bamboo
01 June 2015 | Graham RossBamboozled over whether bamboo is a garden pest or a garden saviour? Graham explains why this lovely group of plants can be both – and how to choose the right one for your needs.
Read MoreCamellia japonica
30 April 2015 | Graham RossThe Camellia japonica is the queen of winter, unrivalled for glamour, yet she is down to earth, easy to manage and long-lived. Graham Ross has the details.
Read MoreClimbing ‘Pierre de Ronsard’
16 March 2015 | Linda RossThe Meilland family in the south of France created this beloved climbing rose in 1987. They named it after the 16th century French poet, whose sensuous, romantic and musical poems were highly regarded during his life.
Read MoreFive of the best: wisteria gardens
21 August 2019 | Linda RossHere’s our pick of the best places in the world to be thrilled by the fragrance, form and sheer delight of wisteria.
Read MoreFlowering Gum 'Baby Orange'
20 March 2015 | Linda RossSmaller than most grafted flowering gums, this gorgeous tree flowers all summer long with huge heads of bright orange blossom, followed by showy gum nuts, and a repeat flowering in autumn.
Read MoreFlowering Gums
12 May 2015 | Linda RossIridescent orange, pink and red gum flowers are the must-have plants for summer, bringing in flocks of nectar feeding parrots into your garden. They are followed by ginormous gum nuts that the seed eating birds just adore. Let’s take a closer look.
Read MoreHellebores, the Winter Rose
06 February 2015 | Linda RossThe winter rose is in a class of its own with shy pendulous bell shaped flowers that peek through dark foliage brightening the coldest days. Flowers can be spotted, speckled, green, plum, white, cream, pink, double, single and every variation between. Let's take a closer look.
Read MoreHibiscus
16 March 2015 | Graham RossIn their heyday, gorgeous, gaudy Hawaiian hibiscus were on every fashionable Australian garden’s must-have list. Their fashion star may since have dimmed but these exuberant flowers are still a slice of summer. Graham Ross asks you to take another look.
Read MoreHow to: grow kirengoshoma
18 March 2015 | Michael McCoyMichael McCoy spills the beans on one of the cool climate, autumn-flowering gems that turn temperate gardeners green with envy.
Read MoreKnow your hydrangeas
14 February 2018 | Linda RossBlue and white hydrangeas decorate long lunches and fill Church vases in the floral countdown to Christmas. Here we unwrap more goodies from the hydrangea family. You’ll think all your Christmases have come at once!
Read MoreKnow your lavender
01 June 2018 | Linda RossThe lavender must-haves are sun and well-drained soil. Start there then choose the lavender that suits your conditions - and desires.
Read MoreKnow your winter bulbs
21 May 2020 | Linda RossWhen autumn leaves have fallen, elegant little floral petticoats burst from the soil in optimistic, spring-anticipating growth.
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Know Your: Frangipani
08 December 2016 | Linda RossFrangipani are familiar as the scent of summer but the range of species, colours, perfumes and leaf shapes might surprise you. Here Linda Ross tiptoes
through a forest of frangi's and introduces us to some of her favourite varieties
Meet: Elizabeth Rundle, peony-lover
24 February 2015 | Robin PowellPeonies seduced Elizabeth Rundle when she was just 16. She’s been a fan ever since, growing and selling tree peonies through a mail-order nursery, first in Canberra and now in Ballarat. Here she shares her story.
Read MoreOrnamental Pear
18 March 2015 | Libby CameronThis is one of the most beautiful ornamental pears available. It has a conical upright shape, and shiny dark green leaves that colour dramatically to gold, plum and burgundy in autumn. Masses of beautiful white flowers appear in spring.
Read MorePaper Daisies: Perennials
17 March 2015 | Linda RossForgo short lasting annual daisies in favour of these long lasting perennial types and your happiness and bright wildflower will endure for years not weeks.
Read MorePerennials
24 February 2015 | Sandra RossWe have fallen in love all over again with romantic flowery gardens packed with perennials. This group of plants offers the gardener an amazing range of colours, textures and shapes to play with. Here Sandra Ross shares the love, answering the most frequently asked questions about this exciting group of plants, and choosing her must-have favourites.
Read MorePerfumed Roses
19 February 2015 | Linda RossSpring brings a new bunch of roses to nurseries. These new introductions are the latest in a long history of rose evolution.
Read MorePieris japonica 'Temple Bells'
16 February 2015 | Sandra RossThis lovely shrub has a few common names including Andromeda, Temple Bells and Lily of the Valley shrub, though it’s not related to the true Lily of the Valley (Convalaria majalis) at all. You might also hear it called Pearl Flower – a reference to those lovely flowers.
