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  • Arisarum

    Araceae

    • proboscidium   CAG00101

      (Mouse plant)
      Height15cmWidth1mFlowering SeasonWi - SpWaterL - MLightFilt.Shade
      Arisarum proboscidium
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A curious groundcover for moist shade from Italy and Spain, which potted makes an excellent conversation starting centre piece for the dinner table. The purple hooded white spathes, that shelter the spadix and flowers, with their long tail-like appendages appear amongst the glossy, dark green, arrow shaped leaves like a family mice grubbing for food. Slowly spreading by the underground stolons to which it retreats during summer, emerging again in late winter with fresh foliage and a new family of mice.

      Tolerates considerable dryness when dormant but demands adequate moisture in winter and spring while actively growing.

      Resents disturbance and typically will not flower well until it's settled in for a year or two and then improving with time. In a container re-potting is neither desirable or necessary but annual replacement of the surface soil and the addition of slow release fertiliser will be greatly appreciated.

  • Cyrtanthus
    • elatus ‘Delicatus’   CAG00194
      Height40cmWidth30cmFlowering SeasonSp - AuWaterM - HLightSun - L. Sh.
      Cyrtanthus elatus ‘Delicatus’
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A selected pink form of the well known and scarlet flowered C. elatus and just as easily grown. An evergreen, South African bulb, excellent as a cut flower or pot subject to be brought indoors at flowering time. Stout stems bearing large, mid pink, open, trumpet shaped flowers sporadically appear throughout the warmer months from quickly clumping, strappy, leathery leaves.

      Happy with short periods of dryness but better with regular water to imitate its natural habitat of stream sides and moist slopes. Good drainage is of course essential as is a little shelter from scorching summer sun, though too much shade will affect flowering.

  • Dracunculus
    • canariensis   CAG02357

      (Canary Island Dragon Arum)
      Height80cmWidth30cmFlowering SeasonSpringWaterLLightLight Shade
      Dracunculus canariensis
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A more subtle Dragon Arum from the Canary Islands with a tapering white spathe that ensorcells a stiff creamy spadix atop a fleshy stalk of palmate foliage. Elegant, lush and not stinky, it forms loose colonies in shaded sites, perhaps at its best emerging from a sea of suitable woodland groundcover, Pelargonium tomentosum, Cyclamen hederifolium, Parochetus africanus, Cosmos diversifolius or Viola banksii are some suggestions. Or have it peeking out between bold shrubs, like Echium candicans and Aeonium, which can offer it protection.

      Easily grown in any soil, summer deciduous and then no water is necessary.

      As with many drought loving geophytes these are decidedly unsuited to life in a pot, plants sold are two years old and need to get in the ground ASAP.

  • Pinellia
  • Salvia

    (Sage)
    Lamiaceae

    A genus whose popularity has risen exponentially in recent times. Offering a diverse range of form and colour there is a Salvia for nearly every garden situation with more and more being discovered and described all the time. The count now stands somewhere in excess of 1000, including subspecies, according to The Plant List. They are found on every continent except Antarctica.

    From a gardeners perspective they can not all be treated the same, they come from many different climates after all, but as a rule of thumb can be grouped into winter rainfall and summer rainfall species and with few exceptions they all prefer well drained soil.

    Soft leaved species from Central and South America are usually autumn and winter flowering. Coming from summer rainfall areas they typically need protection from dry heat and the accompanying high light intensity and they vary in their tolerance of winter damp. As with most plants the larger the leaves the more water they require, this also dictates how fast they grow with many growing several metres in a single season.

    Species from south western North America, South Africa, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands are all winter growers and are tolerant or demanding of dry heat and summer drought. Slower growing but usually longer lived these all tend to have small, densely haired, silver or grey leaves or a combination of these traits which help them conserve moisture. Most of these require no additional water in Perth and are well adapted to our climate. They tend tend to flower from spring into summer.


    Prune back to where vigorous new basal growth is seen, never to dead wood, they appear to store little food in their stems and without leaves stand a chance of starving to death or at least struggle to regenerate. The exception is those few that are tuberous or clump forming, these can be cut to ground level once the stems start dying back in late autumn.
    • roemeriana   CAG00595

      (Cedar sage)
      Height30cmWidth30cmFlowering SeasonSp - AuWaterM - LLightLight Shade
      $12.00earn 60 points

      A charming small perennial Sage, found amongst limestone in Cedar forest, in Texas, Arizona and into Mexico. The shrubby mounds of softy haired, toothed, heart shaped, grey-green leaves, bear short, rigid stalks of bright red, hooded, two lipped, tubular flowers, endlessly throughout the warmer months. Generally dies down to a tuft of basal leaves over winter.

      Trim of the spent flower stalks to promote flowering and cut down to the point of new growth once flowering has finished in winter.

      Relatively short lived, 3-4 years, but should readily self seed in well drained soil.

      Great for naturalizing in light shade under trees where it will perform well once established, even with considerable dryness over summer.

  • Acanthus
    • mollis   CAG00063

      (Oyster plant, Bear's breeches)
      Height1mWidth2mFlowering SeasonSpringWaterLLightSun - Shade
      Acanthus mollis
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      Rosettes of huge, glossy, dark green, sharply serrated leaves thrust from the soil with the onset of autumn rain. In spring sceptres of mauve and white shell like flowers stand sentry over the brooding mounds of foliage.
      Found throughout the Meditteranean it's at its best with no summer water but plenty of winter moisture and is tolerant of any soil that isn't waterlogged.

      Extremely architectural if given the space or as contrast to other boldly leaved plants such as Melianthus major.

      Representations of the leaves are commonly found in ancient roman architecture and are often still encountered in classical designs of today.

  • Adenophora
  • Ajuga
  • Arenaria
    • balearica   CAG02085

      (Corsican sandwort)
      Height1cmWidth60cmFlowering SeasonSpringWaterMLightFilt.Shade
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      From the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain comes this perfectly flat ground cover with tiny bright green leaves and creeping stems that root as they go, studded with tiny, pristine white, five petaled flowers through spring.
      Eminently at home in limestone walls or between paving in light shade.
      Good drainage and a soil that's never too dry is all that is needed.

      Better than baby's tears, flatter, flowering and requiring less moisture.

  • Arthropodium
    • cirratum   CAG00109
      Height1mWidth1mFlowering SeasonSummerWaterMLightLight Shade
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      A clumping, evergreen perennial, tolerant of coastal conditions. Soft, strappy, glaucous leaves are produced in fans. During Summer large sprays of small, dainty, white flowers rise on slender stems above the foliage. A delicate looking plant, but extremely tough. Tolerant of intense root competition and salt. Fantastic for seaside gardens.

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