Blue-banded bee busy this morning on the Hibbertia scandens

Dense columnar habit Evergreen, red wheel-shaped flowers to 10cm Summer to AutumnBird attracting Suitable for pots Tubestock from Kumbartcho December 2021 Links: http://plantselector.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/Plants/Details/406 https://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/stenocarpus-sinuatus-firewheel-tree/

Today I noticed the finger lime in the front garden was almost leafless. At first I assumed it was another casualty of the flooding rains of early March 2022. But on closer inpection… I’d say this is the chrysalis of an Orchard Swallowtail butterfly. They’ve been breeding on the K-lime on the other side of [...]

Matthew Flinders: Supposed to grow less than 1 metre high. Red bottlebrush flowers attract small honey eating birds to your garden.  Flowers are at their peak in late winter and spring but with some scattered flower throughout the year.  Prune after flowering – flowers on new growth Where: – 3 planted on verge in 2020 [...]

(was Melastoma affine, also known as Native Lassiandra) 6 March 2021 – after the rain I have found both my Melastomas in flower. But only the one in the front garden appears to be the native Melastoma malabathricum Native Lassiandra is a rounded shrub grows to three metres high with lilac flowers to five cm [...]

Often called blue ginger, but is not really a ginger, and not a native. Given to me by Jeff S. Moved into the new front west garden. Full shade. Discovered by the blue-banded bee on the first day.  

There is some dispute about its status as a native and the weed potential so I will keep this one trimmed back, and remove flowers. Links: https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2003/cenchrus-purpurascens.html

Small shrub from Mt Barney & Mt Lindesay.  Thin wiry branches are slightly hairy. Whorled leaves. Attractive and prolific pink or purpleflowers with 4 to 10 petals in spring to autumn. Part shade. Moist, well mulched. Attractive to bees and butterflies. Rambling/sprawling shrub to 1.5 metres.  Occurs in wet, shaded areas of New South wales, [...]

Shrub to 4m, dense rounded habit, evergreen perennial, white flowers, yellow globular fruit Semi-shade, rainforest understory, edible fruit From Kumbartcho 5/3/2021. Planted in back garden between Eureka lemon and Stenocarpus ‘Doreen’

My street tree – planted by council Links Street Tree has its First Trim Street Trees need Verge Gardens too

Known as Red Kennedy Pea or Dusky Coral Pea Erect Scrambling Plant Evergreen Perennial Vine to 3 Metres High Full Sun / Semi-Shade Soil/Conditions: Adaptable / Well-Drained Dark Green trifolate leaves to 120 mm Dark Red flowers to 40 mm in Winter/Spring Hairy slightly flattened seed pods to 100 mm Flowers are food for Lewin’s [...]

Also known as Turkey Bush. Bushy rainforest shrub to 5 metres (some sites say less). Small white flowers in clusters in spring and summer. Can tolerate full to filtered sun in moist, well drained soil. Tubestock from Kumbartcho December 2020 Planted against the eastern wall at the top of the native bed – didn’t survive [...]

Host plant for Painted Lady Butterfly Evergreen perennial with prostrate spreading habit Green or Silver Grey Leaves to 5 cm x 25 mm Small Yellow flowers in terminal clusters most of the year. I’ve tried this plant several times as a groundcover without success until one plant in a pot against the back wall was [...]

Commonly called Hairy Pea Bush or Kerosene Bush or ‘Eggs and Bacon’, member of the pea-flower family Fabaceae. Tubestock from Kumbartcho 1 December 2020 planted in front bed under acacia fimbriata Not sure if the one at H26 is Pultenaea retusa or Pultenaea villosa

Prickly for the birds – full sun to partial shade. Prune to keep bushy. Tubestock from Kumbartcho. Planted in middle bed 3 December 2020 Died after extreme rain even February/March 2022 Links: https://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/bursaria-spinosa-sweet-bursaria/ “ranging from a prostate shrub to a small tree — in cultivation it is usually grown as a small to medium shrub for garden [...]

Tubestock from Kumbartcho 1 July 2024 Shrub to 6 Metres High ( much taller than Sophora fraseri) Full Sun / Shaded Soil/  Conditions: Adaptable, prefers Moist Description: Erect Spreading Habit Evergreen Perennial Sparsely branched Yellow pea flowers to 25 mm long in sprays to 15 cm long in Spring to Summer Green cylindrical seed pods [...]

Tubestock from Kumbartcho Host plant for Large Dingy Skipper and Yellow-banded Dart Butterfly A shorter dianella- to 50cm tall Dark blue flowers and dark blue / purple berries try in the verge garden bed with the westringia in front of the postie path 1 December 2020 – didn’t survive 10 plants for mass planting along [...]

