SPRING FLOWERING PLANTS THAT DELIVER
THESE PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS ARE IDEAL FOR A SEPTEMBER SPECTACULAR
BACK in March this year, I penned an article which highlighted some garden preparations of a few of our previous entrants in the Chronicle Garden Competition.
I’ve had a number of requests for my spring flowering plant list compiled for anyone who enters the Chronicle Garden Competition, or who simply loves a spring display in their patch.
With the expectation that the competition will be returning “for real” this year, I’ve cut and pasted the perennials and shrubs section of my list for readers to use as a reference for future plantings and Chronicle Garden Competition winners.
SPRING FLOWERING SHRUBS
Diosma (Coleonema) – pink flowers on a green or golden leaved bush.
White maybush (Spiraea) – classic carnival plant (don’t prune later than December for best flowering).
Goldfussia (Strobilanthes) – dark leaves with light blue flowers. Good for part shade.
Bridal broom (Retama monosperma) – beautiful and fragrant white blooms on cascading branches.
Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’ – one of the best Australian native, white-flowering spring shrubs (also a pink form).
Azaleas – the heralds of spring and most floriferous of carnival shrubs. Try the dwarf varieties too (Kurumes). Downside is damage from lacebugs and mites (leaves) and petal blight (flowers). Need acid soils. Nandina (Dwarf Japanese bamboo) – if following a cold winter, the spring foliage colours can be stunning (reds, oranges, yellows). Tough as old boots. (‘Obsession’, ‘Blush’, ‘Flirt’.)
Banksia rose – climber/scrambler for arbours, fences. White or yellow flowers. Dwarf bougainvilleas – best in pots so they can be protected from frost before flowering.
Loropetalum – ‘China Pink’, ‘Plum Gorgeous’ best reddish-purple foliage with pink flowers.
Hebe – sometimes cantankerous small shrubs but beautifully floriferous.
Pride 0f Madeira (Echium) – E. candicans best known for stunning spires of blue flowers at carnival time. Other species worth looking at too, but some are shortlived.
Thryptomene ‘Paynes Hybrid’ – Aussie dwarf shrub to 50cm. Great spring flowerer for the dryish spot.
Brunfelsia (Yesterday, today and tomorrow) – flowers open purple then fade to white over a few days.
Justicia rizzinii ‘Firefly’ – a great small shrub for shady spots. Tubular yellow and scarlet flowers light up a dark spot. Psoralea pinnata – beautiful shrub to 3m. Hard to find in nurseries however most carnival gardeners who grow them have seedlings for sale at carnival time. Abutilon (Chinese lanterns) – great for full sun or shady spots. Pendant flowers. The variegated Abutilon looks great all year round too.
Grevillea – a wide range of grevilleas have their main flush of flowers in spring. There are many grafted varieties that will do well in heavier soils as well. Trick is to lightly tip prune to encourage branching, bushiness and longevity.
Raphiolepis (Indian Hawthorns)- Great, tough shrubs from 3m down to beaut dwarf varieties such as ‘Apple Blossom’, Snow Maiden’, Cosmic Pink’, and ‘Rajah’. White through to deep pink flowers.
Coprosma (Mirror bush) – grown for their shiny foliage rather than flowers. Beautiful dwarf varieties available (‘Karo Red’, ‘Evening Glow’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’).
SPRING FLOWERING PERENNIALS Arctotis – great rockery/ground cover plant.
Alyssum (Alyssum saxatile) – grey foliage with yellow flowers.
Begonia – leaves can be decorative too. Ideal pot specimens.
Convolvulus – silvery foliage with white or bluish flowers.
Clivia – best dry shade plant ever. Dianthus – great varieties now available, scented.
African Daisy (Dimorphotheca) – older varieties rather ordinary, newer varieties more colourful. Can self-seed.
Erigeron (Seaside Daisy) – great for edges, spilling over walls. New varieties have larger, more colourful flowers.
Felicia (Kingfisher daisy)- pretty tough plant, blue flowers with yellow centres. Gaura (Butterfly flower) – flowers borne on tall, graceful stems from 60cm to 1m. Daylily (Hemerocallis) – ‘Stella d’Oro’ blooms for up to 10 months of the year. Iris/Bearded iris – great strap-leaved plant, spreads slowly via rhizomes. Lychnis – can become untidy in shady spots, a bit rampant.
Catmint (Nepeta) – nice “misting” effect with flower spikes.
Osteospermum – some newer varieties have great colours, can self-seed Pelargonium (Geranium) – look for compact, disease-resistant ‘Calliope’and ‘Caliente’ varieties.
Penstemon – great range of tall, spike borne flowers.
Scabiosa (pincushion flower) – great border, rockery plants.
Scaevola (Fan flower) – Aussie plant worth trying. Blues through to pinks. Good rockery subject.
Wallflower – can be short lived but beautiful small shrub. ‘Bowles Mauve’ is a long-lasting perennial variety.
Viola – perennial varieties are ideal for shady spots. Some can be a bit invasive. Marguerite Daisies – classic daisy bush in great range of colours.
Next week I’ll publish my list of stunning spring-flowering annuals and bulbs.
GARDEN CUTTINGS
Say g’day on my Facebook page: Mike Wells Wellsley Horticulture or email your gardening questions (or article suggestions) to: wellsleyhorticultural@gmail.com.