Garrya elliptica makes a remarkably indestructible and attractive evergreen shrub on free-draining soil. It is at its best from midwinter to early spring when it is covered by a mass of dangling grey-green catkins, 15-20 cm (6-8 in) long. If you want even longer catkins, choose ‘James Roof’. Garrya elliptica can also be grown as
Calliandra is a popular plant in the U.S. but rarely grown in Great Britain. The leaves are made up of a large number of segments and the flowers are made up entirely of stamens. It blooms in winter and the ‘powder-puffs’ last for 6-8 weeks. Calliandra inaequilatera has bright red flowers and dark green foliage.
A big display of fall berries provides a striking seasonal note and also adds a range of colors, from bright red to yellow and white. In time most, except the toxic ones, will get eaten by birds. Meantime, as the fall mists descend and then lift, they will reveal beautiful clumps of tiny colored balls
Camellia is a genus originating mainly from China but with a range covering a large area of South East Asia. The exact number of species is not clear but it is somewhere around 100. Camellia is an important commercial genus because of one species, Camellia sinensis, the plant from which tea is made. Most gardeners
If you dream about having a successful garden, you should have shrubs. Shrubs give a landscape design its overall structure. With a seemingly endless list of shrubs available to the gardener, choosing the appropriate one for your garden takes a bit of planning. This article covers some common, easy to grow shrubs. Many deciduous shrubs,
Acacias are useful garden shrubs where space is not a problem, but they have never been popular house plants. The spreading branches bear feathery leaves or spiny false leaves known as phylloclades, and in winter or spring the characteristic yellow flower-heads appear. These are clusters of small powder-puffs which are much more popular in flower
One of the oldest herbs in cultivation hyssop is an attractive evergreen shrub with brilliant blue, pink or white flowers held on a spike. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) grows well with other scented herbs such as lavender and sage. The fresh herb from garden is commonly used in cooking. The leaves can be used to make
Azaleas are a large, diverse group of flowering shrubs with single and double blooms in many shades of white, purple, red, pink or orange.There are two basic flower types. The single flower is very hardy and, the double flowered form is sometimes referred to as hose and hose. Azalea flowers have a very soothing look