Read MorePineapple Lily
20 March 2015 | Libby CameronThis elegant bulb grows with a rosette of fleshy foliage that is green or spotted with purple, and a flowering stem densely covered in greenish-cream flowers, often tinged with purple.
Read MorePink Lilies
19 February 2015 | Sandra RossThese tiger lily bulbs turned up on my desk last year (from Tesselaars) so I planted them across the front of our Garden Clinic HQ in spring, alongside that gorgeous rose ‘Pierre de Ronsard’.
Read MorePlants I Love: peony
26 August 2019 | Sandra RossYears ago, on one of our early Jacaranda Cruises, a woman presented me with a cardboard toilet roll. I was a bit surprised until I saw the round pink bud
inside. It was a single long stem of the‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peony. Over the next two weeks I was captivated as the bud gradually opened to a multitude
of pink petals and a boss of golden stamens. I’ve been mad for peonies ever since and have admired them in peak perfection in gardens in England, Canada,
USA and France, as well as in cool climate gardens in Australia.
Plants I love: Star magnolia
21 May 2019 | Graham RossMagnolias can languish in their formative years, but perseverance will be rewarded. Here Graham discusses his favourite magnolia's story.
Polyanthus and Primula
06 February 2015 | Linda RossWe like them on a windowsill to brighten up the dullest day or cheery winter welcome at the front door. Primula, or fairy primrose, is a delicate-looking thing with candelabra-like bunches of small blooms balancing on fragile stems. The dainty flowers, in shades of pink, white, mauve and carmine, have a faint perfume.
Queen of the Night, a very special kind of Orchid Cactus
25 April 2015 | Linda RossIf you are an early riser and usually early to bed - this plant is not for you! The queen of the night cactus flowers between dusk and dawn - for us she is the highlight of the party season.
Read MoreSouth Africa's best plants
20 March 2015 | Graham RossAustralian gardeners have long relied on hardy and beautiful plants from our Gondwana partner, South Africa. Graham Ross explains his passion for some of the best plants South Africa has to offer.
Read MoreStar of the season Dwarf Banksia
26 May 2016 | Linda Ross and Mez Woodward
Dwarf Banksias prove that no space doesn’t mean no impact. These low-growing banksias have full-sized flowers that are shining beacons all through winter, drawing nectar-loving big birds as well as tiny little insect-eaters.
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Star of the season: Agastache
20 December 2018 | Linda RossThese easy-care, minty-fresh flowery fillers offer reliable and long-lasting summer colour.
Read MoreStar of the Season: Begonia
07 March 2016 | Linda Ross
If you still think floral clocks when you think begonias, check out these timely stars.
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Star of the Season: Bottlebrush
22 September 2016 | Mez Woodward & Linda RossBrilliant scarlet is not the only shade that cloaks the bottlebrush. They also dress up in pink, mauve, yellow and white so offer the ultimate in easy-going dazzle - in whatever colour you need.
Read MoreStar of the season: Clerodendrum
09 December 2016 | Linda RossGlory bowers, bleeding hearts and butterfly bushes – the common names tell us why we love Clerodendrums. In summer the delicate, scented panicles dangle sweetly in shades of scarlet, pink and blue making the garden a delight.
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Star of the Season: Correa
06 June 2017 | Maria HitchcockMaria Hitchcock holds the National Living Collection of this wonderful little native, which is easy-care, versatile, generously flowering and bird-attracting. Here she shares her favourites and her growing tips.
Read MoreStar of the season: Daphne
30 May 2018 | Mez WoodwardThe fragrance and dainty beauty of daphne is enough to make you fling open the doors on a chilly morning so you can breathe it in. Here Mez Woodward showcases daphne - star of the winter season.
Read MoreStar of the season: Daylilies
23 January 2018 | Deirdre MowattFlowers for a day; for lots of days
Read MoreStar of the season: Jacaranda
11 September 2018 | Linda RossThe purple veil that floats over Sydney in November is an international star – but not one most of us can bring home.
Read MoreStar of the Season: Jasmine
16 September 2015 | Linda Ross and Mez WoodwardThe jasmine moment is a brief celebration. Grab hold, cut armfuls of it and drape it all over the house, because in a flash it’s all over til next year.
Read MoreSummer Trumpets
03 March 2015 | Sandra RossTrumpet flowers create impact with their size, profusion and hot colour tones. Not for gardeners who prefer soft romantic pastels, these subtropical stunners are for those who love bold brassy colour and want to create a ‘holiday-at-home’ feel.
Read MoreSweet Peas
17 April 2015 | Linda RossSweet peas (Lathyrus odorata) are annual climbing plants with fragrant and romantically ruffled, pea-shaped blooms. They were discovered in 1695 and have intoxicated cottage gardeners ever since.
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