What Plants and Shrubs are doing well in your garden??

[the fishers]

Hi Guys,

 

We are finally looking at planting in our new garden and we are wondering what plants etc have done well in your gardens??

 

Look forward to you tips

 

Heidi

[huggesy]

Lotus goldflash for ground cover is doing well in my garden and really pretty flowers and foliage

[sueoc]

Alas,only those that thrive on neglect!Native hardy is the way to go here i think.Succulents are a good bet,Cactii etc do well in my garden,but the delicate pretty plants need constant care daily.The harsh heat will destroy many if not watered daily throughout the summer.I loved gardening in the UK,but find the weather here prevents me from keeping my garden as i would like,it's just too time consuming.Basically,just look around the immediate vicinity and observe what grows well,and go with that!!!

[Rachiegarlo]

Agapanthus …very hardy. Also Arum lilies, except they die back in summer, but they don't need a lot of upkeep.

[the fishers]

Thanks guys I'm making a list, keep em coming

[Guest Guest75]

Yuccas..............

[Guest Guest75]

Blue /silver green foliage plants -often from South Africa.

[Blossom]

How close to the beach are you? That can make a difference to what you can plant. The soil can be quite varied around Adelaide so your best bet is to see what people in your area are growing.

This really is the worst time of year to plant a new garden though. I personally would wait until autumn, and winter for deciduous trees.

Roses, hibiscus, russelia, cupaniopsis, agapanthus, myoporum, carpobrotus, correas, rosemary, lavender etc all seem to do fine with not much care. Grevillea are GREAT too. Such neglected plants, and so much variety in form and flowers. The wildlife love them too. Not all are hardy though.

As you are down south, go visit fleurio (sp) garden centre in myponga, they would have the best range close by and can get you plants in often if they don't have them (suppliers permitting).

[the fishers]

How close to the beach are you? That can make a difference to what you can plant. The soil can be quite varied around Adelaide so your best bet is to see what people in your area are growing.

This really is the worst time of year to plant a new garden though. I personally would wait until autumn, and winter for deciduous trees.

Roses, hibiscus, russelia, cupaniopsis, agapanthus, myoporum, carpobrotus, correas, rosemary, lavender etc all seem to do fine with not much care. Grevillea are GREAT too. Such neglected plants, and so much variety in form and flowers. The wildlife love them too. Not all are hardy though.

As you are down south, go visit fleurio (sp) garden centre in myponga, they would have the best range close by and can get you plants in often if they don't have them (suppliers permitting).

 

Thanks Blossom, yep could be right about waiting to plant advice taken. Will,pop to Myponga for a look tho.

[DougM]

Surprised nobody has mentioned the most prolific plants. WEEDS got thousands of them. Want some ?

[Guest Guest75]

Another simple way is to look at what is thriving in other gardens locally, even if you just take pics and play detective in the plant nursery......

[DAVID.CHRISTINE]

Hi most conifers do well they seem to do nothing for a couple of years then just start growing .I agree with the yuccas very hardy and easy to take cutting from .Weather wise best to start planting in the autumn good luck

[Diane]

We have a gorgeous shrub called Geisha Girl - will go google and try and put a link up for you so you can see what it looks like, but it thrives on neglect, never gets watered, and has the most glorious purple blossoms. Also grasses grow really well - we have some that are kind of rusty purple colour and green which have fluffy heads! Oh, and rosemary grows well! And the bloody roses of course (I hate my roses - but they keep on coming!)

 

 

This is our Geisha Girl shrub

 

The grass thing - grows like mad, loves full sun

Edited December 2, 2013 by Diane

[Blossom]

The top one is Duranta geisha girl and the second is pennisetum rubra. I do love the Duranta too. There is a white flowered one too, but it is quite hard to find.

[John Browning]

Treat yourself to at least one lemon and one orange tree if you've got kids. If you like a challenge why not try a small avocado (...you won't need two -that's a myth).

 

Even if you don't want to grow vegies, why not get a bunch of herbs growing in pots near the kitchen- dead easy and always rewarding.

 

As for Natives, a lot of Australian Native Plants aren't native to Adelaide

 

The Adelaide Plains are unusual in having realtively alkaline soils, and what iron that is available gets bound up in the clay over the summer (-hence the yellowing, or "chlorosis" of the leaves). Treat the soil heavily with gypsum to break up the clay, and use as much mulch as you can beg borrow or steal.

 

Best of all take yourself up to the Native Nursery in Belair National Park (-they will even refund the admission price to the Park off your purchases). -A huge selection specifically suited to SA conditions and lots of good free advice.

 

Bear in mind that grevilleas come in all shapes and sizes from prostrate to gum tree size (-but be careful of Grevillea Robusta ...it grows spectacularly for 15 years and then falls over.

 

If you want to grow a Eucalypt, double- check the max height and spread when fully grown...many are really not suitable for anything smaller than a 1/4 acre block. When planting always plant one or two wattles (or acacias) as companion plants to fix some nitrogen. E. Torquata ; E. Spathulata are popular

 

(Also, never picnic under the horizontal branch of a gum tree...sooner or later it will break off quite suddenly, very often on a perfectly still day, after along hot period)

 

 

Similarly, beware Oleanders (-very popular, but they are poisonous from the tips of their leaves to their roots), and the Ornamental Rhus Tree (which often gives people severe contact allergies)

 

You can get good seasonal shade from Gleditseas and Robinias, but be prepared to pull out the succors they shoot.

 

 

For when you are getting nostalgic:

 

-Scented Pelargoniums not only grow well and survive the heat, but they also repel flies.

 

-Curiously you can also grow a wide range of Fuschias on the South and Eastern side of your building

 

And if that doesn't do it for you, most surprising of all

 

- The Adelaide Plain is one of the best places in the world to grow roses (!!?!)

 

Happy planting

 

John B

[Guest JennyMitch]

What about some herbs? Might be totally off the mark with that suggestion but they are the only things in my yard that are thriving. Oh and my chilli plant. Saves money buying them in the supermarket too