AUSSIE WINTER CHEER
WINTER-FLOWERING NATIVE PLANTS FOR OUR GARDENS
WINTER is one of those seasons where we, in a temperate climate region, expect to see little growth, dormant turf grasses, and bare deciduous tree and shrub canopies right through until the spring awakening.
There are, however, many plants that put on their finest displays through the cooler months of the year.
Exotics such as camellias, some azaleas, magnolias, some ornamental cherries, and even Marguerite daisies can brighten up some of our greyest, chilliest days.
Mixed in with these imported show-offs are many Australian native plants actually rivalling exotics in flamboyance and enthusiasm for colourful displays in the middle of winter.
Here are a few outstanding winter-flowering Aussie natives suitable for local gardens.
1. A small shrub to about 1m tall, the Satin daisy-bush (Olearia minor) can fill smallish spaces in a dryish, full-sun garden in our region. Tolerant of moderate frosts, this tough little native sports 1-2cm diameter daisy flowers with white to pale blue petals and mauve centres in autumn, winter, and spring.
2. A very different form to its lanky, scrambling relative, this is Hardenbergia violacea ‘Mini Ha Ha’, a wonderfully compact plant that produces violet-mauve pea flowers in mid-winter to early spring. Lucky to reach 50cm high, this toughie is quite frost-hardy, loves a full sun to part shade possie, and minimal watering once established.
3. Many local readers would be familiar with the stunning form and tall, vertical flower spikes of the Gymea lily, Doryanthes excelsa. A lesser known species, the spear lily or Doryanthes palmeri, has equally stunning form albeit with longer, more upright leaves (to 3m long). A major difference from D. excelsa is the unusual flower spike, up to 5m long, which droops due to the weight of the many bird-attracting flowers produced in late winter to early spring. A stunning plant for a full sun, larger garden.
4. These are the many gorgeous blooms produced at this time by the purple pea-bush, Hovea acutifolia. Growing as a small to medium shrub (1-4m high), this beautiful flowering shrub is endemic to Australia’s east coast and prefers a shady spot and well-drained soils. It’s a great bee-attracting plant.
5. One of Australia’s most stunning arid-region plants, this is Sturt’s Desert Pea, Swainsonia formosa. Unfortunately for gardeners, it can be a tricky plant to grow outside its normal desert habitat. An annual plant, it can produce these stunning red and black pea flowers from July to March on training stems up to 2m long. Being an annual plant, it’s best propagated from seed and grown in a tall pot filled with free-draining sandy potting media. Best of luck.
6. A long-time favourite Aussie native plant has to be the cut-leaf daisy, Brachyscome multifida. A compact, mounding plant growing no larger than 30cm high by 50cm wide, this plant is a tried and tested performer ideally suited to sunny spots in small gardens, narrow borders and rockeries. Reaching its peak flowering season in late winter to early spring, this species and all of its variants will usually bloom all year round.
7. Only growing to about 1.5m high by 3m wide, this is Acacia baileyana prostrate form, a highly unusual variation of the Cootamundra wattle, which normally grows to 8m high x 5m wide. As with most wattles, the peak flowering season is in mid to late winter. The masses of yellow blooms look stunning against the finely-dissected grey foliage of this gorgeous Aussie native.
8. A great performer in our local TAFE Horticulture native gully garden is this stunner, Phebalium stenophyllum (narrow-leaved Phebalium). Growing to around 1.5m high, this compact native plant produces many clusters of small, deep cream to yellow flowers in late winter to early spring. Small honeyeaters are attracted to the nectar-laden blooms. Grow in a sunny to partly-shaded position in a free-draining soil.