Sneak peek at new plants

Many new plants hit the nurseries in autumn and there’s a suite of exciting goodies about to be unleashed at the Perth Garden Festival. If you want new and funky plants to jazz up the garden there is plenty of choice.

The stunning newGrevillea Dorothy Gordon bears the usual nectar-laden salmon-pink blooms for most of the year. Loving the full sun, it will grow to 3m high and 2m wide. Birds, possums and other nectar feeders will flock to this shrub. Flowers are useful for floral arrangements as they last well for several days. The foliage is fern-like, showy green coloured with bronze new tips as the plants grow.

If it’s architectural you want, check out the newAcanthus Red Legs . It has fabulous glossy foliage with vibrant red stems and colourful flower spikes. Acanthus are virtually unkillable, and they prefer to grow in shady spots.

Acanthus Red Legs

Hibiscus La Belle is just the thing for tucking into a mixed planting of small and interesting shrubs. With a compact habit, dainty divided foliage, and clusters of shell-pink bell flowers at many times of the year, it’s a real charmer. Plant out in semi-shade or in a pot. It gets to about 50-100cm tall and 50cm wide.

Hibiscus La Belle

For those in fire-prone areas, check out the new fire-retardant, psyllid-free lilly pilly,Acmena Firescreen. It is fast growing with flushes of copper red new growth, fading to bronze as the foliage matures. White fluffy flowers are followed by mauve edible berries during spring.

These plants will be available from most nurseries as well as Perth Garden Festival, which is on from April 30-May 3✓.