ARS Tasmania Newsletter – November 2018

• Date: 31st October 2018
• author: Lesley Gillanders

IN MY GARDEN

Several sunny days have seen the garden burst into bloom. There is colour everywhere I look. The two specimens of Prunus 'Mt Fuji' outside the back door have been spectacular. The patio beneath them now is covered with white petals as the leaves replace the flowers. Prunus pendula ascendens planted near the gate has light pink flowers. Weigela middendorffana has a mass of creamy yellow blooms. At this time our plant is 1m high but will reach 1.5m over time.

Clematis paniculata from New Zealand is covered in masses of white flowers on the front wall of the house. C.'Sweet Hart' also has white flowers. Our plant is only small now but eventually should cascade over the edge of a retaining wall. Paeonia delavayi has dark red flowers which light up when the sun shines through them. The foliage has a light bronze tint to it. P.peregrina has large single red flowers over brilliant green foliage. Magnolia 'Gold Star' is aptly named as the flowers open a lovely light gold fading to creamy white. Our plant in the garden has not grown as well as the spare one planted the other side of the creek in the old vegetable garden.

Gentiana angustifolia has large deep blue trumpets shaped flowers like G.acaulis, but holds its flowers on 8cm stems. Uvularia grandiflora has an unusual name. It is not generally well known but is an attractive herbaceous perennial with pendulous yellow flowers. Prostrate forms of Phlox have been flowering along the edges of the garden in full sun. They make a colourful carpet of rosy red, lavender blue, white, white with a red eye, to mention a few. The rosy red one is Phlox subulata 'Rosea' and the brilliant flowers shine in the sun. There is Phlox bifida in the rock garden. It makes a neat little blue bun and is so well behaved there is another one in a specials bed containing Tecophylla, Fritillaria, Wahlenbergia, Lewisia and Dianthus. The family of Phlox covers a wide range of heights according to the species from these prostrate species to large 1m high plants.

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