Also known as purple pea bush “A small to medium evergreen Australian shrub that gets small 1cm purple flowers in Aug to Sept. Leaves are green on top with a golden brown underside.” Bought tubestock Kumbartcho March 2019 and struggling in the dry bed against the east wall (water it more), another tubestock bought December [...]

commonly known as the Waxvine or Common waxflower Bought as tubestock from Kumbartcho Nursery 10/12/2016 Planted in pot with native violets at base. Wikipedia – Hoya Australis says it is an evergreen climbing vine which may reach 4–10 m (13–33 ft). It has simple opposite glabrous (shiny) leaves 3–6 cm long and 2–5 cm wide. [...]

Tree to 20 Metres High with cream fragrant flowers darkening to yellow in autumn through to summer. This one is staying in a pot Bird Attracting Butterfly Attracting Bee Attracting Prune young and regularly for best effect  

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 [...]

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 [...]

Bought as tubestock from Kumbartcho Nursery 10/12/2016 Planted toward eastern end of back fence. Sprawling shrub, needs tying to fence. Round, dense shrub to 4m tall.  Sun/semi-shade. White flowers in spring. Attracts birds and bees. Leaves aromatic when crushed. ANPSA “Usually found in sandy or sandstone-derived soils but sometimes found in basalt soil or rocks, [...]

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

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

Common Name – Swamp Mazus. A native ground cover for wet to waterlogged soils. Rosettes of tiny oak-like leaves. Unusual asymmetrical lilac/blue flowers in Spring-Summer. Grows in full sun or part shade. Low perennial herb forming rosettes connected by rhizomes. Flowering: September–April Bought Native Plant Sale: September 2016 Doesn’t like to dry out. Divides easily. [...]

Melaleuca nodosa , commonly known as the prickly-leaved paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with narrow, sometimes needle-like leaves and profuse heads of yellow flowers as early as April or as late as January (wikipedia) Grows to 7 metres [...]

(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 [...]

Suggested by a volunteer at Kumbartcho Nursery as a more local Myoporum than the finer leaved ones you buy in the shops, and a very hardy low-growing shrub for the front verge. Small white flowers in Autumn followed by berries. Full sun or semi-shade Grows to approx. 50cm with spread of 1 to 2 metres [...]

Bought as tubestock at Kumbartcho Nursery 10/12/2016 Planted at the base of a birdbath by the back tap. The little birds – fairy wrens, brown honeyeaters and willy wagtails, perch on the bottle tree, take a dip, then back up to dry. The purple-flowered Orthosiphon aristatus doesn’t seem as hardy as the white with purple tips. [...]

Bought: Nambour Garden Show July 2016Planted: Against back fence to climb on wires (southfacing, gets sun in summer)Prefers full sun or part-shadePruning after flowering can restrain growth and plants respond well to hard pruning. Pandorea Jasminoides – Bower of Beautyclimbing on back fence February 2019(It’s in a large pot along the back fence.  A second [...]

New plant bought Kumbartcho 5/3/2021 Bought: Nambour Garden Show July 2016 and put in pot. Planted: Against back fence to climb on wires (southfacing, gets sun in summer) Survived for 2 years Links https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pararistolochia_praevenosa http://www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=291 http://richmondbirdwing.org.au/

Herb to 30 cm High Shaded / Semi-Shade Rocks, Moist but not too wet, with ferns Prostrate Clumping Evergreen Perennial Grey-Green soft leaves to 3 cm, Small White flowers on spikes to 13 cm Also suits pots and indoor.

Frogsmouth shown here in a pot with some Mazus Pumilio partly submerged in the front pond. It started as a tiny tubestock from the Nambour show and was growing well with many flower spikes about  metre long. You can see how it gets its name from the yellow flowers – one just visible in the [...]

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.

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. [...]

Herb to 10-70cm tall. Shade. A tufted perennial herb with fleshy tuberous base and mid-green soft felt-like leaves, bears non-aromatic pale blue to violet blue flowers most of the year. Tubestock from Kumbartcho Nursery Planted under Acacia fimbriata 20/12/2016 has spread in front garden

Attractive, scrambling shrub to 1m. Flowers white or pale mauve from spring to autumn. Sticky fruits adhere to clothing, skins and pets and may be a minor nuisance near walkways or other high traffic locations. (ref) Grows as an understory plant in monsoon forest and vine thickets (ref) Food plant for Zebra Blue butterfly. Bought: [...]

Eucalyptus curtisii, or Plunkett mallee, is a small tree that is native to Queensland in Australia. It is a mallee eucalyptus that grows from 2 to 7 metres in height and has smooth, grey bark that peels in long strips. The adult leaves are 6 to 13 cm long and 10 to 25 mm wide. [...]

