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. [...]

First flower winter 2020.  It’s taking so long to open. Once the flower opens it is popular with the native bees and the honeyeaters. This is in the front garden on the mound so well-drained and quite dry. Tussock plant with sword-like leaves to 1 Metre high Aspect: Full Sun / Semi-Shade Soil/Conditions: Moist / [...]

Bought from Australian Plants Online July 2020 Planted in front bed

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

Today I walked a longer route to my local shop to buy milk. Everything is looking fresh and green now the rain has finally come. I thought I’d check to see how the raingarden at the bottom of the hill was doing. The rain garden was installed by the council several years ago and has [...]

This walk would normally take about 20 minutes. It was very hot so I walked slower and paused under trees to check my map, taking almost 40 minutes. That is where the phone is invaluable when walking. Like many Brisbane suburbs, Everton Park is not built on a grid system. Take a wrong turn while [...]

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.

The bus at the corner of my street comes every 30 minutes. Every hour in the evenings and weekends. There’s a big difference between the every 15 minutes BUZ services where you just turn up at the bus stop knowing that a bus will be along in an average of 7 minutes, and standing at [...]

Our bus stop had a revamp last year. The old seat with its back to the road was removed, a new slab laid, and we waited to see what would take its place. Perhaps it would get a bus shelter like the one on the other side of the road, especially as this one is [...]

Atractive nitrogen-fixing vine with common name of Wild or Native Lucerne Attracts Chequered Swallowtail, Common grass-blue and the Tailed pea-blue butterflies Small purple flowers attract native bees. I got the tubestock from Kumbartcho Nursery and put it in this hanging pot and forgot about it. Transplanted December 2019 in front of pond near the bee [...]

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 [...]

Taller than Dianella brevipendunctulata, grows up to a metre high and wide. Also known as blue flax-lily, blueberry lily, or paroo lily 3 x Tubestocks Kumbartcho Nursery December 2019 I have put them against the fence beside the bins – a previously unloved piece of ground, but also on the blue tongue’s pathway from their breeding [...]

Common names winter apple or amulla, endemic to east coast extending from north Queensland to near the border between New South Wales and Victoria in Australia. (wikipedia) It is a prostrate shrub with lance-shaped leaves and white, rarely deep mauve flowers. Spreading weak stems up to 1 metre long. Flowering mainly in spring and summer, [...]

Common names: Cheesetree; Pin Flower Tree; Sumatran Buttonwood; Umbrella Cheesetree; Buttonwood White flowers, cheese shaped greenish pink seed capsules & red bird attracting seeds Tree to 15 m high (keep it in a pot) Tubestock from Kumbartcho December 2019. Planted in brown square pot with Brachyscome multifida and Viola banksii below.

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 [...]

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  

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

Perennial, erect stems with dark green leaves and purple/ blue flowers in Spring/Summer. Shade tolerant, moist. Use as hanging basket, pot plant, or in a rockery. Will grow bushier when cut right back after flowering. Herb/Shrub grows to about 1 m tall. Also called Native Snapdragon Said to attract the Blue-banded Bee 3 Tubestock from [...]

Glycosmis trifoliata – known as Òrange Berry or Pink Lime Bush Rounded open habit, evergreen, perennial shrub to 4 Metres Full Sun / Semi-Shade Moist /Well-Drained Green glossy leaves to 15 cm long White flowers to 5 mm in clusters in Spring to Summer Pink soft berry fruit to 12 mm diameter Family: Rutaceae Natural Habitat: Dry [...]

Also known as Tie Bush, Bootlace Bark and Bushman’s Bootlace Evergreen perennial shrub with dense rounded habit  to 1.5 Shade / Semi-Shade Soil/Conditions: Adaptable / Moist Dark Green leaves to 6 cm, Dull underneath Green tubular flowers to 7 mm in Spring to Autumn Orange to Red berry fruit to 7 mm – TOXIC Family: [...]

Also known as Queensland Holly or Veiny Graptophyllum Understory plant in Wet Sclerophyll Forest (Full Shade / Filtered Sun but will tolerate full sun) A compact rounded shrub with attractive dark green leaves, and white flowers in Spring. The fruit is club-shaped and about 1cm. long. Attracts Carpenter Bee, Blue-banded Bee and stingless bees. Tubestock [...]

Alphitonia excelsa, commonly known as the red ash or soap tree Fast growing, semi-deciduous tree – when planted in a well-drained position it makes a splendid shade tree which can grow to a height of about 21 m in warm moist conditions – keep in pot Food plant for the caterpillars of the moonlight jewel (Hypochrysops delicia ) [...]

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  

Clumping Habit Evergreen Perennial also called Native Ginger, (Blueberry Ginger Grows to 3 Metres High Sun / Semi-Shade Rainforest plant – adaptable / moist soil Green glossy elliptical leaves to 40 cm x 10 cm White tubular flowers to 10 mm on spikes to 30 cm in Spring Blue berry fruit to 10 mm Edible [...]

