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  • Rubus
  • 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.
    • cacaliifolia   CAG00575
      Height60cmWidth1.2mFlowering SeasonSp - AuWaterM - HLightLight Shade
      Salvia cacaliifolia
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      Sprawling stems bear unusual, almost triangular, cordate and broadly toothed, rubbery green leaves and branched spikes of small, pitcher shaped, electric blue flowers with protruding stamens throughout the warmer months. Never showy but greatly intriguing and in time makes an attractive groundcover. I've seen it used spilling over limestone retaining walls beneath high canopied trees, exposing its form and colour to great effect.

      From high altitude in mountains southerly to the Gulf of Mexico, cold tolerant and growing merrily through winter while more warmth requiring species stall. For any well drained sheltered site. Little resistance to dryness but otherwise easy and improving with age.

    • canariensis   CAG00576
      Height2mWidth1.5mFlowering SeasonSu - AuWaterL - MLightFull Sun
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      An erect evergreen shrub. Unusually textured triangular leaves on white downy stems. Purple flowers are produced in summer through to autumn. Should prove tolerant of dry conditions. Cut back to 30cm in spring when new growth is seen.

  • Saxifraga
    • stolonifera   CAG02948

      (Strawberry saxifrage)
      Height15cmWidth1mFlowering SeasonSpringWaterHLightShade
      Saxifraga stolonifera
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      A rampant groundcover for moist shade. Popular for its round, scalloped, coarsely haired, silver veined leaves and clouds of white butterfly-like flowers borne briefly in spring. Forming a dense colony of plantlets by means of rosy red stolons, particularly nice draping from a hanging basket, which provide a too easy means of propagation and to which it owes its common name.

      Tends to desiccate in our low humidity summers but its vigour soon compensates during cooler, humid weather to the point that it may need annual thinning.

      Not hardy but unique, lovely and easy to grow, if you can provide it with a choice spot. Maybe as a groundcover between large ferns and cool climate shrubs.

  • Scutellaria
  • Tiarella
  • Tradescantia
    • (Andersoniana Group) ‘Sweet Kate’   CAG01475

      (Spiderwort)
      Height25cmWidth30cmFlowering SeasonSummerWaterMLightSun - L. Sh.
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      A choice cultivar grown as much for the clumps of deeply channelled, linear, citron coloured foliage as the satiny, three petalled, royal purple flowers that sit upon it. The perfect companion for modern brightly coloured Heuchera, in regions where they grow well, for maximum foliage fantasy.

      Needs protection from heat and exposure to look its best but is easily grown in any reasonably drained soil or in a pot capable of housing its large fleshy root system.

      Soundly perennial and winter dormant.

  • Tricyrtis
    • formosana   CAG00637

      (Toad lily)
      Height1mWidth1mFlowering SeasonAutumnWaterM - HLightLight Shade
      CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

      Trailing, jointed stems are furnished with glossy, mid green, broadly lance shaped leaves, irregularly spotted with darker green spots which no doubt gave rise to the common name of Toad lily. Furthering the toad-like resemblance the orchid like white flowers, held in airy panicles, are heavily spotted in dark plum.

      Semi-evergreen, dying down after flowering while next seasons growth is already sprouting.

      Spreading by stolons to form dense colonies this Taiwanese forest dweller makes sensational ground cover for moist shade. Plant with the equally vigorous and simultaneously flowering Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ for one of the finest autumnal displays your ever likely to see in a shady garden, as well as providing the ultimate weed suppressing ground cover.

      If your going to waste water on tender woodlanders this is the only Tricyrtis that contends well with our heat, the others whilst all beautiful during spring, invariable only make it through summer looking battle scarred and sad by flowering time.

  • Xanthosoma

    (Yautias)
    Araceae

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