Plant Guide

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Evergreen shrub

abutilon-hybridum

Abutilon x hybridum

Chinese lantern

A large group of hybrids with pendent, bell-shaped, 4-8 cm long flowers during most of the year in colours ranging from white to pink, yellow and orange to red. Attracts nectar-seeking birds. Lobed, toothed, mid green, maple-like leaves up to 15 cm long. Fast growing in suitable conditions.

Prefers a sheltered position in well-draining soil with even moisture levels and full sun or partial shade. In hot climates, protect Abutilon x hybridum from afternoon sun to prevent stress due to wilting of the leaves. Can handle some wind exposure, but since the stems are relatively weak, staking is required when there is insufficient shelter. Pinch out the tips of young plants to encourage branching and subsequently prune regularly to keep compact. Tolerates light to moderate frosts. Easy to propagate from cuttings.

Elegant shrub with pretty flowers. The leaves with a lovely shade of green lend themselves perfectly as a backdrop for other, smaller plants in borders. Suitable as an indoor pot plant as long as it receives sufficient light.

aucuba-japonica

Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia'

variegated spotted laurel, variegated gold dust plant

Slow growing bushy shrub with shiny, leathery, toothed leaves, 6 to 12 cm long, heavily spotted and blotched with yellow. Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia' is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants. The flowers are tiny and insignificant, chocolate brown to purplish, .5 cm across. On female plants, the flowers are followed after pollination by bright red, 1 cm wide berries. Foliage and berries are harmful when ingested.

Thrives in shade or partial shade. Leaves may get scorched in full sun. Requires well-draining soil, and does not cope with waterlogged conditions. Tolerates air pollution. Usually has a compact growth habit, but can be pruned to shape. Withstands drought, although growth is more luxuriant with regular moisture supply.

Wonderful foliage plant to lighten up a dark area, or to give your garden a lush, tropical feel. Also looks good as a hedge for year-round interest. If you like to see berries on your shrub, make sure to select a male plant for pollination and a female plant for fruit production. One male plant is sufficient for about eight female plants. Looks lovely in combination with the purple flowers of Liriope muscari, which thrives in similar growing conditions.

banksia-ericifolia

Banksia ericifolia

Heath-leaved Banksia, Heath Banksia, Lantern Banksia

Evergreen shrub with heath-like foliage and orange-red flowers appearing in autumn or winter, native to Australia and named after the botanist Joseph Banks who originally collected Banksia ericifolia in 1770. Bright green, linear leaves, 1-3 cm long, 1 mm wide, usually with two small teeth near the tips. Erect, cylindrical, orange to red flower spikes, 7-20 cm long, 5 cm across, followed by cone-like seed-bearing structures. Individual flowers with long, wiry, hooked styles. In nature, seeds are released by fire.

Prefers a sunny or partially shaded position in well-drained, slightly acidic soil. No or light pruning only to maintain shape and keep compact. Tolerates drought and light frosts. Is suitable for coastal areas, but grows only to a height of 1-2 m in exposed areas.

Beautiful specimen for flower display. Attracts birds feeding on nectar. Can also be used as a hedge or a screen. Flowers last well on water.

brugmansia-sanguinea

Brugmansia sanguinea

red or scarlet angel's trumpet, red Brugmansia, eagle tree, red floripondio

Evergreen shrub or sometimes a small tree, native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Large, ovate, felted leaves, often wavy or shallowly lobed,18-25 cm long, smaller on flowering stems. Solitary, pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers, 15-20 cm long, yellowish with scarlet-orange. Unlike the flowers of most other Brugmansia species, which are scented to attract moths for pollination, Brugmansia sanguinea flowers are not fragrant, and in their native habitat are pollinated by hummingbirds. All parts are poisonous. Naturalised in New Zealand.

Synonyms: Datura sanguinea, Datura roseiDatura rubella, Brugmansia bicolor, Brugmansia lutea.

Prefers a sheltered position in partial or full shade. In cool climates, a sunny position is fine too. Hot temperatures inhibit flowering. Difficult to propagate from vertical cuttings, but can be propagated from horizontal stem sections or layering. Tolerates light to medium frosts. May be damaged by moderate frosts, but generally survives.