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 [...]

Tubestock from Kumbartcho Nursery December 2019 Label says: Scrambling / Climbing Woody Vine or Ground Cover to 5 Metres, Evergreen Perennial, Bright Green leaves to 12 cm, Yellowish flowers to 5mm, Purplish-Black grape-like edible fruit Semi-Shade / Shade Soil/Conditions: Moist / Well-Drained Joseph’s Coat Moth Host Plant Bird Attracting Hanging Basket plant Indoor Plant Aboriginal [...]

Early this year, I finally got rid of the last bit of the dreaded couch lawn – from both inside the yard and out on the verge. No need for all the mowing paraphenalia. No need for the shed. Then I went to the Nambour Garden Show and saw a stand with Zoysia Nara Native [...]

Planted August 2019 in front west garden towards the bottom of the slope. It is shaded by trees above, and most morning sun will be blocked by the westringia. The plan is that it will grow to be an understory plant and get more sun as it is bigger and more able to cope as [...]

Eremophila oppositifolia is a subtle shrub, not showy like the grevilleas or the wattles, but it is one the draws the most admiration from visitors. This one lives at the top of a slope, with little care and attention. It flowers in late autumn and early spring. The little brown honey eaters hang from the [...]

It’s two years since the main verge was planted out. The street tree is thriving. The westringia against the road are well establised. Myoporum (in the foreground right) seems to be indestructible and has tiny white flowers. Cuttings strike well.   Pink and white cosmos have come up from seed and brightens the mid-winter garden. The [...]

It’s important to have a variety of flowers all year round for the pollinators. Yesterday I brought home my first beehive so was a bit worried that there might not be enough flowers for the visiting bees as well as the new residents. Time for a flower hunt. Pandorea Jasminoides – Bower of Beauty along [...]

Although I’ve had native bees visiting the garden for years, I’ve not had a hive – until now. Many thanks to Dianne from Brisbane Local Food for letting me have one from splitting her hive. The hive has been placed on an upturned clay pot under the acacia at the back, in the shelter with [...]

My garden – and verge – are part of the Brisbane Pollinator Link. Well, sort of. The Brisbane Pollinator Link is a great idea, aiming to have enough Brisbane gardens in close proximity to create connecting habitat for bees, butterflies and other bugs. But it’s based on the south side of the river, and one [...]

Although Goodenia ovata is often described as a small, open shrub, it grows as a ground cover on the verge. It’s extremely hardy and always seems to have cheerful yellow flowers.The leaves are glossy green with a serrated edge. Bought as tube stock from Kumbartcho Nursery A second Goodenia bought from Plant Shack in August 2018. [...]

This is reason enough to grow sunflowers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSLYrHalOs This sunflower is beside the pond and gets the morning sun. It has lots of tiny native bees and a single larger one. I’m not sure what type of bee it is. And here are some more against the fence facing west. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxJxmnMzVu0 Note to self: get [...]

Dianella berries (November 2018) on front verge. Rich purple berries follow delicate flowers. Bought as tubestock (3), Kumbartcho, December 2016. Planted on west side of tank. Bought as tubestock (30), Kumbartcho, December 2016. Planted on south side of verge. Dianella flowering September-October 2022. This is blue tongue territory. Sweet peas in foreground, Doryanthes excelsa – Gymea [...]

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 [...]

Close relation of the New Zealand Christmas Bush. Red flowers. Hardy.

This morning, we went for a flower hunt to see how many different flowers there were in the garden, including the verge. Here’s the list: Acacia Fimbriata (Brisbane Wattle) is coming into flower. In the morning sun, it is abuzz. Also popular with birds of all sizes Subtropical Nectarine blossom Graptophyllum ilicifolium (Holly Fuchsia) popular [...]

The focal point of our front garden is the Brisbane Wattle.  It has birds of all sizes in it every day – fairy wrens, small brown honey eaters, Australasian fig bird, Noisy friarbirds, willy wagtails, all love this tree. In late winter, it has a mass of yellow flowers and is abuzz with bees. 22 [...]

In debates about the environment, urban planning and development, the need for greenspace is a bit of an accepted wisdom. “Protect our greenspace” is the one argument against a new development that nobody dares argue with. But what do people really mean when they talk about greenspace? Does everyone mean the same thing? Do they [...]

The sunny side of the verge is starting to look more like a garden. The annuals – alyssum, nasturtiums and strawflowers are filling space while the tubestock natives are growing. The alyssum is flowering, attracting bees, keeping weeds down and making the mulch path look like a path – no hard borders are allowed under [...]

With the street tree planted in late April, the cooler weather and recent rain meant that May was the month for completing Stage 3 of the verge. It is the largest part, between the concrete path and the kerb.  The traffic calming means that I don’t have to worry about people alighting from parked cars [...]

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 [...]