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

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 [...]

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

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

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’

SHRUB TO 1 METRE TALL BY 40 CM ACROSS Low, open habit, fine foliage and white flowers and green berries throughout the year. An excellent understorey plant in shady positions. (Paten Park Nursery) Tubestock from Kumbartcho December 2019 Planted half way along the back fence in a very shady spot.

Scaevola is suddenly fashionable. It’s a pretty plant with flowers that look like half a daisy – hence fan flowers. In the new bed between the tank and the house, I have Aussie Winners – aemula which has larger, softer leaves and larger flowers, and some slightly smaller cheaper versions from Ridgy-Didge. They have morning [...]

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

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 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 [...]

Endemic to Queensland and New South Wales. Common names are Native Broom, Square-stemmed Broom or Bead Bush Evergreen perennial shrub to 1.5 Metres High, Full Sun / Semi-shade Almost leafless with tiny white 5-petalled flowers, orange / red globular fruit most of the year Dry Rainforest said to attract birds but I will be watching to [...]

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/

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 [...]

I call the native violet my weed of choice. This is not meant in a derogatory sense. Bare soil will always be colonised by something so why not encourage this friendly little plant to out-compete less attractive weeds and be the default groundcover. Native Violets grow in all sorts of places from full shade to [...]

Westringia is a very hardy, versatile little shrub. You can let it grow wild or trim into neat balls. It’s an ideal plant for the nature strip. Westringia fruticosa has white flowers right through the year Westringia eremicola has slightly finer, greener leaves and purple/lilac flowers. Westringia just needs an occasional trim to keep a ball [...]

There are two ways to get shade – to build it or to grow it – and I need shade on the western side of the house. When we moved here there was a mock orange hedge – horrible thing.  It was two metres high but didn’t block the sun, it billowed out and filled [...]

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. [...]

This stuff grows anywhere, tolerates poor and dry soil, strikes from small pieces. Small yellow flowers.  The blue tongue lizards like it. I was a bit concerned about weed potential but it seems to spread, not jump and is easy to pull out.  To kill completely, just sheet-cover or out-compete. Alyssum can beat it. August [...]

Shrub or Tree to 5 Metres (taller than Hakea sericea) Full Sun / Semi-Shade Rounded Open Habit Evergreen Perennial Dark Green needle-shaped leaves to 8 cm White small flowers on branches in Winter Brown woody capsule to 35 mm Very Prickly so Small Bird Shelter Plant Bought Kumbartcho December 2019  

I planted two Kangaroo Paws in a hurry on the native strip in March 2011 before I went away for 3 weeks.  They grew steadily through the winter but were doing nothing much when we went away in early September.  Six weeks later (mid-October), we returned to this… and this… It’s a west-facing wall – [...]

Bush Mint sometimes referred to as “Native Pennyroyal” Mat-forming herb, rhizomatous and often producing ascending to prostrate branches at nodes; branches glabrous or covered with short spreading hairs. Grows in sandy-clay to clay-rich soils, frequently in grassy areas Sun or shade, attracts bees & insects. Tiny, white flowers will attract bees in summer. The plant [...]

I got some Okinawa spinach cuttings from Diane at BLF. They strike very easily, stand up to summer heat, and are another option for greens. And it seems it is also attracts the Blue Tiger butterfly.

The Brisbane Local Food group had a great outing and lunch at Neilsen’s Native Nursery today. I managed to resist everything except this.  I’ve been looking for Old Man Salt Bush for months. Planted in front west garden. Propagating more from cuttings for the verge. Links: Gardening with Angus

Common names: Sago Bush, Rice Flower, White Dogwood, Pill Flower Shrub to 2.5 Metres High by 2 Metres Spread Full Sun / Semi-Shade, Adaptable Description: Dense Upright Habit Evergreen Perennial Dark Green aromatic leaves to 15 mm long White flowers in 3 mm clusters of 20 to 100 in Spring to Summer Attracts Australian Painted [...]

Pentas have hairy green leaves and clusters of flowers in shades of red, white, pink, and purple. I planted some in the front bed from a punnet of seedlings and forgot about them until a year on I found this one thriving despite considerable neglect.  And today I saw them again at the Bribie Island [...]

One of the most useful leaves in the garden – hardier than lettuce

Pigface is a bright, cheerful plant I remember from early childhood and when I saw a punnet of seedlings in the nursery, I knew I had to include it. It’s a succulent with the grey leaves and starkly contrasting soft bright flowers. They are so soft that you need to touch them to appreciate it [...]