Specimen shrub with a tropical appearance and beautiful flowers for most of the year. 

buddleja-salviifolia

Buddleja salviifolia

(South African) sagewood, sage-leaved butterfly bush, winter buddleja

Large shrub, endemic to southern and eastern parts of Africa, flowering in late winter and early spring with fragrant, pale mauve flowers with orange throats, arranged in large panicles. Narrow, lance-shaped, grey-green leaves with puckered and finely wrinkled surfaces, grey-white beneath, resembling those of sage. Semi-deciduous in colder climates. Fast-growing. Attracts bees and butterflies.

Prefers a sunny spot in any well-draining soil. Drought-tolerant. Suitable for exposed and coastal gardens. Tolerates moderate frosts (zones 9 and 10). Tends to have a somewhat untidy habit, and thus benefits from regular pruning. 

Very vigorous and floriferous plant. Great background plant with its silvery-grey foliage contrasting well with darker foliage. Make sure you have sufficient space as it will quickly grow into a large bush. To keep it compact,  prune the plant after flowering. Buddleja salviifolia can be pruned hard. Suitable as a large hedge or informal screen.

buxus-sempervirens

Buxus sempervirens

common box, English box, European box, boxwood

Evergreen fine-textured shrub or tree with small green leaves and inconspicuous greenish cream flowers. Glossy green, simple, ovate to oblong leaves, 1.5-2.5 cm long, arranged in opposite pairs along the stems. Foliage emits a distinctive scent that is not to everyone's liking. Fresh green spring leaves, turning mid to dark green later in the year. Clusters of tiny flowers without petals during late spring. Usually grown and maintained as a shrub, but can eventually reach tree-like proportions up to about 9 m tall.

Grows in a wide range of conditions, except waterlogged soil. Once established, Buxus sempervirens tolerates drought. In suitable growing conditions, a growth rate of 10-15 cm can be expected. In deep shade, very exposed situations, or very poor soils, growth is much slower. Most cultivars have a slower growth rate than the species. Responds well to trimming, and can be maintained to a height of 50 cm or less for many years. Trimming during late summer gives the plant a chance to produce sufficient new growth from early spring, and prevents sunburn of young leaves formed after the trim. After a number of years cut out some of the mature stems below the pruning height for the rest of the plant to improve ventilation through the foliage and avoid overcrowding at the top.

Widely used as a formal hedging plant with about 4 to 6 plants per meter for low hedges. Suitable for topiary projects. Since it can be trimmed to any shape, Buxus sempervirens is a very useful shrub to add a structural element to garden beds. Can also be grown in containers. 

camellia-autumn-herald

Camellia 'Autumn Herald'

Evergreen shrub with single, pale pink flowers during autumn and early winter, about 7 cm across with golden yellow stamens. Originated in New Zealand as a hybrid with Camellia pitardii as one of the parents.

Prefers partial shade, but tolerates shade and copes with full sun. Likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Prune after flowering.

One of the earliest camellias to flower.

camellia-early-pearly

Camellia 'Early Pearly'

Vigorous, upright Sasanqua camellia, flowering from autumn to mid winter with double, white flowers. Some flowers show a faint hint of pink on the outer petals. Glossy, dark green foliage.

Camellia 'Early Pearly' prefers  a partially shaded position in well-draining, acidic soil. Tolerates full sun. Feed with an acid fertiliser after flowering and again during the growing season. Prune hedges after flowering.

Gorgeous white camellia, ideal for espalier or hedging purposes. The photo of the hedge was taken in a relatively windy area; the plants seem to cope well with more than average wind exposure.

camellia-fairy-blush

Camellia 'Fairy Blush'

Evergreen shrub with upright growth habit. Clusters of dark pink to red flower buds open to lightly fragrant white flowers, flushed with pink, fading to white, 5 cm across. Golden yellow anthers with creamy filaments. Flowers fall before browning. Very long flowering season from late autumn to early spring. Glossy dark green leaves, 3 cm long, 2 cm wide.

