Peter Nixon, Author at Designer Growers Network

Paradox Pleasures …for your design

Puya chilensis alluring metallic turquoise flowers — Puya alpestris alluring metallic turquoise flowers

Allure in the garden, can be hard to find but never fails to intrigue. Bromeliad grower Ray Henderson from Paradox knows this and that’s why plants like Puya alpestris raise their early summer metallic turquoise torches. Nought degree winter overnight temps, spring hail and now the prospect of another fierce summer with some days exceeding 40 C are unusual for Ray’s Glenning Valley growing location. But as he says, ‘If its one day or twenty, they still have to be up for it.”

And so they are, like Billbergia vittata ‘Domingos Martins’ …

Billbergia vittata 'Domingos Martins' a good tough for seniors to full sun — Billbergia vittata ‘Domingos Martins’ a good tough for seniors to full sun

Contrary to popular belief, this bill is not a shade dweller like many of its cousins and will revert stubbornly to flowerless green in the gloom. In semi-shade to full sun, even facing harsh west, this densely crowded pup former makes a bright chocolate purple patch of excellent weed suppression. Jockey silk coloured flowers are a high spring bonus.

Hybrid Neoregelia ‘Persian Tiger’, just one of many neo hybrids Ray has does show sun burn ‘patching’ but soon grows out of this and without this bit of scorch, won’t form its beautiful blush colours. Use in your designs wherever perennial interest is required to bring energy charged foliage colour against mid greens and or interesting textural contrasts using with ultra fines like grasses like Miscanthus transmorrisonensis.

Not all non-general line planting at Paradox are bromeliads. Many succulent plants combine most sympathetically with them though, like this rather nice compact form Cotyledon with chocolate margin. I’m never sure why combinations like this succeed but in countries like Brazil they often appear together in habitat and especially with rock.

Senicio amaniensis showing pendant thistle-like brushes — Senecio amaniensis showing pendant thistle-like brushes

Flowers from this senecio amaniensis, are one of the best butterfly attracting plants here in my home/work garden at ‘Sea-Changer’. Coming in over the November/December garden, its dainty orange brushes are also strangely alluring, not unlike the Puya alpestris … I bet this combination would be a super interesting in your clients design too.

Ray Henderson Horticulture 0490 263 416 and

rayhenderson007@yahoo.com.au

Glenning Valley on the NSW Central Coast

Peter Nixon 0418 161513 and info@peternixon.com.au for Paradisus and Convenor Designer Growers Network Blog,

…bridging the gap from Designers to Growers !

Empire Wholesale …much more than the usual cac & succ’s

Senicio talinoides ssp. cylindrica - Ice Sticks — Senicio talinoides ssp. cylindrica – Ice Sticks

Few other plant groups bring dynamic charge to a garden space more, than the super textural and foliage colour contrasts of plants with water storing succulence.

Succulence, because of their water holding adaptions to places of semi arid climates and generally low humidity. There’s just a few basic but important growing conditions that must be met, IF the predominant climate in Sydney’s cool sub-tropics is to support them. That patch of converging sight lines for knock out year round interest can met using these very cool combinations.

Euphorbia caput-medusae - Medusa's Head — Euphorbia caput-medusae – Medusa’s Head (well excuse the weeds… no-one’s perfect)

These are very site specific plants and their weakest link is the perfect storm of winter shade combined with rain at that time of year or excessive irrigation that will prematurely rot them. So these beauties will only come between the cross hairs of your selection criteria, if the spot you’re considering receives full sun all day during the short June- August period. Add to this a fast draining sandy top soil, of only average fertility and a Texture Plot of hardy succ’s is tantalisingly close for your client’s delight …

Aonium ' — Aeonium ‘Ruby Lace’ dwarf compact habit

Aeonium - dwarf ground covering form — Aeonium – dwarf ground covering form

There is also an enduring approach to keeping your patch full … as related to habitat in places like the Canary Islands, the Sth African Eastern Cape and arid and semi arid Mexico from which these plants come. Many like aeonium, crassula, sedum and senicio have ultra brittle leaves and or branchlets that can strike root systems where they fall from the mother plant.

Graptopetalum mendozae for tight, bunchy drifts between feature rocks

So you bumped your fave Grapto dragging the hose across the garden and a big bunch has just busted off ….just scratch the surface of a nearby vacant growing space and settle your snapped off ‘baby plant’ into the soil surface. An expanded repeat of that plant for a ‘louder’ textural impact will soon establish, to contrast with others adjacent. To be avoided, is a ‘donut’ regime will begin to develop, as your original plant expands ever further from it’s original planting location, making a ring surrounding a vacant centre.

