Entries for the 'GARDEN PLANTS' Category

African daisy plants are not suitable for every location, and may not be to everyone’s taste. In the right place though, they are an important ingredient in dry and Mediterranean gardens.

Agapanthus is one of the loveliest and easy to grow perennials available to the gardener in a dry, Mediterranean climate. Used in a certain way, it can be stunningly exciting as well.

When choosing a landscape tree for your garden, don’t focus too much on showy blooms or edible and decorative fruit. The Ash has none of these, but can be one of the most beautiful additions to your private landscape.

If you're looking for a group of plants that look good 12 months in the year, are appropriate to a number of design situations, and are easy to look after, then read on.

Despite the reputation for littering, trees and shrubs that drop their leaves are an integral part of the garden composition. An approach from a Mediterranean gardening point of view.

Bougainvillea can be the icing on the cake for your garden. It is not suitable for every situation though, and should be considered carefully before being planted.

Junipers can be such an important part of the garden in a dry climate, that it’s a pity to get poor results because of some easily avoidable mistakes.

When choosing bushes for a dry climate and Mediterranean garden, give a thought to the Natal Plum,Carissa macropcarpa. It has to be one of the most useful and versatile shrubs available.

The limiting factor in growing annual flowers in Mediterranean gardens is their high consumption of water. Catharanthus roseus, (Madagascar Periwinkle), can be grown on about a quarter of the water needed by most annuals.

In mild winter climates, Chinese Hibiscus has to be one of the most useful landscaping bushes available, as it combines screening functions with spectacular flower color.

Growing a climbing rose involves some work and expense. When trained according to the espalier technique, the results can be spectacular.

While Crape Myrtle is generally pruned in order to produce more and better blooms, do not forget that too much pruning can weaken a tree and cause its premature decline. In any case, Crape Myrtle has immense value as an landscape tree, irrespective of its fabulous floral display.

If you live in a warm, frost-free climate, you may wish to consider planting the landscape bush, Duranta erecta in your garden. It goes well with a number of other shrubs, and has some characteristics unique to itself.

Finding a niche ground cover plant that is both drought tolerant and easy to maintain, is not easy. Dymondia margaretae is one such example that the dry climate gardener should consider.

The dry climate gardener should always be on the lookout for reliable and useful plants. There is of course room for the more spectacular species, but it is a mistake, both practically and aesthetically, to try to make every specimen a “winner”. The “steady” plant is also important, and Euryops pectinatus is often one that perfectly fits the bill.

Feijoa is small tree or large shrub that has everything – appearance, excellent fruit and ease of cultivation.

Grevillea shrubs are not the easiest landscape garden plants to grow, but their immense ornamental value, combined with their tolerance of drought, make them vital ingredients in the dry climate gardener’s cookbook.

Junipers come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from large trees to prostrate ground covers. Their drought-resistance, ease of care, and attractive appearance, make the ground cover species particularly essential for dry climate gardeners.

Guava, being highly ornamental and easy to grow, can be an excellent choice for a fruit tree in a small, Mediterranean garden.

While many species and varieties of sage are of great ornamental value, the Garden Sage, Salvia officinalis, is not only beautiful, but an immensely useful herb, culinary and medicinal plant as well.

It is not often that a garden plant has interesting form, delicately textured leaves, striking foliage color, and keeps pests away from neighboring plants. The time has come to meet the aromatic herb, Artemisia arborescens.

The Jacaranda tree is probably unmatched for spectacular, seasonal color. It is not suitable though for every plot and location.

Home gardeners in a dry climate, sometimes think that saving water and having a stunning garden do not go together. Here’s an idea that can allow you to have both.

Junipers if used correctly can form the basis of an extremely satisfying garden composition. For gardeners in dry and Mediterranean climates, they are especially relevant.

The more we dig deeper into the hidden potential of the garden, the more value we extract from it. The beautiful Kumquat tree serves as a good example of this.

While it is tempting to be carried away by the spectacular flowers of a particular tree, remember that the blooms are invariably short-lived. Instead, it is advisable to choose a tree primarily for its landscaping properties.

Why you should consider growing one of the best and most useful shrubs for a dry Mediterranean climate.

Metrosideros or Pohutukawa, as an evergreen tree or large shrub, is both a useful screening plant, and a beautifully decorative landscape bush. Its tolerance of drought, pests and disease, make it a must for many gardens in dry, Mediterranean climates.

Gardeners in dry, Mediterranean climates should always be on the look out for water-conserving ground cover plants that are attractive and easy to grow. One such plant is the Morning Glory, Convolvulus sabatius.

Despite originating from China and Japan, Nandina domestica is suitable too in Mediterranean and dry climate gardens. Here’s how to get the best from this most valuable landscape bush.

Nandina domestica and Duranta erecta are two excellent landscaping shrubs suitable for Mediterranean and other mild-winter climates. The design effect of planting them together though, is not generally recognized by gardeners.

There is a plant that takes along time to grow, but could make your garden a special one.

Oaks should be considered as serious candidates for landscape garden trees. In dry climate gardens, the appropriate species are an essential part of water conserving gardening.

Handsome in form, suitable to many conditions, and easy to grow. This is why Phormium is such a fine plant in dry climate gardens.

Pistachio trees and shrubs are sometimes seen in public parks and gardens. They should be chosen more in private, dry climate gardens as well.

As fashion drives some of the best ornamental plants out of the garden centers, spare a thought for one of the best – Pittosporum tobira.

Correctly pruning a Pomegranate tree is a question of whether you are growing it as a landscape tree or just for fruit. Read on if you want to get the best of both worlds!

Rosemary might be a relatively easy plant to grow, but do you know how to care for the plant when it gets old?

Despite the large number of species and their wide geographical range, most Sages require similar growing conditions. Most are suitable for dry climate gardens.

While Sage is usually associated with herb gardens, there is a wide variety of species that are excellent purely as ornamental garden plants. As many Sages are also drought resistant, they are a crucial plant for the gardener in a dry climate.

Slow growing plants are often synonymous with water-conserving ones in many gardeners’ minds. Some Species of Rhus though, develop quickly, requiring modest amounts of water at the same time.

Plumbago auriculata is one of the most useful landscaping shrubs available to the Mediterranean and dry climate gardener. It is often planted in the wrong place however, which gives this fine plant a bad name.

If you are one of those people who would love a Bougainvillea in your garden, but are put off by its thorns, mess, and untidiness, then you may wish to consider planting Solanum rantonnetii as a replacement.

Many a home gardener has been tempted to include rampant, climbing plants in the garden. While these definitely have their place in some circumstances, they often turn into an unmanageable mess. In small spaces, it is probably far wiser to choose less showy and slow-growing climbers like the Star Jasmine.

Is there an ornamental plant which makes a most beautiful and unusual sculptural silhouette, requires virtually no care and attention, and is extremely modest in its water needs? The answer is yes! It is the Bottle Palm, Nolina recurvata.

When it comes to growing and particularly to pruning Crape Myrtle, it’s necessary to think somewhat outside the box.

The problems associated with growing this most spectacular of plants, often deter the home gardener from planting it. Here’s how you can overcome at least some of them.

The Pomegranate is such a fine landscaping tree, and its fruit so tasty and beneficial, that it should always be considered for the dry climate garden.

We all want our garden plants to grow quickly, but having the patience to wait for slow growing plants goes along way.

If gardening is part of the school curriculum, or you just want to involve your children in the up-keep of the home garden, you should see how to get the most out of each of the main horticultural tasks.

Viburnum tinus is usually a fine choice for a landscaping bush and for screening. Although native to the Mediterranean, it is suitable for many other regions as well.