Is this a topic covered yet? Please link me in of I missed it
I LOVE colour and would like to see if I can get year round flowering in the garden.
Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Mar 09, 2010 12:09 pm Is this a topic covered yet? Please link me in of I missed it I LOVE colour and would like to see if I can get year round flowering in the garden. progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 2Mar 10, 2010 7:35 pm No you would be a first It is stupidly easy. Visit nurseries all year many times a month Local garden centres are almost purely based around this very principle. This is because folks will only buy things that are in flower. Go ahead and argue it but I can assure you that is how it is. Wholesale growers hang onto plants till they are in top notch flower, then release them for sale to landscapers and retail garden centres. All the featured displays will be made of what is the most colourful or brightest flowering of the time. Foliage and flower are the go. Be careful though. It may not be a good option as many of these plants are not waterwise. You may end up with a water hungry garden Remember, great soil, great mulch, great gardens Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 3Mar 11, 2010 7:29 am Quote: No you would be a first Quote: Visit nurseries all year many times a month Quote: Go ahead and argue it ..... progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 4Mar 11, 2010 3:36 pm If you don't want to wait a year, try Google to find plants that flower in each season. You could break it down into months, but plants can't actually read calendars, so sometimes what's labelled as a December-flowering plant actually flowers in February.... It can vary quite a bit depending on climate. Once you have four lists of plants you like (summer, autumn, winter, spring), you can put in roughly equal numbers from each and you ought to end up with pretty much year-round colour. You'll have to do a fair bit of research to make sure the plants you choose will grow well in your region, and to work out which goes in the sun, which in the shade, what likes lots of water and what prefers it dry etc. It's a bit of a challenge. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 6Mar 11, 2010 8:27 pm Ah but doing that stuff kek puts you right out of touch with what is actually being grown for sale by the wholesale nurseries. What is available to buy from retail garden centres and what is in books and via on line info are two very different things Having spent many years managing nurseries as well, I can assure you that the only way to find the info you are after is either to have a crystal ball or have access to the planting and propagating programmes of wholesale growers. And they guard that info pretty closely. Not even many garden centre managers have much idea of what will be available for sale anymore than say two weeks. Each week they shop for plants just as you might for veggies. Availabilities and prices vary a huge amount from week to week let alone year to year. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 7Mar 11, 2010 8:40 pm Fu Manchu Ah but doing that stuff kek puts you right out of touch with what is actually being grown for sale by the wholesale nurseries. What is available to buy from retail garden centres and what is in books and via on line info are two very different things True - it drives me crazy when I can't find the plant I want in any nursery. You can always steal cuttings and seed from nice plants you spot around your neighbourhood. Or knock on the door and ask nicely.... It won't work for every plant, but free stuff is always good. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 8Mar 11, 2010 9:14 pm Quote: You can always steal cuttings and seed from nice plants you spot around your neighbourhood. Kek, can we really TAKE some cuttings of plants in the park, nature strip? U know I did have come up with that in mind, but my husband said in some suburbs ppl dug the whole plants from the garden bed and took them home I think it may be very embarrassed when " caught" Or knock on the door and ask nicely.... It won't work for every plant, but free stuff is always good. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 9Mar 11, 2010 9:39 pm Probably best not to pinch stuff, Nott.... Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 10Mar 11, 2010 10:01 pm Fu Manchu ... the only way to find the info you are after is either to have a crystal ball or have access to the planting and propagating programmes of wholesale growers. And they guard that info pretty closely. Not even many garden centre managers have much idea of what will be available for sale anymore than say two weeks. Each week they shop for plants just as you might for veggies. Availabilities and prices vary a huge amount from week to week let alone year to year. Guard closely I thought that sharing this information with clients would bring in more customers progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 11Mar 12, 2010 2:50 pm kek You can always steal cuttings and seed from nice plants you spot around your neighbourhood. Or knock on the door and ask nicely.... It won't work for every plant, but free stuff is always good. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 12Apr 06, 2010 8:14 pm I have actually worked out what flowering plants I like We have had landscapers at our place (unfortunately I am not confident enough in my gardening ability and at this point still need external help ). We were recommended to get some clivia miniatas. I fell for the Doris http://www.durionursery.biz/Doris.jpg species and my landscapers' supplier is getting them in over the next few days (they are being brought in from Cairns and I was told they need some looking after but I just had to have them - they are sooo pretty ) . I will post the pics update in my thread once they arrive. I also fancy begonias, gardenias, zinnias http://www.flowersgallery.net/gallery/zinnia/zinnia-3.jpg and verbenas http://www.acgnursery.com/images/verbena-mix.jpg. We already have an established frangipani tree out the back as well as a Murraya paniculata out the front of the property. How would combinations of these work? progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 13Apr 06, 2010 8:46 pm Personally it is these sorts of combinations the whole landscape industry needs to move away from. I understand you like them and they will give the colour you want. The types of plants are not water wise, sustainable options. The whole world is turning to Australian plants as a means to introduce new varieties into European and US nurseries as well as becoming exciting features in some of the most famous gardens of the world. They are going nuts over them! Nearly every breeder in the world is onto them. Everyone except Australians They offer more colour, more practicality and are all far hardier and all are truly low maintenance. Where things come unstuck is a total lack of expertise with Australian plants by most professionals. I guess as many have been in the game for many years and we have always traditionally jumped at