OLD FAVOURITES AND NEW RELEASES!
NURSERY INDUSTRY TRADE DAY REVEALS A TREASURE TROVE OF SPRING BEAUTY
THIS week saw yet another successful Nursery and Garden Industry of Queensland Spring Trade Day held at the horticulture facility of TAFE Queensland Southwest.
The trade day is conducted to allow wholesale producers of plants to display their wares for the many retail plant outlets in the region.
This week’s event was well attended by wholesalers and buyers from Queensland and NSW and didn’t disappoint, with the most avid plant lover well catered for with many old favourites as well as a good number of exciting new release plants for sale.
Lavandula ‘Salvation’ was one of an exciting number of Australian bred lavenders on display last week.
There are 11 varieties of these tough, drought tolerant beauties in the “Lavender Patch” range. ‘Salvation’, like most lavenders, prefers a full sun position with well-drained soil.
It will grow to 70cm H x 70cm W, and flowers for an extended period from late winter.
Just when you think it’s safe to go back into the garden, yet another selection of marguerite daisies hit the local garden centres!
Over many years, gardeners have been spoilt by the range of Federation Daisies from which to choose.
Well, there’s a number of new varieties out and they’re hard to resist.
This is Argyranthemum ‘Superior Purple’, one of six daisies in the Federation Daisy “Super Sized” range.
The flowers are up to 7cm in diameter, borne on a compact 60cm h x 45cm w bush. Ideal for pots, borders and cottage gardens. If you’re a wily gardener looking to maximise production from your small backyard or even smaller patio or balcony, why not try this newer variety of dwarf Meyer lemon, ‘Lemonicious’?
It’ll perform beautifully in a good quality potting mix and a full sun position.
A recent trial yielded 48 full-sized lemons from a 2-year-old plant!
It’ll maybe grow to 1.5m h x 1m w. Citrus are also quite decorative and beautifully scented when in flower.
Privacy lovers will rejoice now that they can choose from a number of different cultivars of the old favourite and ultra-reliable hedging plant, Photinia. Most of us are familiar with varieties such as ‘Red Robin’ and can relate to the brilliant display of red new growth each year. ‘Burgundy Beauty’ will dazzle with deep burgundy new growth from spring to summer.
Another great Photinia cultivar, quite different from the usual green and red leaved varieties, is ‘Pink Marble’, sporting bright pink marbled new growth maturing to variegated green and cream leaves. It will grow to 5m h and 2m wide if not tamed with hedging shears!
A close-up of one of the “pinwheel” varieties of Osteospermum daisies. With the common name of African Daisy, these heat tolerant plants are ideal for a sunny spot in a temperate garden. Great for cottage gardens, the newer varieties of this daisy are compact and flower from spring to autumn.
One of the hardiest small to medium shrubs on the market at the moment, Rhaphiolepis ‘Cosmic White’ will tolerate drought, frost, salt spray and a range of soils from sandy loams to heavy clays. It bears masses of white flowers in spring and spot flowers at other times of the year. It will grow to 2m h x 1.5m w. A smaller cousin, ‘Cosmic Pink’, is better for small spaces at 80cm H x 80cm w.
A perennial Dianthus with exquisite perfume, ‘Memories’ has been bred for long flowering, is suitable for containers and cut flowers. Every sale of this plant will see 50c donated to Alzheimer Australia’s Dementia Research Foundation. It’s a great cottage garden plant, and goes well in perennial border gardens too.