Peter

Tabone Garden .. in graceful sweeps

Planty Fierce Event page and My Open Garden

Tabone Garden … more quietly fierce

21 Toomeys Road, Mt Elliote open FREE as part of ..

“Planty Fierce” 4 never before opened Central Coast gardens on 1 day FREE, Saturday 5th March 10am – 4pm with designer plants sales for your garden.

Giant Potato Creeper - Solanum wendlandii roars over this grow cable — Giant Potato Creeper – Solanum wendlandii roars over this grow cable

Why not plan a lovely day out of the city with a friend who shares the same interest and you could be strolling through 4 lush gardens on the Central Costa .. including my new ‘Sea-Changer’ here at Forresters Beach :0

Yes that’s right, I’m opening my ‘Sea-Changer’ garden on the first weekend in March with 3 other never before opened, exciting coastal gardens to show you !! None are more than 20 mins from each other and Cathy & Tony Tabone’s beautiful acreage at 21 Toomeys Road, Mt Elliote has some of the best warm temperate coastal gardening can offer, like this rush of Giant Potato Vine following the rear northern house face. Might give you ideas on getting privacy for your own garden, supported independently on Grow Cables to make the most of these gorgeous Wedgwood blue flowers.

Plan a delicious lunch at any of the nearby cafes like Lotus at Wambaral or Bamboo Buddha Holgate for a perfect day.

Stay tuned for more posts on the other gardens in coming weeks.. :))

‘Paradox’ Fierce

Ray Henderson has made garden art from plants …. at

Planty Fierce Event page and My Open Garden

‘Paradox’ garden at 25 Curringa Close, Glenning Valley open FREE Saturday, 5th March 10am – 4pm

Ok I’ve been here at Forresters Beach nearly 18 months now and in that time I’ve seen quite a few very good private gardens made by obsessively talented “planty” industry colleagues that have never been opened before.

‘Paradox’ garden in Glenning Valley is one of them, open FREE Saturday, 5th March 10am – 4pm as part of a designer ramble I’m calling “Planty Fierce”.

From an unassuming laneway ‘Paradox’ rushes at you from the drive like a richly encrusted pizza. Looking at closer proximity, its clear the entire garden is woven together like a tight rug of jewel coloured textures. Its creator Ray Henderson is an unrepenting bromelia-holic as you will freely see looking across this astonishing combination of Bromeliaceae from the tiniest treasure to enormous hero plants, skilfully heightened with contrasting euphorbia, hesperaloe, furcraea, mangave, ensetes, greyia, crassula, beschorneria, oscularia and many, many more …

Hero plants Giant Hemp (Furcreae foetida mediopicta variegata) and Abyssinian Banana (Ensetes ventricosum) are visual “smacka” wondering around ‘Paradox’

Leaving without a piece of ‘Paradox’ from Ray’s sales section is unthinkable so bring cash and boxes, you WILL be sorely tempted here …. Especially in view of the vast majority of bromeliads suited to full sun conditions to bring your garden extra punch where a blast of foliage colour is required, the spectacular flowers are just a bonus !!

“Planty Fierce” are Plantsmen at the Living Edge ..

"Living Edge" collussus of rhipsalis, Tassel Fern, lepismium & hatiora — “Living Edge” colossus wall of rhipsalis, Tassel Fern, lepismium & hatiora

David Fripp & Blake Jolley have a well kept secrete .. “Living Edge” garden & nursery.

Well it never started out being a secrete but horticulturally soaked talent usually burns more like a hot ember. We’ll be blowing the lid off that come Saturday 5th March ’16 when David & Blake’s “Living Edge” garden will open as part of “Planty Fierce”, together with my “Sea-Changer” launch, as a garden extravaganza of four exciting Central Coast gardens you can get to see FREE on the one day. Three of these have never been open to the public before and with “Living Edge” in particular, you can expect a garden made from horticultural treasures at every turn. Stay tuned for details on the other 2 exciting gardens and mark your 2016 planners !!

“Living Edge” has a great sense of arrival into an interesting pattern garden that breaks out into beautifully planted pathways and a Dry Garden. Both men have very fine horticultural chops and David in particular as a gifted propagator, so many of the plants that make “Living Edge” from his rather fabulous collection, will be on sale tables for you to take a little (or a lot..) “Planty Fierce” home with you for your own gardens.

So bring your questions as both David & Blake will be moving around the garden to help with challenges and share in your successes. And bring your boxes as you WILL be sorely tempted across the sales tables.

“Living Edge” garden & nursery 0416 223 868 Open 10am till 4pm

1483 Peats Ridge Rd, Peats Ridge

livingedgenursery@gmail.com

NOTE: “Planty Fierce” open date has CHANGED to Saturday, 5th March ’16

(access shared with Kawana Nursery, see rust cortex steel numbers, drive in down unsealed approach to take a left side fork at “Living Edge” sign. Drive thru nursery to garden.)

Early Summer Fire

Quisqualis pseudomusiendifolia 'Red Riot' — Quisqualis pseudomussiendifolia ‘Red Riot’Identity crisis ..

Identity crisis ..

That’s what some plants suffer when viewed from a distance. And red, being so conspicuous always catches the eye. Just another poinsettia ….. in December ? Wait a MINUTE ! A poinsettia with a strangely lax habit and the inflo’s not terminal on branch ends …. THAT is no poinsettia, that is a Quisqualis pseudomussiendifolia ‘Red Riot’ of course it is ..!

Now, some you will know Quisqualis from its cousin the Rangoon Creeper but this is less a climber or a shrub and really more a climber/shrub. So useful to lean over fencing for its bower habit. If planted out as part of a mixed shrub combination in a west facing aspect like mine here at “Sea-Changer”, its open habit will probably reach 2 to 3m and the more heat the better.

As for the “flowers”, like the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) the showy “petals” are really modified leaves. You can see the tiny flower tubes opening white from the centre of each bract cluster. Beautiful seen from above viewed from decks or step out patios and makes a thrilling blaze against the dark glossy greens of viburnum odouritissimum, gardenia, michelia figo, rothmania or posoqueria the Sth American Needle Bush.