Tubestock from Kumbartcho 1 December 2020 Erect Open Habit Semi-Deciduous to 4 Metres High Full Sun / Semi-Shade Soil/ Conditions: Adaptable / Well-Drained Family: Sterculiaceae Natural Habitat: Dry Rainforest Flowers on bare branches from late winter. Responds well to pruning. Dark Green lobed hairy leaves to 20 cm long Red or Pink trumpet flowers to [...]

Tubestock from Kumbartcho 1 December 2020 Full sun to lightly shaded. Up to 1m high x 1-1.5m Will try this one on the verge – west bed. Not sure if the one at H26 is Pultenaea retusa or Pultenaea villosa Links: https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/notched-bush-pea-pultenaea-retusa.html

Smaller than Goodenia Ovata Tubestocks from Kumbartcho 1 December 2020 to go in bed along north wall. 3 x Goodenia ovata (top) and 3 x Goodenia rotundifolia   We will see which the bees prefer. Links http://www.northqueenslandplants.com/Australian%20Plant%20Families%20G-M/Goodeniaceae/Goodenia/Goodenia%20rotundifolia.html https://gympielandcare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Goodenia-rotundifolia.pdf https://sown.com.au/goodenia-rotundifolia-goodeniaceae-star-goodenia-round-leaf-goodenia/

Tubestock from Kumbartcho 1 December 2020 Planted near base of front pond near the dianella

Wombat berry tubestock fro Kumbartcho 1 December 2020 Planted at base of repurposed pool fence on western wall. Sun or partial shade. Tuberous-rooted, twinning, multi-stemmed scrambling vine climbs up to 6m on a suitable trellis, or forms a clump 3m across without support. Berries attract fruit-eating birds, the tuberous roots attract wombats and other native [...]

The native senna shrub growing to 3 m in height, not the invasive one. Tubestock from Kumbartcho. It’s had its first flowers and now developing seed pods Links: Species profile— Senna acclinis – Queensland Government https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=10753

Tubestock from Kumbartcho 6-10-2020 Full Sun / Semi-Shade Soil/Conditions: Adaptable Description: Spreading Open Habit Evergreen Perennial Blue-Green velvety leaves to 4 cm on Purple stems Pink to Light Purple flowers to 6 mm on spikes to 15 cm in Spring Bright Green spotted seed pods to 45 mm Family: Fabaceae Natural Habitat: Open Eucalypt Forest [...]

Hard plant to photograph.  Planted several years ago – very hardy, should remember to prune it more often. Good plant for the small birds. Fairy wrens use it to perch and look for food in the mulch below. Links: https://sown.com.au/dodonaea-triquetra-sapindaceae-forest-hop-bush/

Taller baeckea from the BCC free native plant scheme planted along the front internal strip.

The native pigface Carpobrutus glaucescens growing on the verge is popular with the native bees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=398XCJ47Jkk Very hardy, grows from cuttings.

I have a larger finger lime – CSIRO grafted version – bought a couple of years ago. It’s been moved a couple of times after not being happy in its spot. Finger Limes – tubestock December 2019 I’ve bought two tubestock from Kumbartcho Nursery December 2019 – much cheaper to experiment with. These will take [...]

Tubestock bought Kumbartcho 27 Nov 2020 https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Blechnum~camfieldii http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online-resources/flora/stddisplay.xsql?pnid=57039

Queensland’s version of the Gymea lily. Tough upright, clumping growth habit with large sword shaped leaves. Grows to 3m high and 3m wide. Suitable for pots. Tubestock from Kumbartcho 27 November 2020 Links: https://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/doryanthes-palmeri-spear-lily/

Acacia ‘Little Nugget’ is a dwarf form of Acacia pravissima and is a hardy, small shrub growing to 1.2 metres tall and about the same width, with clusters of ball-shaped yellow flowers during August to September. Or so they say… It must be 4 to 5 metres tall. Provides shade for the bees, popular with [...]

Velvety silvery green leaves to 110mm. Pinch out to encourage bushiness. White / pale blue flowers from summer through to autumn. Small soft nut fruit? Prefers well-drained soils in shade but will grow in sun. Needs hard pruning every couple of years. Tubestock Kumbartcho 27 November 2020.  Thriving under the Acacia fimbriata facing SE corner. [...]