Troy Southwood at Imperial Wholesale with many new spring babies

The visionary talent behind Empire Wholesale’s vast expansion of offering is Master Propagator, Troy Southwood (formerly of Garden Gate Nursery with Wendy & Graham Twaddell) and the location is rear, 7 Moores Rd, Glenorie. Troy has planned some very tasty offerings for the new season including new alocasia, Dischidia ruscifolia and Pilea peperomioides

Instagram Imperial Wholesale

Troy Southwood troy@empirewholesale.com.au

0403 970 398‬

Epiphytes…. the new frontier

Epiphytes 'mother trees' — Epiphytic ‘mother tree’

Interior-scapes are making a resurgence …. so for sustainable interest and designer ‘pop’, what could you be looking for far beyond the humble pot plant .. ?

Modern day plant hunter, horticulturist and nursery & plantsman Bruce Dunstan's epiphytic encrusted from gate in Nundah, Brisbane — Modern day plant hunter, horticulturist, nursery & plantsman Bruce Dunstan’s epiphytic encrusted from gate in Nundah, Brisbane

The exciting truth Peeps is found among many planting outcomes now required for a realistic match to growing conditions, of inside/outside interfaces in commercial and residential settings. Head and shoulders above most options is the diverse epiphytic genus Rhipsalis or Mistletoe Cactus mostly from Brazil.

Rhipsalis ewaldiana a texture like thick seaweed — Rhipsalis ewaldiana a texture like course seaweed

Textural wreaths, greenwalls, eco pillows, horizontal green-bands, vertical green-blades, green-roofs & pseudo-greenwalls have all exceeded the basic hanging basket, as a catch-all destination for these fascinating plants.

Rhipsalis platycarpa brings foliage colour

Weberocereus imitans one of the ric-rac Jungle Cactus

Disocactus amazonicus looks like lime green kelp

Disocactus chiapis nelsonii with quill like stems forming a 'birds nest' — Disocactus chiapis nelsonii with quill like stems forms
a kind of ‘birds nest’ habit

Rhipsalis capilliformis like foliar ultra-fine gauze — Rhipsalis capilliformis a gauze of foliar ultra-fine

Codananthe 'Lime Delight' a pendulous gesneriad — Codananthe ‘Lime Delight’ a pendulous gesneriad

Leading among an enthusiastic band of visionary growers, is Justine Smith at Peats Ridge on NSW Central Coast. While there will be an impressive stall space at Plant Lovers Fair Kariong come 22nd & 23rd September, contract growing is preferred.

'Sea-Changer' Mirror Deck with epiphyte loaded greenwalls — ‘Sea-Changer’ Mirror Deck with epiphyte loaded greenwalls

Among many garden making outcomes for these plants are more sheltered growing spaces like courtyards. Fast draining medium levels can be raised as ‘planting humps’ to separate wet sensitive root fibre from the cold winter ground. Lush sense of arrival is assured for the front door and epiphytes combine very convincingly with small palms, aroids, ferns and bromeliads.

Justine Smith 0408 741 336 Kawana Nursery kawanagardensnursery@icloud.com

Cac & Succ relly’s can set your design apart ..

Kalanchoe beharensis - shrub form — Kalanchoe beharensis – shrub form

Long gone are the days when anything succulent was relegated to ‘that corner’ at most nurseries and disregarded collectively as weirdo cactus. Go to any decent Plant Fair and you are spoilt for choice with plants possessing some of the most ornamental characteristics imaginable. And why choose them ? Because they set your design apart like few others can AND offer huge advantages in low water use.

Kalanchoe beharensis – Madagascan Felt Plant is very often encountered in its larger leafed form as a kind of living sculpture. Did you know there are smaller oak leafed forms that make rather impressive texture hedges or can be used to anchor otherwise ‘fly away’, leafy combinations that run a risk of looking all the same when seasonal flowers have gone over.

Kalanchoe somaliensis a perky choice for texture rug ground covers

Kalanchoe somaliensis excels for unirrigated garden spaces, beneath an open sky aspect with much valued ground-covering & weed suppression qualities. Also has high ornamental appeal as a ‘textural rug’ that brightens with winter night air. Contrasts with just about anything but especially appealing with an ultra-fine like Lomandra fluviatilis ‘Shara’.

Cyanotis foecunda gives excellent weed suppression

Cyanotis foecunda an equally drought resisting, stoloniferous sheet cover and unsurpassed as a turf replacement, where weed suppression is important and low maintenance a part of the design brief. Providing its a ‘no go’ look to surface only, that’s NOT expected to withstand even light foot traffic due to its snappy stems that would crush under foot. I’ve used this one many times with the benefit of its self striking stolons that also grip surface soil to help prevent erosion across slight falls.

Orders are best contract grown to be ready for designs you may have planned for Autumn ’19 from Peter & Ruth Donnelly at Coachwood Nursery Sommersby on the NSW Central Coast ‭0432 590 754 www.coachwoodnursery.com