Originated in New Zealand as a chance seedling of hybrid origin with Camellia lutchuensis as one of the parents.

Prefers acidic soil conditions and a sheltered position in semi shade, but tolerates full sun. Responds well to pruning after flowering.

camellia-gay-border

Camellia 'Gay border'

Evergreen shrub with strong upright habit, flowering during autumn and late winter.Toothed, dark green leaves. Flower petals are white with a pink border and golden yellow stamens. Originated in New Zealand. Camellia sasanqua is one of the parents.

Responds well to pruning and makes a great hedge. Prefers acidic soil and partial shade but will tolerate full sun. Hardy to - 12oC.

Camellia 'Gay Pixie'

Camellia 'Gay Pixie'

Evergreen, compact upright shrub with 8 x 4 cm leaves and 11 cm wide flowers, double, pale pink with darker pink stripes and golden stamens. Flowers during autumn and early winter.

Originated in Australia as a hybrid of Camellia pitardii var. pitardii.

Responds to pruning after flowering. Prefers a position in partial shade, but tolerates full sun. Likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil.

camellia-kanjiro

Camellia 'Kanjiro'

Also known as 'Hiryu'. Recorded as Camellia hiemalis 'Kanjiro' in the International Camellia register, but listed elsewhere as a cultivar of Camellia sasanqua.

Vigorous evergreen shrub with glossy dark green, toothed leaves. Very free-flowering in late autumn and early winter with slightly fragrant single to semi-double flowers, about 8 cm across, cerise pink to rosy red, paler towards center of the petals, gold stamens.

Responds to pruning after flowering. Likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Prefers partial shade, but tolerates full shade and copes with a position in full sun. Hardy to -18oC.

 

camellia-nicky-crisp

Camellia 'Nicky Crisp'

Evergreen shrub with dense, erect growing habit. Glossy dark green, toothed leaves, 8.5 x 3.5 cm. Exquisite pale pink, semi-double, 11 cm wide flowers during winter and early spring. The golden anthers remain behind on the plant for a while after the flowers have turned brown and subsequently dropped. Originated in New Zealand as a hybrid of Camellia pitardii var. pitardii and Camellia japonica, first flowering in 1972.

Prefers a sheltered position in partial shade and well-drained acidic soil. Tolerates sun or shade. Does well in dappled shade under large trees, but is shallow-rooting (like other camellias) so may need watering during dry periods of the year in particular when growing in such positions. No pruning required or just a light prune after flowering.

Great for flower display, as a medium-sized hedge, and as a dark green background for plants that flower during other times of the year. 

camellia-nonie-haydon

Camellia 'Nonie Haydon'

Evergreen, free-flowering shrub with average growth rate. Mid green, toothed leaves, 9 cm long, 5 cm wide. Dark pink flower buds open during winter to reveal beautiful, fluffy, pink, peony-form flowers with golden anthers and more than 20 petals, 13 cm across.

Originated as a seedling of Camellia pitardii, raised by Neville Haydon in Papakura, New Zealand, first flowering in 1985.

Prefers a position in acidic soil and partial shade. The Camellia 'Nonie Haydon' in the photo was flowering and growing happily in a sheltered, fully shaded position.

Perfect for flower display during mid to late winter, and suitable for hedging or background for plants flowering during other times of the year.

camellia-yuletide

Camellia 'Yuletide'

Evergreen winter flowering shrub with dense upright growth habit. Dark green, toothed leaves, 4.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. Small red flowers with golden yellow stamens, 5-7 petals, 7.5 cm across. Originated as a chance seedling of Camellia 'Kanjiro' (Camellia 'Hiryu') at Nuccio's nurseries in Altadena, CA, USA, and flowered for the first time in 1959. 

Prefers a sheltered, partially shaded position in well-drained soil. Prune after flowering. Feed with acid fertiliser in spring.

Looks great as a formal or informal hedge or as a dark green background for shrubs that flower at other times of the year. Can also be successfully espaliered or grown as a topiary shrub or container plant. Forms a striking combination with shrubs that produce winter berries, such as Ilex (holly) and Pyracantha (firethorn).