Citrus Australis tubestock from Kumbartcho 27 November 2020 The Dooja, round lime, Gympie lime, Australian lime or Australian round lime, native to Queensland.  Full sun to part shade. Prune to shape and size required. Like all citruses: attracts Orchard swallowtail, fuscous swallowtail, dainty swallowtail butterflies Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_australis https://witjutigrub.com.au/index.php/info-sheets/10-round-lime-gympie-lime-or-dooja-citrus-australis https://www.daleysfruit.com.au/bushfood/roundlime.htm https://sown.com.au/citrus-australis-rutaceae-native-lime-round-lime/

Themeda triandra on left, Poa labillardieri  on right Tubestock from Kumbartcho 27 Nov 2020 planted in one of the grass habitat pots for the Double-Barred Finches Links: https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/trainees-2016/poa-labillardierei.html

Known as Kangaroo Grass.  According to Kumbartcho, local habit is Tussock Forming Erect Habit Evergreen Perennial to 60 cm High Full Sun, Adaptable / Well-Drained Green slender leaves to 50 cm Flowers in spikes to 1.5 Metres high in Spring to Summer Brown pointed seed capsules to 7 cm, often pendulous Family: Poaceae Natural Habitat: Eucalypt Forest [...]

Slender flat sedge native to Australia. The species epithet gracilis refers to the graceful form of the leaves. “SEDGE TO 0.3 METRES TALL Densely tufted grass-like plant with slender pale green foliage. Small yellow-green flowers are held on stalks above the foliage in spring & summer. Quite adaptable & hardy once established, often self-sowing around the [...]

This is a very exposed spot, with winds from the south and winds from the west. The Acacia fimbriata split at a fork in the truck on a particularly gusty day so we lost half the tree. I cut off the side branch and the rest of the tree survived and now thrives. Other plants in the [...]

A kookaburra has been visiting the garden most days. It likes to perch on the small roof near the pond and I was worried that it had its eye on the frog. But today, it swooped down and dug out a large worm from the garden bed. You can hear the small brown honeyeaters and the [...]

Attractive, compact, dense shrub with white flowers that attract small birds and native bees. This one is in almost full shade against the back fence under the Leptospermum – Wild May There are two in the front garden, one on the western side near the verge, and one on the eastern end of the verge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEnvG5m9vc4 [...]

A prickly grevillea with small pink flowers all year round, much loved by birds of all sizes. The Canberra Gem planted at the front in 2013 has grown to about 3m, although I have seen them kept down to 1 metre in other gardens. In 2017, the double-barred finches made a small, round nest about [...]

Hybrid of the Grevillea ‘Honey Gem’, it’s easy to see how this small tree is got its name. As it grows taller, prunning the lower branches provides an attractive view of its twisting trunk. I have/had two, one in the main front garden which gained favourable comments from visitors. A second is near the bins [...]

Above ground growth needs to be controlled and what that implies for the roots means it’s not really a small garden plant, so it’s in a pot. It’s been shifted around the garden looking for a home, finishing up in the front garden where it can climb the fence. New leaves on the Callerya megasperma. [...]

Yellow flowers on a fleshy, woolly stem. Shallow water or moist soil. Bird and frog attracting plant Tubestock from Kumbartcho October 2020 for new pond This is still doing well in the other pond, now divided into 3 plants.

I’ve moved this pond from the back garden where trees had grown and were overhanging. I put it in the middle of the front garden bed, based on an assignment for Backyard Biodiversity course with UTAS. Pond plants from Kumbartcho Nursery October 2020 Front pond 2 December 2020 about 8am so getting some morning shade. [...]

Shrub to 4 Metres High Dense Rounded Habit Evergreen Perennial Aspect: Full Sun / Shaded Soil/Conditions: Adaptable/Moist Green glossy leaves to 14 cm long White perfumed 4-petalled 8 mm flowers in clusters in Spring Black 8 mm globular berry fruit Family: Rubiaceae Natural Habitat: Dry Rain Forest Special Features: • Butterfly and Moth Attracting • [...]

Erect Clumping Habit Perennial Herb Green triangular stems to 8 mm thick Pale Brown flowers and fruit in clustered spikelets to 20 mm Full Sun Soil/Conditions: Moist / Water to 50 cm Family: Cyperaceae Natural Habitat: Wetlands • Frog Habitat • Dam Edge Stablising Plant From Kumbartcho 6/10/2020 for new pond in front garden

There seem to be more Noisy Friarbirds than ever this spring. Here are two noisy friarbirds shooting the breeze today in the Graptophyllum ilicifolium (Holly Fuschia) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q4Wi2BZKpk Noisy Friarbirds are large honeyeaters. They don’t seem to bother the smaller birds in the garden.

Hibiscus splendens is a large, sprawling, dry-rainforest shrub that grows 3-6 metres high. The leaves are hairy and slightly prickly. Stems can be prickly. Flowers are large, pink and typical hibiscus shape. Individual flowers open and close with the sun but only last 1-2 days but new flowers continue to open over a long period, [...]

Also known as River Lily, this plant is very hard and adaptable – shade to full sun, pots or in the ground, dry to soggy soils.  Strong green strappy leaves with a large, delicate flower, popular with the native bees. The original plant was bought as tubestock from Kumbartcho, and has been moved several times. [...]