Portea petropolitana

More birds and Banksias..........

New Holland Honeyeater                  Rainbow Lorikeet

Breakwater, Victoria.

I visited my friend Shane in Victoria a few months ago. (Just found the photos!)
He lives on the edge of a floodplain which is kind of like living on the edge of the moors (in my imagination) Theres a lot of a plant called Lignum. Also I photographed a couple of interesting succulents growing there. The first one, I think is a type of Sarcocornia. Common name Samphire.
The area is rampant with rabbits, so there must be something unappetising about all surviving plants
While I was looking to identify both species. I found a great website:
australiansucculents.com
Its compiled by Attila Kapitany who has published a great book about Austalian Succulents, which Im intending to buy when I have some spare cash.
EDIT: Thanks Ian Percy. The yellow flowered plant is Cotula coronopifolia.
I had a look in Field Guide to Native Plants of Sydney by Les Robinson and got the following info:
" Common in slightly saline conditions on the margins of saltmarshes. The seeds emit a sticky mucus when immersed. This aids dispersal by sticking to birds. Native of South Africa"!

Sarcocornia sp.

Rain

It has been cloudy and rainy in Sydney over the Xmas/New Year period. There has also been substantial rain in inland NSW, with more predicted. I hope 2010 brings some beneficial weather to our drought ravaged areas. We love rain!

S and D Garden - Part 1

S and D garden - part 2

My friends, S & D, live across the road from me. They've got a great garden made up of lots of bits and pieces. Theres a lot of old cement pots, things they find lying around. Plants get moved a lot. Some plants struggle to survive and others flourish eg a huge Eucalyptus tree in the back yard and some gigantic green bamboo. S made a sandstone path in the back yard thats a bit treacherous but looks like its always been there. Its a really nice place to be.

Christmas

Im having the family to my place for Christmas, so have been cleaning up. I painted the walls of my deck grey and re arranged a few plants to make a cycleway for my niece when she gets her new bike. Sydney is so beautiful at the moment. Its supposed to rain tomorrow for Christmas day, which is a shame because we probably wont go for a swim, but on the other hand, we love rain because we usually dont get enough

Rainbow Lorikeet in Banksia tree outside my bedroom window

Ian McMaughs Garden

Alcantarea rubra

Tillandsias, Orthophytums.

My good friend Ian McMaugh is a Landscape Gardener. His business is called "Budwise". He recently turned his backyard fence into a green wall. He has used Orthophytums, Rhipsalis, Epiphyllum amongst Spanish Moss and other Bromeliads and succulents

Silver Grey plants - Cranbourne

Chrysocephalum apiculatum

Maireana sedifolia

"Pearl Bluebush"

Ptilotus obovatus

"Silver Tails"

Grass Trees - Xanthorrhoea - at Cranbourne

Cranbourne Botanical Gardens, outside Melbourne, Victoria, has a wonderful collection of Xanthorrhoea. One specimen, Xanthorrhoea johnsonii is 400 years old. Flower growth is triggered by fire, and the flowers can grow 2-3 cm per day

Kangaroo Paws - Anigozanthos - at Cranbourne Royal Botanical Gardens

Philodendron selloum

My friend Katy is opeing a restaurant in Northcote, Melbourne soon with some friends. We went out this morning looking for a plant to fill an empty place at the back of a narrow space. We found a Philodendron selloum at Palm Place Nursery, http://www.palmnursery.com.au/

It will be repotted and reoriented to fit in the space. We just plonked it on a stand to see how it would look. I used to be a bit scathing about 70's style indoor plants but I have to say I love the large, wild leaves of this plant. It has great impact from a distance and is hardy enough to survive the odd bit of neglect. Although I'm sure it will get lots of care and attention. Good luck with the restaurant Katy!

Confessions of an overzealous Plant Collector......................

Ive been doing a job in Melbourne for a little while. Im staying in a hotel in the city which has a pretty uninspiring view into an office block. This hasn't stopped me from buying more plants at every opportunity, and they are lined up along the window to catch the sun. It also means I will have to drive home rather than flying! The Marrubium suppinum that I bought from Lambley Nursery has been flowering. I cant wait to get these plants home and into some big pots. This post was so grey I had to include a photo of Marrubium in its natural habitat - the mountainous region of central and Southern Spain. Apparently the name is derived from the Hebrew word marob, commemorating the bitterness of the juice when this plant was eaten to commemeorate passover.