creating Americanised and European style landscapes. Very few landscapers really have the skill to use native plants well and we continue to create water hungry exotic landscapes as a result. There is a new school emerging but unfortunately many of you will not encounter them in a professional sense for many years to come So this doesn't help much at all especially for seeking solutions I also understand that not everyone has to like what I like or what we should be growing, it isn't my house and it sure isn't my place to tell you what to grow. I can only desperately make suggestions as I often feel I am hitting my head against a wall with educating the better options. Maybe the frustration shows? I don't mean to wee on your parade, that isn't by beef. It is landscapers who continue to install water and fertiliser intensive gardens and nurseries that give bad advice in a time when urban populations are set to explode and available resources to maintain such gardens will in the very near future be outside the reach of many. A garden like that may be achieved to a more sustainable means but putting a huge amount of effort into soil preparation of the correct type. Even importing large volumes of organic compost and sands to create a deep false soil layer that is deep enough for great strong growth with minimal impact and ongoing work. I have created tropical gardens that use 20mm of water a week and use no fertiliser therefore eliminating nutrient run off. It can be done but the ground work you will need will be significant Look toward incorporating a few small trees to create good shelter for these plants. They will also serve to reduce evaporation and conserve water around the garden. Lots of uncomposted mulches in heavy layers too This post will probably annoy a few folks so sorry. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 15Apr 06, 2010 9:13 pm Fu Manchu Sorry seeking solutions no worries hon! No appologies needed I just really like colour and fragrance and I have told my landscaper that i am really useless at spending time on upkeep ... I won't be going out of my way to water etc. You will propably hate this response but my attitude is: what ever lives / survives in my property is meant to be there There is currently shading from established trees: among others there is a huge Camphor Laurel which I was told is a weed and my favourite - a beautiful WA pepermint tree which we planted over 15 yrs ago (bought in a pot and it is now over 10m high). Will post a pic in my thread shortly... We also already have some roses, also planted over 15 yrs ago and I have never fed them or done anything a gardener may find necessary (have occasionally pruned out of guilt ) .... I have asked the landscapers to treat the soil for turf as per your instructions on other threads so we will see what happens These guys were the only ones (out of all the quotes) who agreed to use zeolite even though they didn't seem to know about it and didn't fob me off AND ... I do love aussie plants ... we have Rainbow lorikeets in our garden all the time... they seem to be drawn to our brushbox gum tree ... although they are REALLY noisy Please don't be cross I really value your input Fu... progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 16Apr 06, 2010 9:43 pm I just found this, which I often post but it will help a heap. There is no other easy to use data base of plants like it in Australia that is this easy to use. We do lead Australia with water and fertiliser wise gardens and public education. John Colwill put this together who is a very highly respected person in Horticultural and water efficiency circles. There would barely be a plant on here that you could not grow in Sydney http://www.watercorporation.com.au/w/wa ... search.cfm Tick one, none or what ever box you like to refine the result For example just tick each season and get a list of things in colour. I forgot all about this link Oh and use spongolite as well. Zeolite can be sought from hydroponics shops, pond shops, and stockfeed and farm suppliers like Elders. Spongolite can be found from places that sell safety absorption material, hydroponics shops, pond shops as well. The more of each you can get in the better the long term benefits are going to be. They are permanent too. They stay there as they are The garden beds should also be preped just the same as the turf. For mulch, search my posts on mulch. Use non composted materials like straws and in summer green tree prunings over the top. The reason is because straws are not all that water efficient in the windier and hotter places of the garden but are better than those poor composted black mulches that keep moisture at the surface and encourage the critical roots of plants to grow at the surface rather than deeper. Straws and greener tree lopper mulches encourage better soil health and also deeper root growth. They create new soils as well which keeps the cycle going of good soil health. Plant health to me is a non issue. Fix the soil and the soil will fix the plant Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour?? 17Apr 06, 2010 10:35 pm OK - my faves: Summer: Natal Plum - white Summer & Autumn: Pink Summer Starflower - pink & purple/mauve Ice Plant - red, white, pink, orange, yellow Spring & Winter: Geraldton Wax - red / white / pink / purple Crowea - white / pink Esperance Tea Tree - pink Spring: Flame Pea - red, orange, yellow and purple pea flowers Spring & summer: CONVOLVULACEAE - (ground cover) pink, white, blue Lemon Scented Tea Tree - white Lemon Scented Darwinia - flowers three out of four seasons! NEVER heard of it or seen it Where do you get it????? http://www.watercorporation.com.au/w/waterwise_plants_perth.cfm?id=262 I totally forgot I wanted to get lavender someday ... and HAPPY! progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour - thanks 18Apr 06, 2010 10:43 pm Lemon scented Darwinia is Darwinia citrodoria or was it-dora? oh well. It is really nice and dead easy to grow The "Convov u blah blah" plant thingy is any Convovulous species. There are loads The ice plant will be easy and so will the others. I am not too clued up on Sydney native nurseries. If you were able to write in to gardening Australia or visit a workshop that they sometimes do and speak to Angus, he is a brain and a half with local native info. Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour - thanks 19Apr 06, 2010 10:58 pm Fu Manchu Lemon scented Darwinia is Darwinia citrodoria or was it-dora? Darwinia citriodora Fu Manchu The "Convov u blah blah" plant thingy progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: What plant combination to get year-round colour - thanks 20Apr 06, 2010 11:06 pm Latin names are used so that no two plants have the same name. Common names can drive us crazy when sometimes 10 plants can have the same common name Thank you @. Tried to play with the facade models but the exact colour is not matching up. 2 3259 2 10946 Your house roof does not show rusting other than some surface rust on the flashings. In my opinion you dont need to replace or paint the roof other than treat surface rust… 1 10207 |