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?
...
