Last night on Gardening Australia
(pretty much the only TV show I watch...)
the question was asked of all the GA presenters
"what is your favourite plant and why"
I wandered through our garden this morning
and thought about how I'd answer...
I still find it hard to go past Corymbia Maculata
aka the Spotted Gum
I love how they look all massed together....
I love how their spots are freshened up each spring with the shedding of their bark
I love them so much I planted my own little stand of them some 15-20 years ago
(just look how my little babies have grown!)
Talking of natives - I love banksias..
(I love ALL banksias... but my Banksia Menziesii is a favourite )
it's not supposed to grow here, the little tree has been blown over twice -
and STILL it keeps on keeping on)
at this time of year it's hard not to love all the deciduous trees putting on their autumn finery...
I dare you not to love a manchurian pear in autumn!
I love clumping bamboos...
especially Bambusa oldhamii
mine brings a sense of peace and tropical lushness to the garden
and it's such a useful plant - you can harvest and eat the shoots,
it's a spectacular structural 'timber' (it's actually a grass...), it regenerates rapidly...
love the clumping bamboo
I love serendipitous garden offerings
seeds that find a spot and take root
then one day announce themselves...
(this is a tiny tomato that the kiddies found growing in our lush hot border...
they've been raiding the HUGE plant for weeks now -
eating the gifted fruit like grapes - YUM!)
indeedy I love all fruits and vegies and herbs
I have a big bow-shaped bed of 'wet' herbs
including oodles of mints like this spearmint
- love how they smell, love picking them fresh for a pot of mint tea...
Farmer Phil loves evergreens...
he just adores all the camellias - like this one, my fav, Camellia sasanqua 'fuji-no-mine'
but I think he'd nominate the humble lemon as his favourite plant
(just like Costa on GA!)
Visitors seem to have a totally different garden favourites
- I have friends who mention they like this plant or that in the garden
(the mulberry tree is a hit with kiddies and visiting birds!)
.... and all the butterflies all seem to agree that the buddlieas are irresistible...
hmmm - maybe its best not to play favourites....
it's so hard to choose don't you think?
...
Ronnie, you've chosen some wonderful favourites but as you say, so hard to choose. I have a banksia that was "planted" by cockatoos in one of my pots of frangipani when I was living in Coogee. As soon as I moved to a big garden I planted it out and although it's thriving I'm still waiting for it to flower. It is a favourite though, even while I'm patiently waiting for it to DO something. I love my snowflakes, my natives, my azaleas and hydrangeas - actually there's nothing in my garden that I'm not fond of - I guess that's why they are there.
ReplyDeletesnowflakes! yes! I remember when I first saw semi-wild naturalised clumps of these surrounding my funny old house, way back in the 1970s.... snowflakes always make me think of my house when I first fell in love with it..... gotta be another of my favs!
Deletewow . i want to visit YOUR garden .. i love everything you mention !
ReplyDeletethe feeling is mutual! your place looks deeevine!
Deleteimpossible to choose
ReplyDeletegrateful for [almost] anything that grows...
what a beautiful post Ronnie, love all your photos! my favourite tree is the big lemon scented gum (Eucalyptus citriodora aka Corymbia citriodora) that has grown right across the street into our upstairs verandah, the perfume is divine!
ReplyDeletehmmmm too many good choices I think! A lovely wander thru your garden Ronnie, I know I couldn't name just one of my own.
ReplyDeleteAs you've found, that's an impossible question to answer Ronnie as there are too many favourite plants. I think the thing I love most is when nature takes over and gifts you with plants. The vege garden almost grows itself sometimes with luscious things popping up by themselves - tomatoes rocket basil. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI must say I have a soft spot for the spotted gum too. I'm quite impressed and slightly envious that you have managed to plant a number of them and get to watch them grow. We have an Illawarra flame tree in our backyard that was particularly spectacular last season, and is framed beautifully by the children's bedroom window, this would have to be the favourite in my garden.
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda a bit surprised that ALL the spotties have flourished in my garden..... (I can't grow IFT here - so I'm just a tad envious of your efforts.... ahhhhh we always want what we can't have....)
Deletelordy, my prosaic garden next to your wildly exotic one...so amazingly beautiful.
ReplyDelete